We care. You care too. That's a good start.
air up® was founded to nudge people into a healthier and more sustainable consumption behavior. This is a journey. Every bit matters - and we're on it!
The road less travelled
Our pods are up to 99% more transport efficient than flavoured drinks sold in single-use plastic bottles. 1
The road less plastic
Our pods use up to 88% less plastic than flavoured drinks sold in single-use plastic bottles. 2
The road less temporary
Our modular drinking system is extremely long-lasting. You only replace where it breaks.
The road less travelled
Getting out of the way
By moving our entire production to the EU, we will cut down transport distance for the pods by up to 15,000 kilometres in total. That's about 1875 times Mount Everest stacked together.
Less transportation = less pollution.
The road less plastic
Less is less
air up® pods need up to 88% less plastic than a pre-filled and single-use drink alternative. One tiny, pod flavours at least 5 litres of water, which could lead to a reduction of 5 single-use plastic bottles per pod. More so, the pods you use are made from recyclable materials. 3
Yes, it's still plastic which isn't perfect, but we're on it.
The road less dirty
Our way to 100%
Our goal is crystal clear: Level up sustainability by design along the entire product lifecycle. Using renewable energy sources for our production is a big part of this.
Our pod production in the Netherlands is entirely powered by wind energy, and our Tritan bottle facility in Austria gets 100% of its electricity from renewables.
The road more green
Your order means more
Pushing further into transforming our impact on the environment into a positive one, we've partnered up with Eden Reforestation Projects.
Now, whenever an order is placed on our website, Eden Reforestation Projects will make sure there’s one planted tree on our behalf. Or, more specifically, on yours! We’ve opted to focus our combined efforts on mangroves in Madagascar because, much like air uppies, mangroves thrive in and loveeee water. Yes, we know all trees like water, but if you’re not familiar with mangroves, look them up! They’re wild.
our journey
In December, we implemented carbon-neutral delivery in all European markets, excl. UK.
In March, our Tritan bottle packaging got more than 25% lighter with our colored Tritan bottles.
In April, we switched to FSC certified, recycled shipping cartons. Our boxes are now made of 100% recycled content, and our shipment envelopes of up to 60%.
We kept air cargo at a minimum in 2022, below 1%
In December, our Tritan bottle production facility Greiner opened in Austria.
In January, our pod production facility Sidamo opened in the Netherlands.
In January, we started purchasing biofuel for our sea shipments. It's made from organic material, reducing the need for fossil fuel.
In January, our steel bottles (480ml) in the US got a slimmer packaging, made of 100% recycled material and 40% less weight.
In May, we partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects meaning each order = one tree planted.
By the end of the year, the slimmer packaging of our steel bottles will also launch in Europe.
By the end of the year, we will introduce recycled content in our Tritan bottles.
We want to change the material of our pod packaging and gradually reduce it. The best packaging is no packaging!
We continue to explore innovative, more sustainable materials for our drinking system which we hopefully can launch soon.
The road less travelled is long
We’re going on. And we’re not there yet.
Sustainability is an ongoing process - we see it as a journey that we take together.
For example, most of our packaging is already made from recyclable and recycled materials.
For 2023, we want to do even better.
Questions or suggestions? Get in touch
It’s safe to say that transporting our pods is more efficient than transporting pre-filled drinks. But, here’s a better breakdown in terms of what that means for transportation and pollution:
For air up®, 1 container can transport around 144,000 3-pod pouches (or 432,000 individual pods), which flavors up to 2,100,000 liters of water.
For bottled drinks, 1 container can transport roughly 35,000 single-use water bottles at 500ml per bottle.
The volume of water that 1 container of air up® pods can flavor equals 119 containers of single-use 500mL water bottles.
Overall, this means the transportation of our flavor pods is up to 99% more efficient in comparison to 500mL single-use water bottles.
How have we got that number?
We’re glad you asked! So: 1 pod flavors over 5 liters of water, which can lead to a reduction of 5 single-use plastic bottles per pod. This means that 1 pouch (that contains 3 pods) flavors around 15 liters of water. With pre-filled single-use drinks, this would require just under 15 1-liter plastic bottles.
An air up® pouch with 3 pods weighs 35g (8g for the pouch, 7.5g per pod and 1.3g per blister). If you compare this to the same amount of pre-bottled drinks, this can require almost ten times more plastic - around 300g for 15 1-liter bottles. In relative terms, this means our pods = 88% less plastic waste compared to single-use plastic bottles.
How to dispose of the pod and packaging may differ in your area. Please check with your local municipality on recycling guidance for different materials.
Pods
The pod and transparent case go into the plastic bin. Generally, we strive to use as many recyclable materials as possible because it enables the materials to stay in the loop and become new products. This not only reduces the waste in landfill sites, but also reduces the air and water pollution caused by extracting and processing raw materials and saves energy and thus reduces greenhouse gas emissions (according to Veolia).
Pod Pouches
The pouches for our pods are currently not recyclable and go into the household bin. They have an aluminum layer on the inside as a protective layer to conserve the aroma. We plan to change the pouch into a recyclable, mono-material soon.
