A delegation from Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, along with several chefs attending the ‘Vietnam Phở Festival 2023’ in Tokyo last weekend, visited Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant in Yamanashi, Japan on Monday.

Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant is known as the producer of the lightest bottles in Japan with its 550-ml bottles weighing just 11.9 grams each and its two-liter bottles weighing just 29.8 grams. The factory has also set records for the lightest bottle caps and the thinnest bottle labels.

Shigeo Masuda, Executive Officer and Plant Director of Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant, said the plant operates in an eco-friendly manner and follows the philosophy of “Mizu-to-ikuru” (Living with water).

In particular, the facility was designed to save water, prevent water waste, and reduce water use.

The factory has also carried out several initiatives to protect forests and birds over the past 50 years.

It also uses solar power as a way to protect the environment, the firm executive added.

Le The Chu (L, 2nd), Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, presents a souvenir to Shigeo Masuda, Executive Officer and Plant Director of Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant.

Aside from lighterweight bottles generally using less plastic, Hakushu also does its best to replace some of the plastic typically used in bottle production by ensuring that up to 30 percent of the material used in its bottle caps is derived from plants.

Used bottles can be twisted to one sixth of their initial size, helping optimize the collection of plastic bottles and reduce collection and transport costs.

According to Masuda, no one bought bottled water in Japan 30 years ago because residents could drink water from taps. However, bottled water is now among the company’s best-selling.

Hakushu produces 120 million boxes of water bottles a year, with each box including six two-liter bottles.

A representative of Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant introduces the factory’s forest protection activities.

Do Thai Vuong, vice president of corporate affairs at Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam, said the company had also come up with initiatives to reduce plastic in packaging products.

Bottles produced by the factory in Vietnam are currently the lightest in the world, at 11 grams.

In Vietnam, Suntory PepsiCo is the first company to launch bottle caps completely made of recycled plastic.

Thanks to these initiatives, the company has cut nearly 7,000 metric tons of virgin plastic, or 27,000 metric tons of carbon to the environment.

Preserving animals is part of the factory’s initiatives to protect the environment.

The ‘Vietnam Phở Festival 2023’, taking place at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday last week, attracted over 85,000 revelers and impressed Japanese people with the special taste of Vietnam’s signature dish, pho.

This is the first time the event was held abroad to celebrate the seventh edition of the ‘Day of Pho’ (December 12), initiated and annually held by Tuoi Tre.

Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant operates in an eco-friendly manner.

Used bottles can be twisted to one sixth of their initial size to optimize their collection.

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