Boxed water BS
March 27th, 2009
Loyal RWG reader AS tipped me off to a new product that I think does as much to stimulate debate as it attempts to introduce a new eco-friendly product to the marketplace: boxed water.
You heard me right — boxed water. My first thought was, “How Emperor’s New Clothes-esque. This must be some kind of art exhibition by environmental activists trying to draw attention to the bamboozling of the public into believing that tap water is somehow healthier and more palatable when it comes in a container.”
Then I took a look on the Boxed Water Is Better (BWIB) website, and realized that I was only partially right. The boxed water is indeed for sale — although as of yet only in local stores near the Grand Rapids, MI, startup’s headquarters — but the “sustainable water company” (their words, not mine) does add “part art project” to its company credo.
BWIB packages its carbon-filtered, purified Minnesota water in Tetra Pak containers — those laminated paperboard containers that house everything from soup to soy milk — filling them only as demand is created. This, along with the smaller space requirements for shipping the flat, unfilled boxes (the company says the boxes it can fit on two pallets, or 5 percent of a truckload, would require about five truckloads for glass or plastic bottles), greatly reduces the company’s carbon footprint.
BWIB launched on March 13, although even after reading about the company’s commitment to sustainability and giving I still think a more fitting launch date would have been April 1. But then, how is water in a box any more ridiculous than water in a bottle? I think it’s just the starkness of the bold black type on the white box; it doesn’t try to trick you into thinking there’s something sexier inside than just, well, water. It might as well say, “Why the hell are you buying me?”
But if you have to buy a bottle of water, I suppose this would be a better option than a plastic bottle, even though Tetra Pak recycling isn’t yet widely available. The company has also committed 20 percent of its profits to world water relief and reforestation foundations (another component of the company credo: philanthropy), which seems to fall into the same category of giving as Philip Morris’ smoking cessation program, but is laudable nonetheless.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the boxed water debate. Leave me a comment and let me know where you stand!
–Jennifer Grayson
Like this post? Subscribe to The Red, White, and Green RSS feed
March 28th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I am well…confused to say the least.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:38 am
This is not more eco- or health-friendly than bottled water, since most boxes use a bisphenol A-based lining inside. Granted, it appears BPA may also be leaching from our #1 plastics as well, but why switch to a less-recycleable, more-toxic approach?
September 8th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I completely agree with the attitude of this article. I live in GR and these guys seem to be treated like local heroes. Bottom line, they have no background in sustainable design or in sustainability. One of the guys is a web developer and the other seems to just be a hype man. Hopefully this whole product is just another eco-fad that quickly passes. However, if you hop on their facebook page (just type in boxed water in the search) they seems to have legions of fans totally uneducated as to the inner working of their product or of sustainability as a movement/ideal. Seriously, if consumers realized they were drinking the equivalent of filtered Minnesota tap water I am sure they would think twice before plopping down the minimalistic carton on the counter. They have done well to cover their media channels but very poorly in actually creating a valuable product!
As a second point, 20% of nothing is nothing. Considering I have been involved in a few start ups both in and outside of the sustainability field, it takes a few years to cover initial capital outlay. In this case, a few hundred thousand cartons is probably the break even point before any kind of profit will be visible. A little more criticism is needed of all the greenwashing and localwashing that is going on out there and this is simply another example of consumer ignorance.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I agree with you, Wheeler — I don’t think this is a sustainable business model, both in terms of the environment and their long-term outlook as a company. Are the cartons even recyclable in your area?