Muddying the waters

With 100% of the UK’s population having access to clean water from the mains water supply, the concept of being unable to find a safe source from which to drink is, to many, incomprehensible. Yet this is the fate which has befallen around one in ten of the world’s population. World Water Day, which takes place on 22 March, aims to challenge this as the norm and raise awareness of the need for clean, fresh water sources.

To raise awareness of the urgent need to ensure water access for all, and to coincide with this day, bottled water brand, One Water, has redesigned its packaging. From 22 March, One Water’s bottles depict how its contents – clean Welsh spring water – would appear if contaminated and dirty. Duncan Goose, founder of One Water, says, “It seems counter-intuitive to be trying to sell a bottle of water that looks dirty, but we think it’s a useful moment of reflection in our busy days and an opportunity to support a business that pours its profits into clean water for everyone rather than into the bank accounts of corporations.”

With 663 million people around the world still forced to drink contaminated water, the brand’s approach to raising awareness centres around a ‘drink and think’ strategy. And, with a recent poll indicating that most Londoners buy at least one bottle of mineral water during the week, even switching brands can make a difference.

Goose says, “By 2020, the British population will consume close to 4.8bn litres of bottled water per year, which adds up to more than 70 litres of bottled water for everyone in the UK.  I wanted to turn this into a force for good – a source of funds that benefits the billions of people worldwide who don’t have a reliable clean water source.”

“If only a small proportion of the profits from the sale of every bottle of water went to clean water projects, we could have a huge impact on water issues worldwide. By drinking One Water you’re effectively saying to someone without access to clean water, ‘Have a clean drink on me.’”

Founded in 2005, One Water was launched as the official corporate water partner for poverty-reducing organisations Live 8 and Make Poverty History. It aims to transform five million lives by 2020, with Rwanda, Kenya, Malawi and Ghana targeted by the organisation as the key countries on which to focus.

One Water is available from Starbucks, World Duty Free stores in UK airports, on Virgin Atlantic flights and from a range of small retailers and wholesalers in the UK.

Follow the brand's work on Twitter.