The sustainable alternative to single-use plastic water bottles. For events, venues, and businesses that mean it.
If your sustainability goal involves reducing plastic waste, lowering carbon emissions, removing single-use packaging, or improving recycling — anew was built for exactly that.
The carbon footprint, precisely
We wanted to ensure we had the data to back up what we were trying to achieve. We commissioned an end-to-end cradle-to-grave lifecycle assessment of every part of the anew supply chain.
We knew that between our plant-based feedstocks and commitment to sustainability in every part of our business, we would score well against traditional bottles, but we did not expect to score this well.
The result: anew has the lowest carbon footprint of any bottled water format independently assessed. By a significant margin.
The table below shows emissions per 750ml of water actually delivered to a person. For reusable formats, this accounts for the expected number of uses over the life of the bottle — the only fair way to compare a bottle used 200 times against one used once. Every format is modelled over 365 uses.
Emissions per 750ml of water delivered, over 365 uses
| Format | Life | kg CO2e | vs anew |
|---|---|---|---|
| anew bottle | Reusable | 2.00 × 10⁻⁴ | baseline |
| Recycled PET | Reusable | 7.07 × 10⁻⁴ | 3.5× |
| PET | Reusable | 9.93 × 10⁻⁴ | 5.0× |
| Glass | Reusable | 1.58 × 10⁻³ | 7.9× |
| Aluminium | Reusable | 3.32 × 10⁻³ | 16.6× |
| Stainless steel | Reusable | 9.03 × 10⁻³ | 45.1× |
| Tetra Pak | Single use | 5.68 × 10⁻² | 284× |
| Recycled PET | Single use | 8.24 × 10⁻² | 412× |
| PET | Single use | 1.16 × 10⁻¹ | 578× |
| Glass | Single use | 4.52 × 10⁻¹ | 2,257× |
Source: comparative cradle-to-grave carbon footprint conducted by Edge Impact, commissioned by anew. Functional unit: delivery of 750ml of water to a New Zealand consumer. Every reusable format modelled over 365 uses. End of life reflects current New Zealand recycling rates. Figures rounded. Full summary available here (PDF).
Carbon negative to produce
The anew bottle body and cap are carbon negative at the production stage. Because the feedstock is plant-based, the carbon drawn down during plant growth exceeds the emissions of the manufacturing process. To make one anew bottle, before any recycling credit is counted, removes 19 grams of CO2 from the atmosphere.
For comparison:
Carbon to make one bottle, before any recycling credit
| Format | kg CO2e | In grams |
|---|---|---|
| anew bottle | −1.93 × 10⁻² | −19g (removes carbon) |
| Recycled PET | 8.84 × 10⁻² | 88g |
| PET | 1.22 × 10⁻¹ | 122g |
| Glass | 5.02 × 10⁻¹ | 502g |
| Aluminium (125g bottle) | 2.71 | 2,710g |
Source: Edge Impact LCA, commissioned by anew. Production stage only, before recycling credits.
A 125g aluminium bottle takes 2.71kg of carbon to make — more than twenty times its own weight. An anew bottle, measured at the same point, has already removed carbon from the air before it leaves the factory.
A note on stainless steel
Reusable stainless steel is widely considered the sustainable choice. The LCA found it is the worst performing reusable format in the study — roughly 45 times the carbon footprint of anew per 750ml delivered. A steel bottle is a large, energy-intensive lump of mined metal. It has to be reused a great many times before that initial carbon investment is paid back, which is worth considering before offering them as a branded gift that may only be used a couple of times - or end up in "the bottle cupboard"
What this means for events and venues
Events are one of the biggest sources of single-use plastic waste. Standard single-use PET water bottles produce 578 times the emissions of anew per 750ml delivered. Glass in single-use format is 2,257 times worse.
anew solves the single-use problem at events without the safety risks of glass in crowd environments, the weight of metal, or the carbon cost of either. For events with sustainability reporting requirements, the data exists: carbon footprint per unit, bio-based certification, and the full LCA. Everything your sustainability team needs.
For businesses with sustainability goals
- Reducing plastic waste: No oil-based plastic. Plant-based, recyclable in standard #2 stream, and designed to be reused for years.
- Lowering carbon emissions: 578× lower than single-use PET. Carbon negative at production stage. Verified by Edge Impact LCA.
- Removing single-use packaging: One anew bottle replaces hundreds of single-use plastics over its life.
- Eliminating fossil fuels: Made from plants, not oil or gas. A Renewable solution
- Improving recycling: Mono-material design — bottle and cap are the same material. Goes into standard home recycling.
The independent reports
Every claim on this page is independently verified. The reports are public.
- Carbon footprint summary — Edge Impact LCA (PDF)
- 100% bio-based carbon — Beta Analytic, ASTM D6866 (PDF)
- Zero microplastics — EMSL Analytical (PDF)
- BPA & BPS free — SGS (PDF)
- PFAS-free, all 18 analytes — Con-Test / Pace Analytical (PDF)
Full detail on the testing methodology is on our independent testing page.
Work with us
anew is also a packaging system. We provide consultancy, design, manufacturing, collection, washing and recycling for businesses moving away from oil-based single-use packaging. If your event, venue, or business is ready to make the switch with verified data behind it, get in touch.