Why single-use bottles won't go away and how bottled water can go circular
In the middle of this global awareness to use less single-use plastic bottled water, why is the bottled water market still on the rise? Why is aluminum superior to plastic as a material used for single-use packaging?
Sharing her wisdom here is Nicole Doucet, the CEO and Co-founder of Open Water. You'll hear about all the reasons why aluminum is a more environmentally friendly packaging material when compared to plastic, the pervasive problem with microplastics, why recycling plastic isn't a sustainable solution, and more. Let's dive in!
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer Podcast with Kaméa Chayne, a show exploring environmental and intersectional sustainability from ideas to life. Subscribe to Green Dreamer on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app and let’s learn what it takes to thrive in every sense of the word!
Highlights
[2:21] What first inspired Nicole's love for the environment.
[4:57] Nicole's thoughts on why it seems we have just recently gained more awareness as a society on single-use plastic, even though it's been a problem for a long time.
[6:22] Nicole: "The conversation is changing... Instead of saying, 'Look, there's this huge problem,' it's changing to: 'There's this huge problem and here are some easy things you can do to actually make a difference.'"
[7:14] Nicole shares her motivation for starting Open Water.
[9:01] Why aluminum is much more eco-friendly as a packaging material compared to plastic.
[9:44] Kaméa: "Why are there incentives to support the recycling of aluminum in particular and not other materials?"
[14:29] Why Open Water costs more for consumers than single-use plastic water bottles.
[16:22] What was the challenge you wanted to overcome with your rebranding from Green Sheep Water to Open Water?
[18:01] Kaméa: "What are some other environmental or health issues about the bottled water industry that most people might not know about?"
[21:01] The problem with the pervasiveness of microplastics.
[23:13] Kaméa: "How can we most effectively tackle plastic pollution as soon as possible?"
References
About our Guest
Nicole is the CEO and Co-Founder of Open Water, a bottled water company that uses aluminum packaging as a more sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottles. After watching a documentary about plastic pollution, Nicole and her Co-Founder Jess Page became pioneers in the world of aluminum water packaging when she founded Open Water (previously Green Sheep Water) in 2011. Keep in touch:
Website: www.drinkopenwater.com
Twitter: @drinkopenwater
Facebook: @drinkopenwater
LinkedIn: @drinkopenwater
Tips
Inspiration: @parley.tv
Note to self: "We didn't come this far to only come this far."
Health practice: "I like sports, so I play soccer and I like rock climbing."
Sustainability practice: "I'm trying to be more conscious about what I eat."
Element of hope: "It's this incredible surge in the general consciousness about environmental issues [that makes me hopeful]."
Closing words: "You have the power to change the way things are made by choosing or asking for products that are made in a sustainable way."
