The demand for sustainable mineral water consumption is increasing in Hungary. Meanwhile, the redemption system introduced at the beginning of the year is struggling, the majority of the machines installed are almost empty. As a result, 400 million PET bottles alone were consumed during the first quarter, two-thirds of which are not recycled. From the point of view of environmental awareness, it is therefore an important milestone that the first replacement bottled mineral water will be available nationwide in selected stores of Interspar and Príma from April. The Hungarian brand started producing bottled Oonly mineral water, which can be refilled an average of 25 times, in the middle of January at its plant in Pannonhalma, which is one of the most environmentally friendly solutions currently known on the domestic market.
The circular model and environmentally conscious consumption are conquering all over Europe, and for some time it is also starting to become popular in our country for consumers, to which the manufacturer side must also respond. Refillable refPET replacement bottles are an excellent alternative on the way to more sustainable consumption, thanks to which it is customary in more and more countries to keep mineral water bottles in circulation. However, until the appearance of Oonly, there was no example of a similar product intended for domestic consumption on the domestic mineral water market. Oonly started producing bottled natural mineral water that can be refilled an average of 25 times in mid-January at its plant in Pannonhalma. Hungarian water with environmentally conscious packaging and rich in minerals conquered consumers in a short time, so during April two versions of the 1.5 liter product became available on the shelves of two large domestic food chains, in selected stores of the national network of Interspar and Príma. Machines with the MoHU multi-way logo will take back the product in the affected stores; and in stores where there is no vending machine, Oonly bottles can be returned at the checkout.
“It feels good to see that we can respond to the needs of consumers as a pioneering product on the market, and that an environmentally conscious approach can become not only a dream, but a feasible lifestyle. The fact that Oonly products are now also available on the shelves of major department stores not only proves the raison d’être of replacement bottled mineral water, but also that our vision-shaping work is reaching its goal, Hungarian customers are indeed looking for sustainable solutions and are open to innovations. We are pleased that Oonly mineral water can now be found on the shelves of more and more stores across the country“, he stated in connection with the enlistment István Polony, managing director of Oonly.
The mandatory redemption system started on January 1, 2024 a Greenpeace’s latest survey according to him, he performs strongly below even compared to preliminary expectations. The vending machines installed at the beginning of the year are almost empty, and on the shelves of the shops you can only occasionally find drink packaging with a redemption fee.
According to the new system, shops charge a deposit for glass, aluminum and PET bottles, which the customer gets back when he takes the bottles to a return point. According to recent research, the majority of manufacturers are taking advantage of the six-month grace period they received from the government to introduce the new type of returnable bottles, but the vast majority of store chains are also delaying the deposit-charged version of their own brand products. During the first quarter, only 400 million PET bottles were consumed, two-thirds of which are not expected to be recycled.
An average Hungarian consumer according to the 2023 research of the National Chamber of Agrarian Economy consumes 130 liters of mineral water per year, which means approximately 86 disposable PET bottles for a one and a half liter bottle, which is a significant environmental burden. In contrast, with the refPET replacement bottle, which can be refilled an average of 25 times, the 86 PET bottles per person per year can be reduced to only 3 replacement bottles per year.
After exchange, Oonly’s multi-use replacement bottles are delivered to the factory, where they are cleaned at high temperatures and subjected to a sterilization process, then refilled with mineral water, and the cycle starts all over again.
Oonly mineral water is currently available in selected stores of Interspar and Príma, and can be ordered at kifli.hu. A detailed list of shops selling Oonly is available: http://www.oonly.hu
