Air Up relocates production to Austria

In future, Air Up will have drinking bottles made from Tritan produced in the Alpine country. The start-up plans to relocate the majority of its production to Europe by the end of 2023.

The Munich-based start-up Air Up is moving the production of its Tritan bottles to Austria. Until recently, the company had the bottles produced in China. Air Up cited a lack of contacts and insufficient production volume for manufacturing in Europe as the reasons for this. This brought the Munich-based start-up criticism, particularly in terms of sustainability.

Air Up now 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 claims to use 100% renewable energy for production. Air Up will continue to source the Tritan plastic from the USA.

The start-up was founded in 2018 and has developed a drinking system that only adds flavor to water through scent. Its investors include celebrities such as Hollywood stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, as well as investors Frank Thelen and Ralf Dümmel, who are well-known from Die Höhle der Löwen. However, the bottles did not fare so well in the Startbase test.

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% of pod production and the majority of bottle production will then take place in Europe from the end of 2023, the company plans.