Leverkusen, July 2010 – Transparent 5-gallon polycarbonate bottles are an ideal means of providing people worldwide with a reliable supply of hygienic drinking water. Makrolon® WB1239 from Bayer MaterialScience is a product tailored to the requirements of the water bottle industry. It is designed for the manufacture of large-volume bottles that can be cleaned and refilled more than 50 times. The concept of multiple use also ensures a cost-effective means of supply. This sustainable logistics solution could prove particularly beneficial in developing and newly industrializing countries, where the availability of clean drinking water is posing an ever-greater challenge.

A current example is China. At the start of the year, the south-west of the country suffered a serious drought caused by above-average temperatures and a severe lack of rain. Over 16 million people had either little or no access to clean drinking water. “The 5-gallon bottles could provide a quick solution and ease people’s suffering, because it is easy to transport the bottles to even the more remote regions,” says Andy Tse, an expert in polycarbonate water bottles at Bayer MaterialScience Ltd. in Hong Kong. “They make it possible to secure a reliable supply of drinking water in countries such as China and Indonesia – even when they are not afflicted by extreme situations such as droughts.” 

Water accounts for almost 70 percent by weight of the human body. We must consume at least two liters a day to compensate for water lost through sweating, urination and exhalation. Water is essential to ensure that the body’s cells and organs are provided with an optimum supply of nutrients.

Although industrial countries mostly have adequate access to clean drinking water, it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet demand in developing and newly industrializing countries. Over a billion people worldwide have no access to clean water. More than 2.2 million die each year from diseases caused by polluted water. Various institutions, such as UNESCO, believe that rapid population growth, climate change and environmental pollution will exacerbate the problem of water shortages in the future. In many of these countries, polycarbonate bottles are already helping to supply clean water to the population – especially in regions that are sparsely populated or lack the appropriate infrastructure.

The success of the reusable polycarbonate bottle is due first and foremost to its material properties. Weighing in at around 750g, a polycarbonate bottle is around 85 percent lighter than a glass bottle of the same size. Compared with other plastics, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Makrolon® WB1239 offers an ideal combination of stiffness, toughness, break resistance and temperature resistance. All these factors combine to give the bottles a long service life. What’s more, the material also fulfills all the global demands placed on plastics that come into contact with foodstuffs today. The bottles are also highly transparent, making it easy to check the fill level and underlining the quality of the contents.