Are all Actimel bottles going to be replaced with the NEW 95% plant-based bottle?
From June 2011, all Actimel bottles have been made from 95% plant-based material. This means that all Actimel bottles are now made from a minimum of 95% sugar cane, which is a renewable resource.
Why is the NEW 95% plant-based plastic bottle better than the oil-based plastic bottle?
Sugar cane is a 100% renewable, fast growing plant which absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows. From just one hectare (100m x 100m) of sugar cane plants it is possible to produce enough plant-based plastic for over 550,000 Actimel bottles! Standard plastic bottles are produced from crude oil which depletes precious fossil fuels.
Can Actimel bottles still be recycled?
Yes, the properties of the NEW 95% plant-based bottles are the same as the previous oil-based bottles and as such are recyclable. The foil lid is not recyclable.
Is the NEW 95% plant-based bottle biodegradable?
No, the new bottle has the same properties as the current bottle and is not biodegradable.
Has the taste of my Actimel changed?
No, the taste of your Actimel has not changed; it’s only the way that we make the bottle that has changed. There is no difference in terms of the look, colour or texture of Actimel with the NEW 95% plant-based bottle.
How can we make plastic from a plant?
Once the sugar cane plants have been harvested, they are washed, cut and pressed to extract the sugar cane juice, also known as sucrose.
At the distillery, the sugar cane juice is fermented and distilled to produce the ethanol that will be transformed into ethylene through dehydration. The last stage of the production process then results in polyethylene, a plant-based plastic in the form of granules. These plastic granules are then brought to Europe by boat to be turned into Actimel bottles.
Check out our interesting videos to see the complete life cycle of our NEW 95% plant-based bottle.
Where is the sugar cane grown?
The sugar cane used in the Actimel bottles is grown in Brazil. The majority of sugar cane destined for the production of ethanol (90%) is grown in South-Central Brazil.
Why grow the sugar cane in Brazil?
The sugar cane is grown in Brazil because it is not readily available in Europe. Brazil is also one of the industry leaders in sugar cane production and is helping to lead the way in the development of the technology for transforming sugar cane into plastic. Sugar cane production for the Actimel bottles has a low impact on land use, using only 0.0002% of total arable land.
What about the CO₂ impact of transporting the plant-based plastic from Brazil to Europe?
Maritime transport is predominately used to transport the plant-based plastic from Brazil to Europe, representing 96% of the distance. The CO₂ emissions linked to the transportation of the plant-based plastic have been taken into account in calculating the CO2 used.
Doesn’t growing sugar cane lead to the deforestation of tropical forests?
No, it doesn’t lead to deforestation. According to the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), more than 60% of recent sugar cane expansion took place on pasture land, mostly degraded pastures, in South-Central Brazil. Sugar cane for ethanol production occupies in total, only 1.1% of arable land in Brazil.
The bottle is 95% plant-based, what is the remaining 5%?
Our bottles are made from a minimum of 95% plant-based plastic, as guaranteed by our supplier.
The remaining 5% is made up of:
- 4% max of non plant-based plastic from production lines.
- 1% max of white colouring from our bottles.
Do we use recycled plastic in our bottles?
No, we don’t use recycled material for our Actimel bottles because of the low availability of a high quality recycled plastic needed to produce our bottles. Nevertheless, we are constantly looking for developments in this area and we hope that we may be able to use recycled plastic in the future.
Is the sugar cane used genetically modified
No, none of the sugar cane used is genetically modified.