Launching well ahead of European legislation on reuse due in 2030, Oonly are at the vanguard of refillable PET bottles in Hungary. As such, it was essential for Oonly to launch a product with the European leader in reusable PET. Petainer’s “right first time” approach could be counted on to deliver a refPET bottle which for many in Hungary will be their first experience with reusable PET. With 25 reuse cycles possible, the new bottle is designed to be a sustainable solution for the Hungarian market.
Petainer are delighted to be the partners for Oonly’s revolutionary project for the Hungarian market. The team at Oonly had a clear vision for their product, knowing that the packaging itself would be as important as the pure spring mineral water they bottle from their source. There is not just a demand for quality mineral water on the Hungarian market, but also for sensible packaging formats. The Hungarian market suffers from low collection and recycling rates of the 2 billion bottles placed on the market each year, which reuse can address. Refillable PET has been proven in markets where it is present to reduce environmental spillage and collection, with 97-99% collection in the German market at current count. Hungary is taking steps already with the implementation of a Deposit Return Scheme from 2024, which will support the collection of bottles including Oonly’s. Going further with the implementation of reuse, Oonly can offer customers the most sustainable packaging format for beverages.
Sustainability Director Michael Joyes
Oonly fill with mineral water, sourced in the foothill of St Martin’s Hill in Pannonhalma. This exceptional natural mineral water is drawn from a protected water table that is 17,500 years old and lies 136m underground. Ensuring that the mineral water maintains its quality and purity is therefore essential. With its 100% PET construction, Oonly’s new refPET bottle will preserve the inherent mineral water properties from spring to consumer. Oonly established a greenfield site with state- of-the-art industry 4.0 robotized equipment, with a potential annual fill capacity of 50 M + bottles.
Reusable bottles can be scuffed as they travel through the system, a natural part of the process that occurs across all packaging materials. Many customers see bottles with scuffs as a mark of the success of the system, knowing their packaging is being sensibly collected and reused. Oonly and Petainer have taken this a step further, with an innovative new textured design which serves to highlight the branding and protect the product over its 25 reuse cycles.
Compared to the equivalent refillable 1.5L glass bottle, the new Oonly bottle weighs 106g and across its ~25 cylces will achieve the equivalent workload of ~25 bottles. At 4.24g per cycle the bottle will have a substantially lower material usage versus an equivalent glass bottle at ~800g (13.3g across 60 reuses). The weight of the Oonly bottle allows it to undergo vigorous washing before it is refilled and sent back out for retail like its glass equivalents. Meta-analysis commissioned by Oonly in advance of their own full life cycle analysis in 2024 shows the benefit of refPET over refillable glass.
In Hungary 100% of household mineral water consumption is brought to market in single use PET bottles. Our research indicates that the market is ready for environmentally conscious innovation as a solid 18-20% of consumers declare to make consumption choices based on health and sustainability factors. As pioneers of the refPET category in Hungary we wanted to make sure to align our efforts with the industry leader Petainer. We are confident, that the value proposition of Oonly, with premium quality mineral water packaged in sustainable refPET containers from Petainer will attract an ever-growing segment of the environmentally focused consumer base and will pave the way for the emergence of a significant refPET category in Hungary.
István Polony from Oonly
