According to the company’s official website, the Poland Spring Brand history goes back        13 000 years ago when a glacier retreated in what is today the region of Maine. Their water is collected from several spring water sources in Maine, water that has been in the homes of Americans through the great depressions, the passing of war and the hippy movement. This bottled water’s marketing strategy stands strong on its historical longevity, following the country and the passing of generations. This notion of time evolution and continuity of the bottle renders this element indispensable to the eyes of its buyers.  Citizens have even forgotten to ask themselves how truly essential is that water plastic bottle. It seems like this brand has managed to transform an essential good, water into a product, a commodity, a beverage that is to be requested with precision by costumers.  On the Poland Spring Water website, the company adopts a proactive approach with a page entitled “Please Recycle” that is a message directed to their customers. The corporation tackles the problems of plastic pollution directly by stating that: “the Container Recycling Institute estimates that 75 to 80% of plastic bottles end up in landfills or incinerators. We want to be part of the solution” (Source: http://www.polandspring.com/KnowH2O/Be-Green.aspx). They expose their concrete effort by producing bottles with less plastic and a smaller label in order to save trees.  It appears to be that their website is not only about promoting their green initiatives but they have also decided to inform readers about environmental facts like reminding us that “ it takes 6 trees to make one ton of paper” (Source: http://www.polandspring.com/KnowH2O/Be-Green.aspx). By informing customers about environmental issues and statistics, it appears that the company is trying to give us the impression that they stand on the side of environmentalist groups and green NGOs.  In addition their website has a special section entitled “Be healthy”, a section that gives general tips about being healthy and staying hydrated.

Their newest bottle, the Eco-Shape bottle is “lighter than most half-liter beverage bottles because it contains an average of 30% less plastic.” (Source: http://www.polandspring.com/KnowH2O/Be-Green.aspx).  The company also reminds us that in the last ten years they have saved about 30% for every liter produced, saving around 245 million pounds of plastic resin.  Yet, on the corporate citizenship section of their website, on the category of “Recycling” it seems that the company has a pretty scarce strategy or informative text as they simple say “we encourage you to recycle all of our products” (Source: http://www.polandspring.com/DoingOurPart/WhatWereDoing.aspx).

A few years back Poland water faced a controversy as it was accused of bottling water that did not come directly from the spring. “When Perrier took over the Poland spring site, it was drawing water not from the original spring at the top of Ricker Hill but from boreholes a couple of thousand feet away, near a pond base on the hill” (Source: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/02/09/360105/index.htm).  This controversy was somewhat concluded with the fact that the springs were somewhat linked to the borehole. This was the loophole that permitted Poland water to continue marketing their bottles as “spring water”.

On their website the company tells us that they believe that “the greatest impact we can have today to protect our environment is to design lighter bottles that use less plastic” (Source: http://www.polandspring.com/KnowH2O/Be-Green.aspx). This seems like a somewhat light and superficial statement considering the amount of plastic that is dumped in nature running the natural habitat of animals and human beings. The United States has the privilege of having access to free tap water, individuals are uphold at the potential privatization of water as they argue it should be a fundamental human right. Yet, paradoxically they fell to be coherent with their arguments since most citizens after arguing against water privatization, frown at tap water and go out and buy bottled water. This is something worth reflecting upon.

On the United States’ version of the website, Yves Rocher clearly states its five of Botanical Beauty, principles that are according to them the outcome of their researching and investing in plan research. Their first active principle consists in basing their behaviour on the plant world while always putting plants at the centre of all their products. The cosmetic company reminds us that they “select amongst 1, 100 ingredients of plant origin, those that are best adapted to the cosmetic benefit of each product” (Source: http://www.yvesrocherusa.com/control/dynpage/~struct=about/~page=botanical_beauty/).  Considering that the flora is the crucial element at the centre of Yves Rocher’s production, the international firm seems to have quickly realized that nature is a golden mine that needs to be protect and conserved.  Endangered species and the destruction of the flora could have direct repercussions on the financial balance of the company. In coherence with this mental framework, the forth active principle of the Botanical Beauty guideline is to protect the planet world by what they call “Actively defending the environment” (Source: http://www.yvesrocherusa.com/control/dynpage/~struct=about/~page=botanical_beauty/).  On the website, Yves Rocher states the importance of verifying the status of a plant before using it, in order to avoid using endangered species. In order to limit their impact on the environment, the company declares that they have committed to planting 3 million trees in five years.  For instance, the company realized the scarcity of Arnica Montana, in order to protect the specie; they have decided to replace it with Arnica Chamissonis, cultivated directly on Yves Rocher’s fields.  The firm’s plant Charter also specifies that they forbid the use of GMO botanical ingredients, forbid animal testing and refuse to use animal ingredients, favor cultivated plants and give priority to organic supplies (Source: http://www.yvesrocherusa.com/images/templates/article/cosmetique_vegetale/GUIDE-COSM-GB.pdf). In addition, Yves Rocher also created the Vegetarium, the first museum in Europe totally dedicated to the world of plants. This museum located at La Gacilly (France), is a valid initiative in order to inform public and raise awareness about the need to protect nature.

In order to bring their environmental commitment to the next step and testify their long-term commitment to green causes, in 1991, Yves Rocher founded the Yves Rocher Foundation, under the wing of “Institut de France”, the foundation is “committed to nurturing and protecting nature and humanity” (Source: http://www.yves-rocher-fondation.org/ca/en/foundation/mission/). In order to directly instigate citizens to launch sustainable initiatives at the local level, since 2001, the foundation launched the Women of the Earth Award who celebrates women in 11 countries who are striving to protect nature. The winning recipients receive consistent bursaries that can amount up to seven thousand dollars. In addition to this award, the foundation also directly supports other green initiatives like the restoration of historical gardens or activities to raise awareness on environmentalist issues in schools. In 2007, the Kai Makana project (which can be translated into ”Gift from the Sea”) was awarded $ 7,000, a project “dedicated to the education of the local population to preserve the ocean and marine life” (Source: http://www.kaimakana.org/docs/02282007.pdf).

Based on the firm’s self-corporate presentation, Yves Rocher pushes forward the importance of giving back to the nature constructing “a beauty that uses the regenerative power of plants its vital energy, resistance and longevity” (Source: http://www.yvesrocherusa.com/control/dynpage/~struct=about/~page=50_years/). This cosmetic leader firm has focused its brand identity and marketing strategy on the production of natural botanic products that reflect the natural beauty of nature. It is logical for this corporation to try to preserve and conserve nature, the most important resource and centre piece of their whole business. The seem to demand an ethical respect towards beauty in all its facets: the beauty of a woman should be praised and respected just as much as the beauty of nature!

The AWF’s official mandate is to  “improve the enabling environment and strengthen water resources management in Africa by attracting appropriate investments necessary to achieve national and regional water objectives” (Source: http://www.africanwaterfacility.org/en/about-us/mission-and-mandate/ ). It is important to understand that the AWF works in collaboration with the leaders of Regional Member Countries (RMCs) in order to consolidate water governance increase investments to develop water development programs and finally raise awareness on water issues amongst the local population. Considering the endeavor of their many ambitious projects, the AWF directly collaborates with many important partners like the World Water Council, the Global Water Partnership, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and various other organizations. In order to keep track of its various projects, to keep investors and the public informed the AWF publishes frequent reports on its website, an important step for transparency and a symbol of its long term commitment.

So far, the organization has a considerable portfolio of 64 approved projects that sum up to a value of €76.523 million (Source: http://www.africanwaterfacility.org/en/projects-activities/approved-projects/ ). The 2006 Support to the Development of Water Information and Knowledge Management Systems project in Ethiopia is worth having a closer look at since it presents a concrete successful example of a grassroots initiatives that aims at improving the problems at the base of water management instead of aiming at improving water quality or quantity without even having the bases to do so. The project in Ethiopia aims at “addressing the water data and information needs of the country to facilitate the planning, implementation, monitoring, sustainable water resources management and development” (Source: http://www.africanwaterfacility.org/fileadmin/uploads/awf/projects-activities/ETHIOPIA_IKS_APPRAISAL_RPT_DF190906.PDF). This initiative will enable the country to have access to a national system of water information management in order to save time and money and set strong bases for water management projects and infrastructure rebuilding. Having all the information presented and organized in a clear fashion will also become a strong asset on the long term that will serve as a bargaining tool with future investors. Ethiopia has an important possibility for growth due to the large quantity of arable land that should be exploited. While agriculture “provides 85% of the population livelihood” (Source: http://www.africanwaterfacility.org/fileadmin/uploads/awf/projects-activities/ETHIOPIA_IKS_APPRAISAL_RPT_DF190906.PDF) due to draughts and poor technology of equipments, agriculture still fails to satisfy the food requirements of the country. Rain-fed agriculture is simply not enough especially in the most arid regions of the country. Before starting to build wells and launch concrete water development programs a lot of initial research and work needs to be done in order to fully evaluate the country’s situation to better target the needs and priorities of the population. This is why The Support to the Development of Water Information and Knowledge management Systems project is so fundamental insofar it will set the base for all the future sustainable water initiatives on the territory.  For wide scale development projects, cooperation and mostly coordination of the resources are fundamental to the success and durability of the development.  The initial start up time estimated for the launch of the project is around 18 months. The monitoring and evaluation of the project will serve for the implementation, supervision and completion of the project.

As long as Ethiopia lacks a comprehensive organization of water data, research and information storage, development projects will be much harder to implement in an efficient manner. “The establishment of a water information and knowledge management system that has national consensus will contribute to national development planning and management of Ethiopia’s water resources (Source: http://www.africanwaterfacility.org/fileadmin/uploads/awf/projects-activities/ETHIOPIA_IKS_APPRAISAL_RPT_DF190906.PDF).  This project is of a major importance insofar it will lay the foundation base on Ethiopia’s potential development projects and with the hopes of a better water systems comes the hope of an economical growth due to the increase benefits of a more prosperous agriculture activity.

On October 13, Live Earth decided to launch the world’s largest water initiative in order to prevent and fight water scarcity through the medium of social awareness and concrete conservation plans. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water is a World even that took place on April 18, 2010 that consisted in a 6km run/walks (the average distance women and children walk on a daily basis in order to access the nearest source or well), “taking place over the course of 24 hours in 150 countries, featuring concerts and water education activities to ignite a massive global movement to help solve the water crisis” (Source: http://liveearth.org/run).  This massive World initiative is supported by Alexandra Cousteau, Jessica Biel, Pete Wentz and Jenny Fletcher, to name just a few of the many people who gave their image, time, support and money in order to communicate this event internationally and to help raise awareness. In countries like the United States or Canada where most people live comfortably and the average citizen has an easy access to water, the World problem of water scarcity might seem far away distant. The use of media and entertainment is a useful approach that takes advantage of a extremely strong medium of communication, music, in order to raise awareness and make people realize that this issue isn’t all in the ends of scientists or federal governments.  With this initiative many of us realized that the water crisis isn’t limited to the African continent or developing countries: “in cities such as Los Angeles and Singapore City, growing demand on limited water supplies has led to enforced water rationing and increased costs to the public”(Source: http://ruimacdonald.com/wordpress/?p=3046). In addition to the World crisis of water scarcity, it is important not to forget the impact of climate change and global warming that are altering the normal water cycle and contaminating water with pollution. This event was inspired after the success of the 2007 Concerts for a Climate in Crisis where music appears to be an effective medium for communication especially when it comes to fundraising and social awareness.

According to the World Water Council, “ more than one out of six people lack access to safe drinking water, namely 1.1. billion people, and more than two out of six lack adequate sanitation, while 3900 children die every day from water born diseases” ( Source: http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=25). These statistics are alarming considering that the World population is increasing everyday, and so is the demand for water, while the actual drinkable quantity of water is diminishing rapidly. As the World’s most vital resource is becoming scarce, tensions at the political level on a national and international scale are only going to worsen. Considering that most water sources and river basins are shared between various territories, the absence of regulations or legislations could lead to serious tensions in times of scarcity and crisis.

Despite the gravity of the situation, the Dow Live Earth Run for Water is not meant to alarm people but instead its goal is to make everyone understand that local initiative and individual effort will make a considerable difference for our future and the future of our planet. Paul Faeth, the president of the Global Water Challenge has declared “the World water crisis is the single greatest avoidable health challenge of our time”. Yes, there is a sense of urgency in his words but also an undertone of hope and the need for mobilization and change in regards to wasting the precious liquid.

If you are interested in this one of a kind organization and you want to support the Dow Live Earth Run for Water please register on their website as a “Friend of Live Earth” at http://liveearth.org/friends. You can help about by telling all your friends about this global initiative and posting your comments on our website. We need to work together in order to stop the water crisis and to stop the most “avoidable health challenge of our time”.

Through the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (Source: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_local.html), Coca Cola is working with existing charities to help address Africa’s water situation. “Coca-Cola’s RAIN (Replenish Africa Initiative) project has committed US$30million (£19.5million) to provide schools and communities throughout Africa with safe drinking water. So far, the project has reached 300,000 people in 19 different countries, and over the next six years we expect to give a total of at least two million people access to clean water.” (Source: http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/community/replenishing-africa-during-the-world-cup.html).

For the  2010 FIFA World Cup™,  Coca-Cola is using the occasion to raise funds for RAIN’s

“Water for Schools”  project, including a pledge to donate money every time a player scores a goal. The “Water for Schools” is aimed at providing access to clean water for African Communities.

Coca-Cola has also joined forces with Thames21, London’s leading waterways charity (source: http://www.thames21.org.uk/) to mark the World Water Day 2010 and give employees a chance to improve local environment and community. “A loophole in London’s city regulations means that local councils are not responsible for rubbish on the Thames shoreline, so Thames21 was set up to motivate people to get together and muck in to clean up the riverside. Coca-Cola has been involved with the charity since 2008, helping to preserve the natural beauty of the landscape and create new habitats for wildlife at various sessions during the year.” (Source: http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/environment/thames-21-river-clean-up.html)

According to its website, Coca-Cola is improving its social commitment by helping to improve the communities they serve. Working with  charitable associations gives an added value to the Company and makes consumers  aware that it sees itself beyond just selling beverages worldwide. The London charity works with over 8,000 volunteers each year to remove more than three million liters of litter from London’s waterways. “This is the equivalent of more than 27,000 wheelie bins full of litter” says the river program manager at Thames21. Yet, a smart and realistic consumer that doesn’t live in wonderland, will probably be able to hint at the fact that corporate social responsibility has become a “must” for any company’s marketing strategy.

The Company wants to improve its transparency by providing a tool on the website to see where the can or bottle we drink from is made. (Source: http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/environment/carbon-footprint-calculator-coca-cola.html)

Coca-Cola’s environmental commitments are focused on  areas like water stewardship, sustainable packaging, energy management and climate protection. On  May  14, 2009, it  unveiled a new plastic bottle made partially from plants. “Our goal is to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equivalent to what we use in all of our beverages and their production. Our goal is to advance a packaging framework in which our packaging is no longer seen as waste, but as a valuable resource for future use, introducing the next step in our sustainability journey”. The “PlantBottle™” is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on non-renewable resources, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles. (Source:www.coca-cola.co.uk/…/live-positively-sustainability.html)

The Company publishes a report on its website to communicate its commitment to sustainability. According to the data from 2007-2008 report ” improvement on the Water Use Total of 4% related to 2006; the Company asserts that it is because of organic growth and acquisition. The water use ratio (efficiency) presents an improvement of 2% related to 2006″ (Source:http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/pdf/SR07_Enviro_33_46.pdf).

While business remains still business on the negative side, this world-know company has been accused of “leaving farms parched and land poisoned in India” ( Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2003/jul/25/water.india). Mass media has accused the company of leaving farmers desperatly hanging after having drained the water that feeds their wells. Coca Cola’s huge demand for water has left the entire village with a situation of water scarcity. Moreover, according to this article, the company has been accused of dumping all its waste on the lands and poising the harvest and all agricultural soils. In response to this situation Coca Cola has declared that the drought his caused by the lack of rainfall and that complains were nourished and mostly presented by extremists protest groups.

The situation in India doesn’t take away any credit from the positive initiative Coca Cola has undertaken for Africa during the World Cup. Yet, it is important for all you readers to keep in mind that  corporations are not NGO’s or charities and their main interest is almost always to keep their profits and reputation high. This comment is not intended to discredit this project but is simply a way to provide a more complete view of the picture.

Coca Cola is making a very clear case for social consciousness. When a company of this stature takes a stand, it is safe to assume that at the end of the day, what is good for the planet can also become something positive for the company’s reputation and therefore for its business.

The way companies address their use of freshwater and their impact on water systems is one of the aspects of sustainable business performance. It is important to highlight that public pressure has been the most important reason motivating private initiatives for sustainable business performance and has become an important development in business over the last twenty years. Initially, regulatory compliance and fear of legal liability were the main reasons for defining sustainability principles; today, many multinationals recognize that proactive management contributes to their profitability and competitiveness in the market.

In general, large, high-profile companies are under considerable pressure to improve their performance. Notwithstanding, the need to be environmentally responsive is very clear as can be seen in the case of the  multinational oil companies. (ref: BP latest news –ex 20Billion set aside for Louisiana clean up) . ). The sustainability concept is usually determined by three components: social, economic, and environmental.

The efficient use of freshwater and control of pollution is often part of the sustainability issues needing to be addressed by businesses. In the last ten years, some initiatives included the creation of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD, 1997) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI, 2000), the development of standards for environmental management systems, such as ISO and EMAS standards (OECD, 2001), the development of Key Environmental Indicators (OECD, 2001) and the introduction of the Global Water Tool (WBCSD, 2007)

The American Marketing Association (AMA) and Fleishman‐Hillard conducted a survey in 2009 to better understand perceptions about corporate responsibility in issues of sustainability. The survey included interviewees primarily in marketing positions, as well as people who are working in public relations, advertising, sales, operations and administrative positions. More than half of those interviewed say that their organizations will maintain or increase their involvement in sustainability in the next 12 months. One‐fifth of those surveyed feel that their organizations had already put considerable effort and resources behind sustainable development, while 58% say that their organizations will place greater emphasis on sustainable initiatives in the next two to three years. Of those surveyed, only 33% cite little or no anticipated change or emphasis in their sustainability programs in the months ahead. Interviewees believe that their organizations’ commitments to sustainability are important not only to support the dynamic function of the natural world in positive ways, but also to create business success through increased cost and production efficiencies, enhanced brand image and relationships with stakeholders and competitive differentiation.

To support this expectation, and to communicate clearly and openly about sustainability, a globally shared framework of concepts, consistent language, and metrics is required. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), for example, provides a framework for sustainability reporting that can be used by organizations of any size, sector, or location. It is the practice of measuring, disclosing, and being accountable to internal and external stakeholders for organizational performance towards the goal of sustainable development; the sustainable report should provide a balanced and reasonable representation of the sustainability performance of a reporting organization – including both positive and negative contributions.

Business water accounting is often part of the sustainable corporate performance accounting of a company. Companies publish their sustainability report and social initiatives to communicate their engagement in social matters. In many instances, there is a section dedicated in their website to show the commitment to sustainable quality.

Water Tasting.

About the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting
February 25-28, 2010

Every year, the award-winning Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting welcomes more than one hundred waters from across the country and around the globe on Saturday, February 27. Held in the historic spa town of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia,  it is the largest and most important water tasting competition and event in the world.

Municipal waters compete for the title of best tasting tap water. Bottled waters, both still and sparkling, are judged in a separate category along with a new category for purified drinking waters. The public and guests have the opportunity to vote for the People’s Choice award for best packaging.

Hamilton, Ohio, 2009, defending champion Best US Tap Water, topped a pair of Canadian waters to win undisputed Best Tap Water in the World at the 20th Annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting.
Beaver Falls and Greenwood, British Columbia won silver and bronze medals respectively. Although both are first time entrants, British Columbia has an almost permanent place in the Tasting’s municipal winners’ circle.

The Canadian – U.S. rivalry was reversed in the purified category when Kittiwake Pure from Newfoundland topped Crystal Mountain Water of Huntsville, Alabama. Hometown water Berkeley Springs took the bronze medal.

Although bottled water came literally from all over the globe to compete, the top five medalists were all U.S. waters, including two bottling Berkeley Springs water. Judged Best Bottled Water in the World was Ecoviva, Roscommon, Michigan, which also boasted a 100% biodegradable bottle. The silver medal was won by Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Eldorado Springs, Colorado. Fr the first time,  International entrants included water from Brazil and China , as well as those from New Zealand, Macedonia, Italy, Japan, Bosnia and Ecuador. A total of 49 bottled waters were tasted.

“More than 200 people watched at the Country Inn in Berkeley Springs on Saturday night as a dozen media judges spent hours tasting more than 125 waters from 24 states and ten foreign countries. There were 44 municipal waters from 12 states and Canada. We have doubled the number of cities and towns competing in the tap water division from last year, “said Klein Rone.

“Bottled water came literally from all over the globe to compete, including water from Brazil and China for the first time. The Brazilians and Chinese competed against other international waters including those from New Zealand, Macedonia, Italy, Japan and Ecuador, as well as long time festival favorite, Bosnia. A total of 49 bottled waters were tasted” (Source: http://www.berkeleysprings.com/water/awards.htm).

The crowd was thrilled about the Peoples’ Choice packaging competition where they felt privileged to pick the crowd’s all time favorite. “This is another record number,” said Klein Rone. The favorite was the silvered column of Bling from Los Angeles. “We’re especially pleased with their win since they have our gold medal on the bottle,” said Jeanne Mozier, one of the event founders. Within the winning Bling bottle is previous gold medal water from English Mountain in Tennessee.

“The dozen media judges selected by Klein Rone from print, radio and the Web were instructed by von Wiesenberger to look, sniff and taste each water under guidelines like those in a wine tasting. The waters were rated for each attribute including appearance (it should be clear – or slightly opaque for glacial waters), aroma (there should be none), taste (it should taste clean), mouth feel (it should feel light), aftertaste (it should leave you thirsty for more). Waters were tasted in four separate flights over two days”. Source:http://www.berkeleysprings.com/water/winners10.htm).

This event deserves to get all the news and press coverage it needs in order to increase its visibility. Who said that all tasting events have to be about wine or luxury cuisine? Water is not only equally trendy but also much more beneficial to your mind, body and soul. Book your tickets for next year’s tasting event; you will have a wonderful time, meet new people and discover the world of water and its many hidden facets.