Canned Water: Ditching Plastic On A Sustainable Path To Zero Waste
Life is a journey; one where we need water to survive, but as we live in the modern world on-the-go, our consumption of single-use plastic bottles have led us to a dangerous precipice.
The convenience of single-use plastic bottles are among the most frequently thrown away objects, to the tune of hundreds of billions of bottles a year. [1] Plastic bottles litter nearly every corner of the Earth and, worst of all, they don’t biodegrade, instead lasting generations, only to break down into ever-smaller microplastics that continue to cause harm.
Some might say, “we could just ban them completely, starting today,” but the challenge isn’t so easy to solve. The conveniences of modern life make that hard, and the path to a zero waste world is both an individual mission and a collective journey. For many it can start with something as simple as a straw or bottle of water.
From our perspective, the most sustainable option is the tap, but sometimes that isn’t an option and we find ourselves using packaged water more and more. The simple fact is people still demand the convenience of an on-the-go packaged water. On your path to zero waste, we want to provide a sustainable alternative, making that transition more convenient. That is one of the inspirations that drive our team.
We knew that there had to be some way to replicate the convenience of bottled water in a more sustainable way without the ecological burden of using plastic. With a little ingenuity and a drive to make a difference, that’s exactly what we were able to accomplish with Cycle Water.
Here are some ways replacing plastic bottled water with our resealable aluminum cans is bringing us one step closer to a zero waste world:
1) Each Can We Make Means Less Plastic Used
Less plastic, less problems. Some things are really that easy. Plastic bottled water is simply no good for the environment: they take tons of energy to make, contain toxins, don’t biodegrade, and can’t even be recycled into new bottles (if they do ever make it to recycling — 91% of them sadly won’t).[2]
That’s why we chose to ditch single-use plastics and opt for a much better material: aluminum. Unlike plastic, 91% of which isn’t recycled [2], aluminum is the most recycled packaging material.[4] Recycled plastic cannot be used for new drink containers, but recycled aluminum definitely can, making the production cycle practically self-sustaining. Better yet, secondary (i.e. recycled) aluminum production uses 95% less energy, meaning fewer emissions!
Many governments, including Canada’s, are now finally moving towards bans on single-use plastics.[3] Plastic bottled water aren’t included in these bans yet, but we might as well take initiative and kickstart that change on our own.
Aluminum doesn’t have the same problems as plastic does, which is why we prefer to use cans for our spring water. In essence, every can of Cycle Water means one less plastic bottle stranded somewhere out there in the wild.
And we’re on track to minimize plastic use quite a bit, especially now that our vision for a cleaner future has brought us into one of Canada’s biggest grocery chains. Now, many Canadians in Ontario will finally have the choice between single-use plastic and a Cycle Water ..
2) Convenience, it’s time you meet Canada’s First Resealable Can
The problem with cans has always been that they were a one-and-done deal, leading many to prefer the convenience of resealable plastic water bottles. If you cracked open a canned beverage, you were committing to finishing the whole thing because carrying the open can around was just not realistic. Until now, that is.
Cycle Water is Canada’s first resealable can of spring water. Our can’s revolutionary resealable lid makes it just as convenient. It has all the functionality of a plastic bottled water but in a far more sustainable form factor.
Now you can hydrate to your heart’s content, knowing that you can take as few or as many sips as you like before resealing it and putting the half-full can safely back in your bag.
The journey continues with you. In our own unique way each of us can make a valuable contribution on the path to zero waste. Some of you might already be well on your way, for others it will take longer, but we all have an obligation to collectively take a step back from the edge. A big step in the right direction is choosing canned water over single-use plastic bottles. Making less waste, and purchasing items that can actually be recycled, will help. We each have our path, where will yours take you?
Sources:
4. https://www.aluminum.org/news/aluminum-can-recycling-holds-historically-high-levels/
October 21, 2019