Green Packaging Memo: Design Firm Says its New, Paper Water Bottle Could Revolutionize How Bottled Water is Packaged

The word "innovation" is used far to casually and often today when it comes to new food, grocery and beverage products and new types of product packaging. In the case of consumer packaged goods packaging (wet or dry), "new" doesn't automatically mean innovative, after all.

We think in order for a new type of packaging to be "innovative," one of the things such packaging must do is to address a need (keeps a product fresher, for longer, for example) or help provide a solution to an existing packaging problem (recycling, source reduction, ect., for example.)

And of course, one of the most pressing issues and problems in the food, grocery and beverage packaging/container realm today is waste vs. recycling vs. reuse; "green" packaging issues in other words. The quest is about how to create more environmentally positive types of packaging that still do there job containing consumer packaged goods in a safe and efficient way, and do so at a reasonable cost to the user.

Using this two-part definition, packaging innovation is the exception rather than than norm.

But we think a design firm called Brandimage might be on to something in the beverage container innovation department with what is says is a new paper water bottle that could replace the plastic bottles used throughout the bottled water industry.

The design firm calls its "innovation" the 360 Paper Water Bottle (pictured at the top, left of this piece). It's made from pressed renewable-plant fibers coated with a thin film of PLA plastic - all 100% recyclable, according to Brandimage. Labels can be printed directly on the material using soy- or water-based dyes. The bottles are designed to bundle together, eliminating the need for separate multipack carriers, the design firm says.

"We have undertaken this program without the support of a manufacturing and/or materials supplier partner," Brandimage writes on its website. "We intend to find the 360 Paper Water Bottle a branded home." You can view the Web site here, where Brandimage writes more about the 360 Paper Water Bottle.

"Some of the world's largest brands" have already expressed interest in the 360 Paper Water Bottle, Brandimage also writes on its Web site. It doesn't offer any names of those brands however.

Obviously the jury is still way out on the design firm's paper water bottle. Little things like: has it been tested yet in a real world situation, in the distribution chain and on the store shelf, for example? FDA approval? Finding a bottled water company willing to use it to package its brand?

But having pointed to those obvious reality-based facts, we think the idea has merit in the packaging innovation realm.

If it works, and is affordable, it also could help solve one of the most heated issues and debates among consumers, environmental groups and the bottled water industry (with retailers right in the middle of the fight), which is the environmental consequences of all the plastic waste generated by all of the plastic bottled water bottles disposed of each year -- or month, week, day -- in the countries throughout the world -- read primarily the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia -- where the marketing of and purchasing of water in plastic bottles is super-high. And where a proper infrastructure for recycling these bottles is lacking in most of these countries, particularly in the U.S.

Additionally, if it works and is reasonable in terms of cost, the first bottled water company to use the 360 Paper Water Bottle, even in a test, could get major props -- and thus sales -- from "green" consumers for using the alternative paper container for its water.

So, we give Brandimage major packaging innovation points for merely coming up with the paper water bottle concept and designing the bottle.

And if they can turn it into a usable and reasonably priced bottle, such innovation could lead to not only a "greener" water bottle (and we would think it might be used for other beverages as well like organic and new age drinks to start), but also to a bunch of that other kind of green -- money -- for the design firm. If the paper water bottle hits store shelves, it also will add an additional element to that frequently asked question at the grocery store -- "paper or plastic"

More on the 360 paper Water Bottle here at the Brandimage Web site.

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Marketing Memo: New Coke CEO to Soon Find Out What's 'Tappening'

We call it an anti-product marketing, marketing campaign. It's creators are calling it a "Tappening." What is it?

It's a welcoming gift of sorts being designed by two marketing executives for incoming Coca Cola CEO Muhtar Kent. But it's not likely the type of welcoming gift he was looking forward to receiving.

Mike DiMasso, creative director at the marketing consultancy DiMasso Goldstein, and Eric Yaverbaum, president of public relations agency Erico communications, are planning to deliver 1 million used water bottles stuffed with messages to new CEO Kent in July, when he takes over the reigns of the huge, international beverage company, according to a story written by Natalie Zmuda in today's Advertising Age.

DiMasso and Yaverbaum's gift to Coke CEO Kent is part of a campaign they call "Tappening." The campaign's goal is to encourage consumers to drink tap water instead of bottled water, along with persuading consumers to buy reusable water bottles with messages on them like "Think Global." "Drink Local."

"We are bringing our marketing experience to bear, and therefore, people are viewing us differently," DiMasso told Ms. Zmud. "This is a public-education initiative dressed up as a brand to change the context in which Coke does business."

Coca Cola Co. is the biggest bottler and marketer of bottled water in the world.

The two marketing execs told Ad Age they chose Coke because it's the biggest bottled water marketer. "They're (other major bottled water marketers like Pepsi and Nestle) all worthy targets but Coke is the biggest, and one thing you learn is to start big," DiMasso says.

DiMasso told Advertising Age that Coke already knows about the plan to deliver the 1 million empty plastic water bottles with the messages inside to Kent in July. In fact, he said Coke has told him they will gladly recycle the plastic bottles upon delivery. The campaign has thus far collected 10,000 empty plastic water bottles towards their goal of 1 million.

The overall "Tappening" tap water campaign is designed to build brand awareness among consumers for tap water. The campaign wants consumers to stop buying bottled water, and instead drink tap water and buy and use reusable water bottles for away from home drinking.

(Read more about the campaign at the Tappening website here.) (You also can read more about the anti-bottled water, pro-tap water movement here.)

The "Tappening" campaign was launched in November, 2007. Among its activities is the selling of reusable water bottles emblazoned with sayings like "What's Tappening" and "Think Global." "Buy Local." Since November, nearly 40,000 of the logo bottles have been sold via the website.

Their are other anti-bottled water--or pro-tap water, depending on your position--initiatives going on the the U.S., along with the "Tappening" campaign. (Do a search at the top of the blog using the key words "bottled water" and "bottled water backlash," and you can read some stories we've done on the issue.)

The pro tap water, anti-bottled water coalition is a diverse one. It includes numerous city governments in the U.S., consumers, community organizations, environmental groups and businesses that produce and market reusable water bottles and tap water filtration systems.

It's a good thing Coke's new CEO Kent will have a nice big corner office at the company's corporate headquarters. It takes lots of space to hold 1 million empty plastic water bottles. We also wonder if he just won't be able to resist at least reading one or two of the messages in the bottles? After all, you don't generally get to become CEO of a multi-billion dollar company without being the curious sort.

Read the full Advertising Age story here.