Brand new plastic-free Brita water bottles in six and four packs
After working in the packaging industry for 25 years, I am convinced of this: Innovation is not easy. A good idea is just a starting point. Implementing new packaging innovations on a large scale requires patience, experience and expertise. But more importantly, it needs the right team-a team with the right vision and the right attitude, because no one can achieve this goal alone. The supply chain is too complex and interdependent, so it is not feasible.
Take Brita Premium Purified Water as an example. It is a substitute for single-use plastic and is occupying the USD 20 billion bottled water industry. Brita Water is packaged in 100% aluminum containers, which are highly durable and refillable, so the product can be reused many times and is fully recyclable.
No plastic was found in the four-pack and six-pack of Brita Water: the multi-pack bottles are combined using a new paper carrier system called Fishbone, which can be recycled on the roadside. (Full disclosure: I am part of the team responsible for commercializing Fishbone.)
Brita Water was launched earlier this year and is available nationwide at Albertsons, Safeway, Harris Teeter, ACME, Lowe's Foods, Tom Thumb, Randall's Foods, Price Chopper, Tony's Finer Foods, IGA, and a growing number of other retailers Buy. It is the result of a collaboration between Brita (the Clorox brand and filtered water tank) and the welfare company B Water & Beverages. Their partnership was formally established in the spring of 2020 through a trademark manufacturer's license agreement, but in fact, the research and development work that makes this new sustainable product possible has been going on for nearly a decade.
B Water & Beverages President Jennifer Brooks (Jennifer Brooks) explained in a telephone interview: "In terms of our overall solution for consumers, Brita Water is revolutionary." "We are very opposed to any type of waste. This is why we like Fishbone and its smallest packaging. We are not just selling water; we are selling a solution to replace single-use plastic."
In terms of sustainability and value, Brita Water stands out from other water brands—even those in thin aluminum cans—because the bottle is durable and can be refilled multiple times. Brooks said: “Only the refillable factor is the key to reducing waste and saving consumers money.” Compared with expensive stainless steel bottles, Brita Water is affordable.
Jennifer Brooks, President of B Water & Beverages, a welfare company
For the fifth consecutive year, Americans have bought more bottled water than any other beverage. Surprisingly, research conducted by Brita in 2018 showed that 60% of disposable plastic water bottles are actually consumed at home, not on the go.
“When people decide to buy our filters and use them, generally speaking, they do it to replace the active and massive use of bottled water,” explains Brita’s general manager Eric Schhwartz. "That's why we believe we can play a special role in helping consumers lead more sustainable lifestyles by providing them with the option of avoiding the disposable plastic bottles that end up in the waste stream."
Brita estimates that using one of its filtration systems instead of buying bottled water can replace up to 1,800 bottles per household per year. In this sense, it has been a leader in reducing the use of disposable plastic drinking water for more than 40 years. For some time, Brita has been keen to develop direct competitors for single-use plastic bottles, but it was not until representatives met Brooks at the 2019 trade show that the company promised to work together to tackle the challenges of disrupting a deeply entrenched industry.
"B Water & Beverages has the technical expertise and ability to assemble containers and provide delicious water, but it is not a brand that resonates with consumers. Rory Wehrlie, Director of Strategic Alliances, Partnerships and Licensing, Brita ) Said that combining them is indeed where we can make an impact.
James Skylar, CEO of B Water & Beverages, started packaging water in aluminum cans in 2013. Worried about the presence of microplastics in the water, he was motivated to invent and apply for a patent for a system that allows him to filter, disinfect and seal the water in aluminum cans. The shelf life certified by the laboratory is 50 years. Today, his other company, Blue Can Water, supplies canned water to many organizations such as FEMA, NASA, the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
However, it is not just B Water & Beverage's success in packaging and distributing delicious water with aluminum that ultimately consolidated their deal. Wehrlie and Schwartz knew they needed a leader who could coordinate many different participants to provide a unique and impactful final product.
"When we consider partners, we mainly look at capabilities, but we also look at people. Jennifer and James are passionate about sustainable development. When you consider all the stakeholders and different entities involved, this is indeed a masterpiece. "Wehrlie said.
The uniqueness of Brita Water is that its bottle cap is also made entirely of aluminum. When Brooks contacted Trivium Packaging, B Water & Beverages' bottle supplier, and asked to design a 100% aluminum packaging, they wanted to invest in a new machine to achieve this goal.
Ryan Noward, head of Trivium's global beverage department, said in an email: "Making 100% aluminum beverage bottles with screw caps is technically very challenging." "Our R&D team It has gone through a lot of trial and error to bring these bottles to life."
This effort is justified because research shows that more and more consumers are looking for sustainable packaging and are refusing to buy products whose packaging is harmful to the environment. They are also willing to pay more for environmental solutions. Noward observed that this trend remains resilient in the face of a global pandemic, which strongly suggests that the momentum of sustainable development is not a whim.
Sustainability is the reason why Fishbone co-founders Kevin L'Heureux and Keith Elliott started developing plastic-free alternatives to edible microplastics as early as 2014.
"As the industry knows, Hi-Cone rings are cheap, lightweight and easy to store. We know we can't make something equally good; it must be better," L'Heureux told me. "Our goal has always been to develop end-to-end solutions for customers who are committed to sustainable development."
Today, after countless iterations of carrier and machine applications, with a matching patent portfolio, Fishbone appears on food and beverage products all over the world. It has been recognized by the prestigious Ocean Foundation because of its sustainability advantages and is beneficial to manufacturers because it increases the space for branding and visibility.
"We recognized the importance of this technology from the very beginning in proving that society can replace the single-use plastic that eventually enters the environment, especially the single-use plastic that enters the ocean," said Mark J. Spalding, Chairman of the Ocean Foundation. "There are many applications that use plastics that shouldn't be used at all. Fishbone has proven that they don't have to."
In 2020, Fishbone was licensed by Atlantic Packaging, the largest private packaging company in North America. Atlantic Services is primarily a Fortune 500 consumer product company. Wes Carter, the third-generation president of Atlantic, is committed to creating a new era of sustainable development throughout the industry.
He pointed out that historically, packaging was designed for function, cost and convenience, and its impact on the environment has not even been paid attention to. He told me that this must change. In his view, the packaging industry has an "incredible responsibility", that is, to own the products it sells outside of sales. Without cross-collaboration and the development of sustainable closed-loop systems, this would be impossible.
"To be honest, the key to all [innovation] is people. Always people. You must have highly skilled people who like to work together. When you can combine it with our state-of-the-art packaging testing technology center in Charlotte At that time, you can cultivate the exchange of ideas where the magic happens," Carter emphasized. "There is nothing more interesting than working in a team and creating a new system and new product that will change the world. Sustainability requires us to do this throughout the supply chain!"
Production line using new plastic-free fish skeleton system
Commercializing a new packaging innovation requires you to consider the equipment needed to manufacture it. Often new equipment needs to be developed, so finding the right partner is crucial. Important considerations include line speed, cost, and equipment footprint.
Atlantic was able to find the perfect partner in Serpa Packaging Solutions, a designer and manufacturer of customized high-end equipment for the pharmaceutical, food, beverage and automotive product industries. Serpa is known for ensuring that its machines run at 98% efficiency for 24/7 operation.
Serpa’s national sales and application manager Aaron Metzler told me that Fishbone’s potential impact on the beverage industry made them want to participate in the project from the very beginning.
"The more question is how do we develop this solution so that any customer can have a system at any time to bring it to the market at the different prices they need, whether it is a craft brewer or a large beverage manufacturer ," He said.
The use of aluminum drinking water is very novel, and consumers do not know what to do with it. The hypothesis is that if you drink aluminum, you are likely to drink beer or soda. The water in the aluminum package is obviously irregular. But because Brita is already synonymous with better-tasting filtered water, consumers are unlikely to question the contents.
"The less doubt consumers have, the more they are willing to try new products," Schwartz pointed out.
result? Everyone won. Obtaining the Brita trademark license means that B Water can more easily persuade retailers to experiment. Retailers can expect higher speeds. Brita can attract new consumers at a lower price.
"Having a dedicated and independent partner will enable you to go further and faster in a competitive environment that is different from the one you are in," Schwartz explained.
The new Brita water bottle aims to further replace single-use plastic.
Crucially, the Brita brand provides consumers with trust—especially, the belief that the water they can’t see will meet the quality they expect and want to drink. After all, unlike plastic, aluminum bottles are opaque. The power of the Brita brand is remarkable: Brita is not only a water purification brand, but also ranks among the best among consumers compared to top water brands. According to Brooks, up to 94% of American consumers are familiar with Brita. As high-end water categories become more and more crowded, brand differentiation is more important than ever.
There is no doubt that commercializing a big idea requires team effort. It is not easy to develop a beautifully packaged and environmentally friendly alternative to disposable plastic water bottles. In this process, the different groups responsible for bringing Brita Water to life must be flexible and stubborn. They overcome obstacles and bypass obstacles by using the power of common intentions.