In the market for hydration options

Image: Alex Rivers
As I reflect on a recent trip to Lanzarote, I’ve realised that there is so much untapped potential for water in metal packaging around the world (pun intended), particularly in tourist hotspots.
On holiday, it was easy enough to get a can of beer for drinking on the beach (see my photo above), but canned or aluminium bottled water was nowhere to be seen in the convenience stores dotted about by the seafront. It was plastic or nothing (although you apparently can drink the tap water there, it’s basically chlorinated sea water and not pleasant to taste).
My fiancé and I luckily took our reusable Hydro Flasks to keep the water we got from the big plastic bottles cooler for longer while in the sun.
But in all this, we could cut out the middle man completely and be rid of the plastic bottle. Even more so considering that Spain’s metal recycling rate surpasses all other materials.[1] There were certainly enough recycling bins around near where we were staying in Lanzarote (Puerto del Carmen), as well as in the hotel grounds.
Currently though, we might be better off finding aluminium cans and bottles of water further afield. Next year, when Australia is on the cards, for instance, I will be seeking out Vessel. I’ve seen recently that an aluminium bottle has been launched by entrepreneurs, Giovanni Testini and Jason Haggar. Vessel Still and Vessel Sparkling water are larger than my humble 621ml re-usable container, offering 750ml in each bottle. That’s enough to get my hydration-obsessed self excited.
It really is about ticking three key boxes with on-the-go packaged water: convenience, sustainability and practicality. Metal offers all three, and it’s high time brands acknowledge this so they can start reaping the rewards.
- Alex Rivers (she/her), CanTech International editor
Keep in touch via email: [email protected] Twitter: @CanTechIntl or LinkedIn: CanTech International magazine.