Water everywhere
Water everywhere
According to a story on NPR, after years of double-digit increases, bottled water sales have fallen by 1%. Industry analysts say the economy is driving the change, but that environmental concerns may also be having an effect. But bottled water is still selling. Americans spent more than $11 billion on it last year and Kim Jeffrey, CEO of Nestle Waters North America, which owns Poland Spring and other brands, says that if environmental concerns are influencing sales, they are not having much of an impact. "The problems we're seeing right now are very much attributable to the economic downturn, not to the fact that people are leaving bottled water in droves - because it's just not happening," he says.
Are bottled water suppliers in denial? I believe they should be concerned: as PSFK shows, non-bottled water initiatives are springing up: "The folks behind the TapIt Water initiative are taking the ‘convenience’ excuse out of the case for bottled water. Combining popular mobile technologies and grassroots on-the-ground efforts, the program connects empty-canteen-carrying water seekers with cafes and restaurants who offer good, clean, NYC tap water at no charge and with no dirty you-need-to-buy-something looks. Cafes sign up to be TapIt Partners, supplying their location and how they plan to make water accessible. Users can then log onto the site, or access its search and mapping features via an iPhone or Smartphone application, to see where along their routes they can duck in for a refill. It’s a winning solution for everyone - fewer plastic bottles in landfills, cold (or room temperature, in some cases) water for the thirsty, and increased foot traffic for local businesses. Of course, the system only works if there are enough Partners to make it interesting, which is why it’s big news that they’ve signed up their 100th Partner in NYC".
Thursday, 16 April 2009 11:17