We cover tech news here at TechCrunch, so I was surprised to see a 5 lb overnight shipment arrive from Pepsi containing three half liter bottles of Aquafina water. The reason for the special delivery? The company is launching a new plastic bottle that contains half the plastic content of the old bottles. Less plastic = less landfill weight, less carbon, less bad stuff in general, they say.
I’m concerned that Pepsi decided to promote its new “eco-friendly” product by proactively shipping, via Fedex overnight, 5 lb boxes of the water to press around the country. And then sending a second batch either in error or to reinforce the message. That’s not very eco-friendly (if anyone knows the carbon cost of sending these boxes, let me know, then multiply it by hundreds or thousands of press). It all seems a little wasteful.
Anyway, after all this carbon spending and the general effort involved in sending me six bottles of water I never requested, I thought I should at least put the product to the test. I don’t drink bottled water myself, since it’s less safe than tap water and way too expensive (see the clip from Bullshit below). But Laguna, my 105 lb chocolate lab, loves bottled water. And she loves to chew on stuff. So we brought her in for a special assignment to test Aquafina’s new Eco-fina water in the TechCrunch Lab. She reluctantly agreed.
First off was the taste test. She doesn’t look particularly enthusiastic in the picture above, but once I started pouring, she was definitely into it. She didn’t even wait for it to hit the bowl:
So Laguna definitely like the taste of Aquafina water (she also eats dirt, and enjoys licking my feet). Next was the durability test. It took her about ten seconds to destroy the bottle, which isn’t good. Pepsi removed about half the plastic from the new bottles, and they clearly aren’t going to hold up to any kind of sustained attacked from a large, well-toothed canine:
Overall I’d say that Aquafina water is absolutely good enough for my dog to drink, and the bottles make fun albeit short-lived chew toys to distract her.
Here’s that clip on just what you get with bottled water, if you’re interested:
Michael, Hawaii has definitely done its magic on you.
i hate it when people send me stupid shit.
I thank the fine people at Pepsi for inadvertently giving the world more exposure to the adorable Laguna. I do not thank them for putting sketchy tap water into an plastic bottle that is still a plastic bottle.
I bet it sucks having to deal with all that free shit…
hahaha.. give it to your dog is hilarious. Pepsi is trying to prove something (good intentions, im sure) but in a wrong way.
Yeah, we got it, too. And our reaction was the same as yours: FedEx overnight of a 5 pound box of “eco-friendly” water bottles? And that was a mighty nice custom presentation box — from non-recycled cardboard, too heavily printed and coated to compost.
The bottles themselves are a nice enough piece of industrial design, and less plastic is probably a good thing. But it’s still a plastic bottle, and the tap water it contains costs roughly three times the price of gasoline. Anyone who buys this stuff is a rube.
and anyone who believes in carbon footprints is stepping in bullshit
Some people reuse disposable water bottles…. (wash / rinse / fill / refrigerate / repeat). I suspect that the “eco-friendly” bottles are simply made with less plastic; making them flimsy and less reusable.
@Adam: The rubes are everywhere. Al Gore is the robot creating other robots out to destroy humanity through an attack on common sense. Green = Con Job = anything for a profit. They are willing to destroy nation, family, or individual… Look Out!
Mike, good for Pepsi. Their Bottle has passed the “Lab” (Laguna) test
Love Laguna, Mike. I completely agree with you about the bottled water. After 15 years on bottled water, I got a special filter from Panasonic which makes my water more alkaline which helps with the indigestion. By the way, as far as Hawaii is concerned, still looking forward to learning what you decided about your future after that one month relaxing on the beach.
How much does alkaline matter when there’s fluoride in the water supply.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/50-reasons.htm
It bothered you so much that you had to attempt this sarcastic piece (note that i say ‘attempt’:-D) ?
C’mon now, it probably does qualify as tech if…you know…they are using some new manufacturing process/material or something?
Well, I guess having a sense of humor isn’t genetic.
I would just say. Lolz..
http://www.smartbloggerz.com
Was in bad taste..I am no Pepsi fan myself.., but this is more insulting – all because they regarded you a worthy person to send their free stuff to..
Well it worked.
“I’m concerned that Pepsi decided to promote its new “eco-friendly” product by proactively shipping, via Fedex overnight, 5 lb boxes of the water to press around the country.”
I’m more concerned that Aquafina is municipal water. Aquafina, tap water: same difference. Oh yes, Aquafina is “purified”, “ozonated” and “de-ionized”, but many municipalities do the same thing to their water before serving it to residents. To buy it is wasteful; if they reduce the amount of plastic used in each bottle, forgive me if I fail to jump for joy. I’m glad your dog liked it, though.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/27/pepsico.aquafina.reut/
@Arrington Whether your dog it allright?Take it to a vet to check for any problems
Bottled water reviews?
That is something new.. LOL
http://www.wannadevelop.com
Been trying to get an account for any project for over a year and a half now. So many emails and no replies, no chat no support, nothing. Only evil empty responses.
So I’m writing this here. I very much wannadevelop(.com), but why this authentication barrier for over 18 months?
I’ve no idea what you are talking about but feel free to contact me directly — email is on the site.
Oh man! we have the same dog… Thunder is really look like that.. Same color though..
Best review ever.
That is awesome.
She is truly beautiful. I’m jealous!
“TechCrunch is going down hill!”
Just kidding! Great post and I’m glad it survived the dog taste. Agreed that it’s a crap idea but they’re trying. Just thank god they didn’t show up at your house with flowers hoping you’re write about them.
lol
maybe Pet Airways should serve Aquafina? seems like a perfect match.
Quick! register WaterCrunch! lol love it
Done.
You’ve got a lovely dog. Here is one of ours …
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/427360
By the way, love the humor. Nicely counter-balances all the grumpy ppl on TC
Jazz is a good looking dog.
Thanks, we love him to death. We also recently got Brodie (no profile yet). Both are currently kicking ass in Flyball training http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4CSGtllyuQ
I plan to turn it into a betting sport as a backup strategy
But 100+ lbs ? You’ve got to get out and walk the dog.
i’d fucking kill myself if my job was “National Spokesperson For The International Bottled Water Association”.
On the contrary, as Vice President for Communications for the International Bottled Water Association, I am proud to work with people who deliver a safe, healthy and convenient food product to people who to remain well hydrated. Like any and every other packaged beverage, there is an important need to recycle the bottle. There’s nothing here to drive me to suicide. By the way, what do you do for a living, Mr. Baptiste?
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Jason+Baptiste
After spending two ridiculously long weeks in Beijing dealing with the Chinese gov’ment, I’ve seen some pretty funny things. But this, this is the by far the funniest thing I’ve seen yet.
Elaborate please, with audio and video if possible!
Laguna is a good sport to participate in today’s lab test. Good dog!
Hilarious !
I only drink bottled water if I really need to, otherwise, Brita+Tap water does it for me.
Good one Michael !
Brita+Tap is basically the same thing as Aquafina (and Coke’s Dasani). Both Aquafina and Dasani are repackaged and filtered tap water, not mineral water. It’s a great (and very profitable) scam. Bottling and shipping heavy water bottles isn’t very environmentally sensitive either. Bigfoot’s carbon footprint at work.
They use reverse osmosis to filter the water, whereas Brita uses activated carbon and ion-exchange resin. That’s not to say a Brita is bad, but the solutions used by Coke and Pepsi do render water freer from impurities than over the counter solutions.
That said, Whirlpool makes a really great reverse osmosis filtration system that goes for about $200 (http://bit.ly/DnZRc).
“Freer from impurities”… unless it’s at all possible that chemicals can leach out of the plastics in the bottles themselves…
all this carbon-counting thing is another pseudo-science bullshit, or so I was told on the Obama Deception video (infowar.com)
Funfun. Good think that Pepsi is aware of the amount of waste. What is wrong with promoting a more eco friendly product? Maybe there is hope for this f’ed up planet
animal abuse
Thanks for the fun post, but brings up an important issue. Companies like Pepsi strive to have a genuine, authentic, and most importantly human brand. Hollow and insincere efforts to make themselves “green” only dilute their brand in the long run and alienate customers. Smaller companies have a great opportunity to differentiate themselves by actually following through with these efforts and dedicating themselves to global issues.
But many consumers don’t research their brands that deeply. The company goal is not to be green but for you to think they are green, even at the cost of the stated values. Dedicating themselves honestly is valuable only insofar as it improves the brand, which will only occur if consumers take the time to digest that information and care about it.
Luckily it takes a little more than a few cases of water to buy Michael’s keyboard.
My point is that when they apply themselves so thinly to a cause, consumers see through it. Agree, marketing’s job is to grow revenue, but in many of these cases (Starbucks RED comes to mind as ) it dilutes their credibility and hurts them in the long run.
Yes, good point. It’s almost as if they fail at just trying to LOOK green.
yes
Another reason to drink Coke products
Segments of the Penn & Teller video appear in the documentary “Flow: For Love of Water”
“How did a handful of corporations steal our water?
Water is the very essence of life, sustaining every being on the planet. ‘Flow’ confronts the disturbing reality that our crucial resource is dwindling and greed just may be the cause.”
Part 1 of 9
Our landfills are not overflowing, carbon is not pollution, and it is a shame that companies can benefit by pandering to this “green” cult.
I am curious about people with your perspective would manage the ever-expanding needs of the ever-expanding human population. You say the landfills aren’t overflowing. Do you think they ever will, and what’s your plan if they ever do? You say carbon isn’t pollution, but what if I moved in next to you with my blacksmith workshop, and the soot (carbon) from my labor settled exclusively on your property, and in your home? Just brush it off?
I don’t understand how you can look at existing human systems and conclude they are sustainable. Please explain what I am missing.
You sound like a Malthusian. There is no need to “manage” the need, as that suggests some sort of centralized control.
Instead, I would simply suggest that underdeveloped countries support economic growth-enhancing, free-market policies to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit, economic growth, and technological advancement. Technology has always been the key to supporting a growing population. I’m hardly a utopianist, but I’m also not willing to kill off entire societies like you want to do.
Gas released from landfills, such as methane, can be used to create energy. We have enough landfill space to last for many thousands of years.
As for CO2, carbon is necessary for life. We are carbon based life forms, and I refuse to believe something we exhale can now be labeled a pollutant and regulated by statists. CO2 is a necessary part of photosynthesis, and more C02 leads to more plant growth. There is far more CO2 stored in released from the Ocean, but the main reason why the Earth changes temperate is the sun.
Plus, even if everything Al Gore says is true, then we need to allow countries to be wealthy and prosperous enough to adapt to catastrophes. And you don’t accomplish this goal by killing off economies with oppressive environmental regulations.
Yeah those are all good points but did you consider that methane smells like farts?
Well said!
Michael – you still drink tap water? I hope you filter it for Fluoride. This common additive to your water supply, and ingredient in the toothpaste you and your children use may be contributing to the increased rates of hypothyroidism — and other health concerns — in the U.S. . . without improving dental health. http://tr.im/hREV
Know a lot of kids with hyperthyroidism, eh?
One article on a generalist site does not a scientific consensus make, chief.
Michael,
Can you please add another tab at the top of the web page called “useless reporting”?
This story will definitely go into that tab along with the sex toy stories, the hatred inducing stories (Israel story from earlier today), and your many rants.
What does this have to do with technology? Web 2.0? VCs?
How much useless mail do you guys get everyday via the USPS, FedEx, and or UPS? How many gadgets do you guys get for Crunch Gear? Why not complain about those companies for “wasting ” carbon units?
I think you need to spend more time reviewing the stories being put on this site and less time ranting and raving about stories that have absolutely no value to your readers whatsoever.
Jim
Please add the same tag for comments like these.
Fully Agreed! Useless stories like these will generate useless comments like mine and just take away from the level or reporting and commenting that this site should be known for.
Jim
its his website go fuck yourself
It’s a blog. Feel free to scroll past this post if you didn’t want to read it.
And for Twitter.. Hahaha
Someone at Pepsi didn’t do their homework sending this to Michael..or did they???
Michael needs to be more careful now. Instead of being spat on, a water bottle might be thrown at him.
or his dog 
At least it uses half as much plastic as before. It won’t hurt as much –
Continuing on my useless rants and comments for a useless article.
I would rather see Laguna chew on a water bottle than read your comments =[
Hmmm. ok. no comments.
Comparing tap water with bottled water without particularly stating the brand doesn’t make sense. There lots of bottled water in stores which is nothing else than bottled tap water.
You have to compare it to natural mineral water, bottled right at the natural spring, preferably a spring that delivers clean water rich in minerals.
Anyone believing natural mineral water is not healthier for your body, please post a link to some substantial information about the topic, if you know of one. Thanks.
105 pound lab? Mike, she’s huge!!!
Props for both giving the product to your dog and two with the use of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit clip.
What I also enjoy is Ken right above me (or close to it depending on other comments posting now) thinking that most of the natural spring water is really that.
Wondering why you believe that I think “most of the natural spring water is really that”, didn’t write anything like that. If you are concerned about being able to understand which brand is honest and which isn’t, that’s a totally different topic. My point is that natural mineral water (or course real one) is healthier than tap water.
I’m one of the ridiculous who actually prefers the taste of Aquafina. Reminds me of Colorado tap water. This pisses my Arrowhead distributing brother off to no end.
I do recycle all plastic bottles and I save the bottle caps for Aveda to recycle for their hair care products.
However…I invested in a Cuisinart Clean Water filtration system so I’d stop buying bottled water, eliminate waste and save money. Seems the filter refills are going to cost me as much as the bottled water, and it’s not recyclable.
I also don’t care for the taste. But I’m going to try to stick with it because it leaves less mess behind.
Wish I had received the free Aquafina.
ps Love your dog. Beautiful Lab.
Mike,
This made me laugh out loud. Meeting Laguna at your house was one of my favorite experiences with any blogger. Laguna is such a sweet girl.
Labs are great. Mine, Diesel, loves to chew stuff too!
Alex
In defense of bottled water, it’s the only source of water to safely drink in non-Western countries.
I agree. Tap water here will make you sick.