There has been a lot of media attention lately about bottled water with countless articles written about the issue in recent months.
It seems as though every water-type brand is coming out with a quick save, and now it’s water filtration’s turn.
Brita’s FilterForGood.com is taking a stand against the bottle by asking consumers to pledge against using disposable water bottles. Instead, Brita is making a case for using their filtered water with a reusable water bottle.
Brita has partnered up with Nalgene for this project, who has basically just made a green Nalgene bottle and slapped Brita’s messaging on it.
Will a promotion like this really have any impact? Using a water bottle is not a new idea and yet people are out there buying bottled water. To me this begs the question – Why do people really drink bottled water?
If it’s really about health, Brita’s solution seems to be a good solve. For the most part, home water filtration effectively gets rid of the bad stuff. In fact, filtering at home could be even healthier than some bottled waters. Not to mention the cheap plastic that leaches into your water.
But- what if it’s purely convenience? Bottled water is so easy. Unscrew it, drink it, trash it. Water bottles are slightly less convenient. You don’t want to lose them. You have to carry them around with you after they’re empty. They have to be filled, cleaned, stored. When it comes down to it, are consumers ready to give up the convenience of bottled water?
Asking people to switch their behavior is a huge task. And who should be providing the solution? Water filtration brands like Brita? Local governments? Water bottle manufacturers?
As the media presents the information, we’re left to make the final purchase decisions. And let’s just say sales in bottled water are not suffering. It will be interesting to watch the issues and see how it plays out in-store.
A few (of many) interesting links to ponder:
USA Today: Bottled water awash in a sea of controversy
Fast Company: Message in a Bottle
MSN: A video from the Today Show
CNN: Aquafina labels to spell out source – tap water
