Bottled Mineral Water, Arifuku, Japan

DBA consulted in the analysis of packaging materials for a new spring water company in Arifuku, Japan.

Bottled water has been getting a lot of attention lately- much of it negative. Water’s weight of 1 kilogram per liter makes it a heavy commodity, and one that is energy intensive to distribute internationally. DBA created a rubric to weigh the various health and ecology factors of packaging materials and distribution scenarios both domestically and internationally, differentiating the specific ecological needs of each program.

DBA delivered several possible solutions for the company, each with distinct benefits. By utilizing an existing bottle collection system in Japan primarily used for Sake, distinctly labeled packaging is reused multiple times and is circulated within an efficient, streamlined system. International distribution presented a larger challenge. After careful consideration, DBA determined the most important health and marketing benefits of spring water to be the minerals and nutrients found at the source. By distilling these into a concentrate that can be shipped alone and repackaged with local distilled water, a majority of the ecological impact inherent in imported spring water is eliminated.

Both tactics conserve massive amounts of energy while creating an elegantly distinct marketing opportunity. To view the full case study PDF click the link the link below.

Bottled Water Case Study (PDF)