Health and environmental concerns work in synergy to drive the demand for reusable bottles. Find out what’s new in the category and what your customers are looking for. by Lin Grensing-Pophal


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n gyms, on public transportation, in airports, in boardrooms, and in homes all around the country, bottled water is ubiquitous. According to Bottled Water: Global Industry Guide, in 2011 the bottled water market will have increased 41.8 percent since 2006. That projected increase flies in the face of warnings about health concerns and the environmental impacts of discarded plastic water bottles. According to Food and


Water Watch, “bottled water production and transport uses as much as 2,000 times more energy than it takes to produce tap water.” In addition it takes “more than 17 million barrels of oil—enough to fuel 1 million cars for a year” to produce the plastic water bottles sold annually in the United States. From stainless steel and aluminum bottles to the foldable “Anti-Bottle” from Vapur, there is no


excuse for not considering the value of a reusable bottle. And your customers are increasingly doing just that.


Bottling opportunities Michael Aaron is president of Greensender in Maplewood, NJ, a company that laser engraves bottles to offer personalization for individuals and companies. “Ten years ago nobody was walking into corporate meetings with a bottle of water, now everybody around the table is,” says Aaron. Nick Ogden was one of those people, nursing a bottled water drinking habit that eventually led


to the launch of his company, Isabella Water, in 2010. Isabella’s stainless steel bottle is unlined, BPA-free and 100 percent recyclable. Prior to starting the company, Ogden worked in the private equity real estate industry and traveled “all the time,” he says. During his travels he spent time in towns like Portland and Boulder, “where everyone carries reusable water bottles” and became aware of the concerns related to disposable bottles. He decided to bring the reusable bottle concept to the South and the


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