DESIGN SOLVING PROBLEMS:
EVIAN'S ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENTS
As part of TSMGI's recurring Newsletter series, "Our Favorites," Senior Designer, Elena Ballara, sheds light on Evian's new environmentally-minded "Evian Renew."
Let’s talk about bottled water. It’s a convenient way to stay hydrated and a healthful choice compared to soft drinks and sweetened ready-to-drink teas. What’s not as convenient is finding a spot to recycle that plastic bottle when you’re finished with it.
Forbes reported in 2017 that of the one million plastic bottles purchased per minute globally, only 9% of them are recycled. That means that these PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, which take 400 years to decompose, occupy either a landfill, our environment or the ocean. Instead of carrying them to where they can be easily recycled, they find themselves on-target to have a greater presence by weight than fish in our oceans in just 30 years.
It’s encouraging to see top water brands like Danone realize their potential to be part of the solution. Danone’s signature bottled water brand, Evian, has positioned itself as a specialty, high-quality product since its appearance in the U.S. market in 1978. In April, this water giant rolled out a substantial commitment to create their bottles from 100% recycled plastic by 2025, amounting to a zero plastic waste manufacturing process.
This article by It’s Nice That also highlights another great strategy: presenting groundbreaking new items that appeal to consumers that can deliver the same high-quality product while eliminating the negative effects of waste. Evian’s new home-use water filter, Evian Renew, is a sustainable innovation that amounts to a small water cooler with smart ecommerce-supported features that report when the user is in need of a refill. This well-designed object has even caught the attention of super-trendy digital media outlets Hypebeast and Hypebae. The Evian Renew system would replace the need for cases of bottled water and anticipates a future where less is more.
The opportunity for brands at this moment to be leaders should not be understated. I sincerely welcome this pioneering spirit and hope we see more brands rise to the occasion.
by Elena Ballara