Sustainable Water Solutions in the Hospitality Industry
Reducing Single-Use Water Bottles
You can ask for a bottle of Evian or San Pellegrino at Singapore’s three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Zen. But you won’t get one. The restaurant, which charges nearly $500 per person for dinner, only serves water from the Swedish company Nordaq, said Executive Chef Martin Öfner. Dishes and drinks at the restaurant are made from the water too, from its stocks to the juices in its non-alcoholic beverage pairing, he said.
Nordaq: A Sustainable Water Solution
Nordaq is one of more than 140 Michelin-starred restaurants that serve its water, said company CEO Johanna Mattsson. The water, which is purified and bottled on-site using local tap water, is also present in more than 700 luxury hotels, casinos, and cruise ships. The company aims to reduce single-use water bottles in the hospitality industry by providing a sustainable water solution.
Bottles for Reuse
Nordaq’s bottles are free from plastic labeling so that they can be easily washed and reused, and they come with wide mouths so that they can be cleaned in regular dishwashers, said Mattsson. Bottles are also securely capped and date-stamped after they are refilled, she said.
Mandarin Oriental Singapore’s Nordaq Bottling Facility
Hotel Manager Cindy Kong let CNBC Travel tour its bottling facility to see how the bottles are washed, inspected, filled, and sealed. She said the facility can produce 500 bottles of purified water in an hour. "Normally we process between 1,000 to 2,000 [bottles] every day," she said.
Other Sustainable Water Solutions
Nordaq is not the only company providing sustainable water solutions to the hospitality industry. Castalie water is present in more than 700 hotels in France, while Purezza water is served in more than 5,000 venues across 13 countries. The Indian hospitality company ITC Hotels created its own brand of "zero-mile" water called SunyaAqua to reduce single-use plastic bottles in its 140 hotels.
Be WTR: A Swiss Sustainable Water Brand
Be WTR is a Swiss sustainable water brand that operates inside hotels and through centralized facilities. The company aims to reduce its carbon footprint by minimizing transportation of water. "We don’t want to transport more than 10 kilometers around our bottling facility, because, as you well know, carbon footprint … is highly impacted by transport," said Be WTR’s founder and CEO Mike Hecker.
Conclusion
The hospitality industry is shifting towards sustainable water solutions to reduce single-use plastic bottles. Companies like Nordaq, Be WTR, and Purezza are providing innovative solutions to minimize waste and generate profit for their clients. With the growing concern for the environment, it’s likely that sustainable water solutions will become the new standard in the industry.
FAQs
Q: What is Nordaq’s pricing for its water?
A: The pricing varies, but some luxury hotels charge four times the price of a single bottle, while others sell it for $2 per person.
Q: How much does Be WTR’s water cost to produce?
A: Be WTR’s founder and CEO Mike Hecker declined to disclose the exact cost, but said it’s "competitively priced" with glass-bottled mineral water from Europe.
Q: How does Purezza’s water cost to produce?
A: Purezza estimates each of its bottles costs around 30 cents to produce, or about one-fifth the price of regular bottled water.
Q: What is the goal of Nordaq and other sustainable water solutions?
A: The goal is to reduce single-use water bottles in the hospitality industry, minimizing waste and carbon footprint.
