The package used by a Park City, UT, bottled water venture will take longer to decompose than the residence time of the liquid in its aquifer, which was carbon dated at roughly 20,000 years. That's not stopping Wasatch IceWater LLC from boasting about the earth-friendly aspects of its flexible pouch.

Packaging needn't be biodegradable to be earth friendly, Wasatch IceWater believes. The firm stacks its water pouch against rigid plastic containers. Source: Ampac Packaging.




"The pouch is environmentally friendly," insists COO Craig Binks. "It requires 75 percent less energy to produce and 95 percent less land fill compared to a PET bottle." The pouch's multi-layer structure includes PET, biaxially-oriented nylon and a coextruded, proprietary inner layer to safeguard the product from any off tastes from the plastic.

Water is a scarce and valuable commodity in Utah, and Wasatch managers hope the purity of their product and the distinctive, 16-oz. pouch from Ampac Flexibles-Converted Products will justify a premium price from a national audience. Since production began two years ago, it has been sold as 21 IceWater, Park City IceWater and now Wasatch, though distribution remains limited to the mountain states.

For more information:
Lisa Fey, Ampac Packaging, 513-551-1209,lfey@ampaconline.com