Nestle wins Innovation Award

GREENWICH, Conn. An environmentally friendly water bottle made by Nestle has won an award in Connecticut, the international food conglomerate said Monday.

Nestle Waters North America announced that it received the 2010 Gold Connecticut Quality Improvement Award’s Innovation Prize for its Eco-Shape half-liter bottle. The bottle uses 25% less PET plastic than the earlier Eco-Shape bottle, and the company called it among the most environmentally responsible packaged drink choices on the market.

The CQIA is the oldest state-level quality award that uses the criteria of the federal government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Malcolm Balridge National Quality Award for Performance Excellence, named for the Reagan-era commerce secretary.

“Winning the CQIA prize is a testament to Nestle Waters’ leadership in innovation,” Nestle Waters director of health and environmental affairs Kevin Mathews stated. “As a company that depends on natural resources, sustainability is an integral part of our values and business, and we understand that reducing the amount of plastic in our bottles -- or ‘lightweighting’ -- is the best thing a beverage company can do to reduce its environmental impact.”