Bottled water has always been a centerpiece of the consumer experience. Advertisers go to great lengths to further solidify the indispensable nature of drinking water. Bottled water is convenient and ready at a moment’s notice.

But another part of bottled water remains indispensable, and it’s quite the headache: the plastic. The polymer-based packaging is woefully undegradable, and it can take several human lifetimes to decompose. Despite recycling incentive programs, a 2022 study reports a 29% PET recycling rate in the United States. That’s fewer than 1 in 3 Americans.

With recent pushes for eco-conscious policies and goods, the traditional plastic bottle is being eschewed for other materials.

The more widespread alternate packaging is maintaining a conventional shape, like cartons and cans. Companies like Open Water and the cult-like Liquid Death are promising goodbye (or death, in the latter case) to plastic, instead opting for aluminum packaging. Boxed Water puts water in a carton instead of a bottle. Cove is opting for alternate materials for the bottle, using polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) instead of conventional plastics. 

PHAs are a type of biopolymer made by some species of microbes when stressed. Their biological origins and biodegradability makes them an attractive material for plastic alternatives. 

Previously, the viral sensation of packageless water, Ooho, encapsulated the dream of packageless water. The water is locked in a thin seaweed-based membrane, and promises a significantly shorter decomposition time than plastic counterparts. 

Some are reinventing the story of plastic altogether to make it more self-degrading, like imbuing spores of plastic-eating bacteria into the plastic as it is made. 

These plastic alternatives are already becoming regular staples of grocery shelves. A 2020 study in Italy finds that consumers are more eco-conscious and willing to buy into plastic alternatives like PLA. Even if these eco-conscious alternatives are more expensive, buyers are still invested in the idea of reducing plastic waste. This growing body of studies in consumer choice on plastic alternatives reflect that a key mechanism of encouraging eco-conscious measures is bottom-up through marketable consumer products. 

These advances are exciting steps towards normalizing more eco-friendly bottle alternatives for the consumer shelves of the future, but what about existing plastic bottles? We may have cut down on the waste of the future, but how do we deal with the waste of the past and present?

Once again, bacteria enter the scene. For example, cutinase enzymes could be used to help break down plastic. The project PS4B sought to design enzymes that could digest polyurethane and PET, two common commercial plastics. 

Researchers are also investigating other potential plastic munchers. One such bacterium species, Ideonella sakaiensis, is garnering attention for its potential to break down PET.

While current innovations are far from the ideal dream to break down plastic as fast as it is made, these efforts may help us find the way forward. Just as water is essential for life, collaboration and innovation are essential for us to make advances in eco-conscious packaging.