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Healthy Asian inspired food chain itsu has launched new Aluminum Refill Flasks, to help customers reduce the number of plastic bottles they use, in an affordable and sustainable way.

Made from 70% recycled aluminum, these first-to-market flasks are the most cost-effective re-usable water bottles currently available from a high street food chain. Retailing at just £1.99 and with a long life span thanks to their durability, the itsu Aluminum Refill Flasks are a step in the right direction for sustainable living.

As well as helping customers to reduce their plastic bottle consumption, itsu will donate 5p from every Aluminum Refill Flask sale to the Blue Marine Foundation, a charity dedicating to creating marine reserves and establishing sustainable models of fishing.

The launch of the new Aluminum Refill Flasks follows a wave of initiatives, which have been launched across nationwide itsu shops, including:

• Replacing 500,000 plastic straws a year with paper straws
• Removal of all plastic knives, saving 4.2 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic
• Napkins have a high recycled content and moving to dispenses after trials reduced wastage by 35%
• Introducing reusable ‘spoons for life’ across all shops, retailing at 36p- the exact cost for itsu to make the item
• Removing all plastic from delivery business
• Diverting shop waste from landfill, converting it to Refuse Derived Fuel
• Modifying wrap packaging, saving six tonnes of plastic in 2018
• Introducing newly designed plastic water bottles, resulting in 5.6 tonnes less plastic packaging every year
• Moving to at least 51% rPET bottles, resulting in over 15 tonnes less virgin plastic being produced every year
• Trialling recycling bins at front of house
• Trialling Japanese bowls, to reduce hot cup plastic packaging

Julian Metcalfe, itsu’s Founder comments, “We’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers a stylish, cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to single use plastic bottles. Our high performing flask keeps beverages fresher for longer and should go some way in helping our customers reduce their dependency on single-use plastic bottles.

“We’ve come very far, but we know there’s always more we can do to go greener. Our supply teams are working hard to make sure all areas of the business are as sustainable as possible.”