Going Global – The 2018 Global Bottled Water Awards

(Photo: Zenith Global)

I have been fortunate to be invited to be a judge for the last several years at the Global Bottled Water Congress and Awards, organized by Zenith Global. As a judge at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting for the last decade I know that judging water is a remarkable, if not nuanced, experience. But Zenith makes their water competition unique. In addition to the awards for best still water, sparkling, flavored and functional waters, there are awards for innovation, sustainability initiatives, and even marketing campaigns.

180 delegates from 39 countries including buyers, bottlers and other water industry professionals gathered for three days high above Lake Geneva at the gorgeous Evian Resort in France to learn about and celebrate what is happening within the bottled water industry. A few notable items:

--2017 saw 420 billion liters of bottled water in volume sold worth a staggering $194 billion globally.

--Zenith projects that bottled water, including flavored and functional water, will outpace all other beverages in 2018/2019.

--Asia still dominates the bottled water market, as China remains the leader in terms of volume.

--520 million liters of alkaline water are sold worldwide. It's still considered a niche product but the category is nonetheless growing.

--According to Zenith the average person across the globe drinks 62 liters of water each year.

(Photo: Zenith Global)

This year there was a greater focus than in previous years on sustainability during the Congress, which saw speakers from across the globe. “We have to act where we always believed the government should act,” said Zenith Chairman Richard Hall regarding enforcement, transparency and sustainability issues facing the industry, during his opening remarks. And yes, the bottled water industry cannot and should not wait for any government to map out what is appropriate for a specific industry. That the bottled water industry has in some ways ignored these issues is no longer acceptable. It's time for the bottled water industry to be a true leader, to make sustainability a top priority but also get their message out that indeed there are innovations and programs to support the environment happening all the time, but the industry, quite frankly, does a terrible job of talking about them.

Cans provide a functional and creative use in the bottled water industry. Photo: M. Cervin)

Another subject presented by Tetra Pak's Environmental Director Erik Lindroth discussed a data study they had done within Scandinavia countries whereby over time, given personal responsibility of our own choices regarding the packaging problem, their study showed that a polarization had developed between those who feel adamant that recycling is each individual's duty, and the opposite with those who feel increasingly skeptical that recycling and its logical link to climate change is really even a viable issue at all. Yet numbers don't lie and whereas recycling rates need dramatic improvement, the largest contributor of ocean plastic is Southeast Asia, accounting for 80% of ocean plastic waste. And clearly this is a land-based problem given that many Asian countries do not have adequate capture rates including curbside recycling, not to mention any viable infrastructure to even support it. The subject of bio-based bottles was brought up as a potential problem solver but as Andy Peykoff of US Niagara Bottling suggested, “a bio-based bottle will not solve plastics in the ocean.” There needs to be the will to act responsibly coupled with greater education and awareness and to insure that the industry itself is operating on a sustainable model. And this is still where the bottled water industry consistently fails overall.

Me (r) receiving the award for Best Still Water on behalf of Highlands Beverages

Plastics is the single major stumbling block and the current information about ocean pollution from plastics – all plastics, not merely water bottles – will not go away any time soon. “The bottled water industry is really a plastics industry,” Marc Bettinger, Market Development Director for Ardagh Group told me during a session break. Ardagh presented a new line of aluminum cans which, though beautiful and boasting innovative designs, still suffers from being merely a can. Yet water packaged in cans, even glass, is certainly a viable offering over plastic. These are some of the issues still to be dealt with as the bottled water industry begins to dominate the marketplace. There was also a visit to the catchment basin and bottling plant of Evian, there were new innovative waters presented and a great sense of camaraderie amongst delegates. If you’ve ever wondered about attending, I highly recommend it. A complete list of winners is below.

Best Natural Still Water – sponsored by Sidel

Highlands Beverages Pty Ltd – Highlands Beverage Still Water

Best Natural Sparkling Water
Hijos de Rivera S.A.U - Magma Cabreiroá 1L Glass

Best Flavoured Water - sponsored by Ardagh Group
Icelandic Glacial - Icelandic Glacial’s Elderflower Sparkling Water

Best Functional Water
Essentia Water, LLC - Essentia Water

Best New Water Concept
Wine Water Ltd - O.Vine

Best New Brand/Brand Extension
Hijos de Rivera S.A.U - Cabreiroá 0,5L Gorjuss for Kids

Best Packaging/Label Design

Lofoten Arctic Water AS - Lofoten Water 

Best Packaging Solution
JUST Goods - JUST Water

Best Technology Innovation - sponsored by ICE Water Management
AquaBotanical Beverages (Australia) Pty Ltd - AquaBotanical Water

Best Cap/Closure - sponsored by Bericap
NutraPress (Australia) Pty Ltd- NutraPress Cap

and
Water.io - Water.Connected

Best Marketing or Social Media Campaign
Essentia Water, LLC – Essentia Presents The Overachievers

Best CSR Initiative - sponsored by Tetra Pak
AquaBotanical Beverages (Australia) Pty Ltd - AquaBotanical Water