How to: Water sourcing

How to... ...rethink water

HOW TO... / 41/ 41

Water is an on-the-move staple now creating a mountain of plastic-bottle waste. Here Andy Grabowski, of beverage supplier Intervine, assesses aluminum as an alternative…

SEE THE POTENTIAL

Bottled water is big business. Sales reached $18.1billion in 2020 with trends all showing further growth is being fueled largely by enhanced, flavoured sparkling, and flavoured non-carbonated waters. There has also been a 144% growth in the number of water products priced at $1.79 or more, showing a large increase in the premium category.

TAP INTO TRENDS

Recent surveys have also shown that 52% of Americans claim to have upped their water intake in the past year. And that around 75% of Millennials are altering their buying habits with the environment in mind. They are showing greater willingness to pay more for sustainable ingredients and products which are environmentallyfriendly, organic, natural, or socially responsible. These consumers increasingly expect a better taste and nearly half expect natural sourcing for premium waters.

FOCUS ON PLASTIC

This is all good news for water sales but not so great for the environment. Single-use plastics, as used largely for bottled water, account for 40% of the plastic produced every year. Up to 24 billion pounds of plastic is entering our oceans each year, and while you and your team may be recycling, in fact less than 9% of the world’s plastic is actually recycled.

ALUMINIUM ALTERNATIVES

Aluminum seems to offer a useful alternative and is gaining traction. Aluminum cans were the fastest growing packaging type for new non-alcoholic beverage launches 2013-2018. And the range of closable aluminum bottles is also on the up. Aluminium has the highest recycling yield of any beverage packaging material. It is infinitely recyclable and has a high scrap value which generates strong demand for it and drives up recycling rates.

For onboard service it has the further benefits of being light- weight, cube-efficient for stowing, air-tight, shatter-proof and allows zero light penetration.

While plastic recycling is still in its infancy, effective recycling infrastructure is already in place to make aluminum a true enabler of a circular economy •

FACT FILE

48% of the total water sales category is now sparkling and growing 28% year on year.

Intervine works with a range of on-thego water suppliers and looks to match products to passenger trends. Proud Source, naturally-alkaline water, is aiming to divert 200m bottles from landfill by 2030 by using aluminium packaging. Certified B-Corp, Proud Source never bottles more than 5% of a spring's output.