#PledgeToRefill
24.05.17
Frank Water goes single-use plastic free and launches #PledgeToRefill campaign
In 2017, we made the bold move to end all sales of our bottled spring water in single-use plastic bottles. We were the first UK bottled water company to discontinue use of single-use plastic bottles and switch to 100% environmentally sustainable solutions. The announcement came at the launch of our #PledgeToRefill campaign, which called on all consumers to carry a refillable water bottle with them to stay hydrated without the need to purchase water (or other drinks) in single-use plastic bottles.
We have always been committed to being transparent and open about our social enterprise business and charitable activities – hence the name FRANK Water. We have been working towards this announcement for some time now and feel hugely positive about our decision to end the sale of FRANK Water in single-use plastic bottles. Although we are not an environmental campaigning organisation, our mission and objectives are closely aligned to our friends and colleagues across the environmental sector. We want our announcement to give them hope that change is coming, and to encourage consumers to choose to refill rather than continue polluting our planet with toxic plastic waste.
Katie Alcott, Frank Water Founder and CEO
We continue to sell water in glass bottles, which are made from 32% recycled material, are 100% recyclable and can be reused indefinitely. Stockists are being offered alternative ways of supporting FRANK Water, including refill solutions and refillable bottles. The campaign is already attracting support:
Everyone here at Thames Estuary Partnership is thrilled with the news that Frank Water has discontinued selling spring water in single-use plastic. Our determination to slow the rising tide of single-use plastic bottles in the Thames can only be strengthened by Frank Water’s #PledgeToRefill campaign and we shall be urging all our supporters to sign up. FRANK’s work in India and Nepal highlights the importance of valuing our incredible clean water and sanitation systems here in the UK where we just don’t need to buy drinks in one-use packaging.
Pat Fitzsimons, Director at Thames Estuary Partnership
While using a refillable water bottle is the best way to stay hydrated on the move, if you are thirsty and are without a refillable bottle, a bottle of water, with a charitable donation, remains the healthiest and most ethical option on the shelf. However, single-use plastic bottles, usually made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), make up the largest proportion of plastic bottle waste in the UK but only 57% is collected for recycling*. The rest is sent to landfill or ends up as litter, polluting our planet and its people. This compelling evidence and a growing movement to reduce or end plastic waste worldwide has compounded Frank Water’s decision to discontinue selling water in single-use plastic bottles and offer more sustainable one-use plastic-free drinking water solutions.
This decision will undoubtedly hit our bottom line this year, and for years to come, but we are committed to being as ethical and environmentally sustainable as possible while continuing to fund safe, clean water projects in our partner regions in India and more recently Nepal. It feels like the right time to be doing it but we know we’re small fry when compared to the bigger fish in the single-use plastic ocean. Let’s hope our announcement is the first drop that is needed to create a ripple effect on a much larger scale in the coming months and years.
Katie Alcott, Frank Water CEO and Founder