Air Up moves production to Austria

In the future, Air Up will have drinking bottles made of Tritan manufactured in the Alpine state. By the end of 2023, the start-up wants to locate the majority of production in Europe.

Munich-based start-up Air Up is moving production of its Tritan bottles to Austria. The company had the bottles produced in China until recently. Air Up previously cited a lack of contacts and insufficient production volume for manufacturing in Europe as its reasons for doing so. This earned the Munich-based start-up criticism, especially on sustainability issues.

Now Air Up wants to locate the majority of its production in Europe by the end of 2023. Tritan bottle production will now begin in Kremsmünster, Austria, where the company says it uses 100 percent renewable energy for manufacturing. Air Up will continue to source the Tritan plastic from the United States.

The startup was founded in 2018 and has developed a drinking system that adds flavor to water using only scent. Investors include celebrities such as Hollywood celebrities Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, as well as investors Frank Thelen and Ralf Dümmel, known from Die Höhle der Löwen. In the Startbase test, however, the bottles did not fare so well.

The next step on the agenda is to open a steel bottle production facility in Germany, as Air Up writes on its own website. The specific location and concept are yet to be published. Around 90 percent of pod production and the majority of bottle production will then take place in Europe from the end of 2023, the company plans.