Rising Gas Prices Drive Consumer Demand for Oil-Free Packaging

With gas prices rising above four dollars per gallon, families across the country are making simple choices to reduce their oil consumption. They are looking for alternatives to products and packaging made from crude oil, such as traditional plastic water bottles, and choosing new packaging options that are more environmentally-friendly. A new choice is Primo water, a single-serve bottled water in bottles made from plants, not crude oil. Primo gives busy consumers a sustainable bottled water option without having to give up portability, convenience, affordability and great refreshing taste during the hot summer months.

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The Primo bottle is different from all other water bottles sold in the U.S. because it is made from Ingeo(TM), a plant based natural plastic that is a 100% renewable resource grown on American soil. Traditional plastic water bottles are created from PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a petroleum-based plastic derived from limited and depleting reserves of crude oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels take millions of years to regenerate. In fact, if all plastic PET beverage bottles made from crude oil sold today in the U.S. were instead made from Ingeo(TM) plastic, Americans would save the equivalent of a billion gallons of gas each year. Manufacturing the Primo bottle is also more environmentally efficient as it requires 65 percent less fossil resources and emits 80-90% less greenhouse gases than a traditional petroleum-based bottle.

Retailers from coast to coast are responding to consumer demand by aggressively rolling out Primo in their stores. This summer, Primo will add distribution in Target, Albertsons and Publix. Primo is currently available at all Kroger and Kroger owned banner stores nationwide (Ralphs, Fry's, QFC, Dillons, Fred Meyer, Smith's, King Soopers, City Market), Lowes Foods, Hannaford, Sweetbay and Winn Dixie stores.

Not only will Primo be more widely available in some of the country's top grocery and mass retail store chains, it will also be packaged in a sleek, redesigned bottle with a new label and patented oval design for better handling -- perfect for busy consumers on-the-go.

"Primo water bottles made from plants give consumers an easy way to avoid using packaging made from depleting natural oil resources, which helps reduce our reliance on foreign oil," said Dave Burke, President and COO of Primo To Go. "Choosing a non-oil based bottle like Primo is a simple way for Americans to make a small change in their lifestyle, but a big difference for the environment."

"Primo is helping consumers live a better life by choosing great tasting, affordable water in a convenient, more environmentally-friendly bottle," said Billy Prim, Chairman and CEO of Primo Water Corporation. "We listened to consumer feedback about our test bottle and redesigned the shape to give shoppers the look and feel they want in a sleek, ergonomic package that fits their busy lifestyles. We reduced our package weight, cap size and label, all in response to consumer demand to keep our packaging as environmentally-friendly as possible."

Consumers will not only enjoy Primo for its environmental benefits, but also for its great taste. In blind taste tests conducted across the U.S. in late 2007, three out of four consumers preferred Primo over the leading spring water and four out of five preferred Primo over tap water. Primo is sold in a multi-pack of eighteen 16.9 oz. bottles at a suggested retail price of $4.99.

About Primo Water Corporation

Primo Water Corporation, a privately-held company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, manufactures, markets, and services mineral enriched bottled water that meets consumers desire to live a better life, with both the convenience they seek and the environmental benefits they desire. Today, three product lines make up Primo Water Corporation's portfolio. The first, introduced in June of 2005, offers three- and five-gallon Zero Waste bottles and an exchange program that rewards consumers for recycling their bottles for refills. The second, launched in April of 2008, is a new line of Energy Star rated and stylish water coolers. And the third is a single-serve bottled water, in a more-environmentally-friendly bottle made from plants, not crude oil. According to blind taste tests, three out of four consumers prefer Primo over the leading spring water and four out of five prefer Primo over tap water. To learn more, visit http://www.primowater.com.