Poland Spring, sister brands, boost recycling effort with food bank partnership
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Poland Spring water and its sister brands are donating water to food pantries for every bottle recycled.
Poland Spring, along with five other regional spring water varieties of Connecticut-based Blue Triton Brands, is upping its recycling game with a new national campaign that ties bottle recycling with local efforts to end hunger.
The "Made For A Better Tomorrow" campaign highlights the six brands’ efforts to create new bottles from existing materials. For every pledge to recycle, the bottlers will donate water to the Feeding America network of food banks, which includes Good Shepherd Food Bank, headquartered in Auburn.
The brands are working with Feeding America to reach communities that have been hard-hit by COVID-19, natural disasters or have long-term water access issues, according to a news release from Blue Triton, of Stamford, Conn.
Poland Spring and brands Deer Park, Ozarka, Arrowhead, Ice Mountain and Zephyrhills, all under Nestlé Waters North America, began operating as BlueTriton Brands after the company was acquired by New York-based One Rock Capital Partners LLC, in partnership with Metropoulos & Co., from Nestlé S.A., on March 31.
The campaign comes as Ice Mountain became the final brand in the group to be available in bottles made with 100% recycled plastic that are also 100% recyclable in sizes less than a gallon. The makeup of all six brands' bottles contributes to a circular economy where bottles are made with other bottles, and helps keep plastic out of landfills, oceans and waterways, the news release said.
With the "One-for-One Promise" campaign, the brands will donate a bottle of water for every person who pledges to recycle their bottle during the campaign, which ends Oct. 14. Blue Triton expects to make a minimum donation of 200,000 half-liter bottles to Feeding America food banks, with a maximum of 3 million. Consumers can scan the QR code on the bottle, or sign up at the brands' websites.
Feeding America is the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States, with a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries, including Good Shepherd, which distributes food to more than 400 food pantries and organizations in the state.
In a study conducted on behalf of the brands, more than half of Americans surveyed (53%) gave back to their community for the first time in their lives within the past year. Additionally, more than half of Americans (56%) surveyed said they would rather give back virtually instead of in person. Blue Triton said it hopes not only to tap into the desire to give back, but also inspire consumers to recycle more by connecting the habit to community giving.
“Now more than ever, people want to make a difference and are looking to connect with brands with purpose,” said Yumi Clevenger-Lee, Blue Triton Brands executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Low recycling rates across the country and access to clean drinking water in some communities are two prevalent issues and our new campaign invites people to join us and help make a meaningful impact on both our planet and on the health of fellow Americans.”
Poland Spring in 2019 announced its plan to reach 100% recycled plastic by 2022. Poland Spring is also collaborating with the University of Maine to explore bio-based packaging solutions, including potentially using new materials derived from sustainably harvested Maine wood as an alternative to plastic.
Poland Spring brand’s three bottling plants in Maine recently received the highest level of certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship, recognizing the company’s water stewardship and community engagement efforts in the state.
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