7.1.2008
Icelandic Glacial, the first U.S. distributed certified Carbon Neutral super-premium spring water, has been presented with the “Best Water of 2007” award from beverage industry experts BevNET.
Icelandic Glacial was singled out not only for its purity, but also for its recent carbon neutral certification and ongoing commitment to continually reduce its overall carbon imprint on the environment – a combination that no other bottled water company can claim.
Entrants in the Best of 2007 Bottled Water category were evaluated on the quality of their water source, their overall purity, packaging design and innovation. “With hundreds of bottled waters on the market today, receiving this award is a true honor and a reflection of our commitment to deliver the highest quality best possible product to the consumer with the smallest overall impact on the environment,” said Icelandic Glacial Chairman and Co-Founder, Jon Olafsson. At a time when the bottled water industry has been subject to criticism related to its overall impact on the environment, Icelandic Glacial has been internationally recognized for its leadership position within the industry to reduce its overall carbon footprint.
Since the brand’s introduction in 2005, Icelandic Glacial has also won numerous accolades from consumers, retailers and beverage industry members alike, thanks to the brand’s industry-leading environmental policies, innovative bottle design and the spring water’s incredible purity. Sourced from the legendary Ölfus Spring, Icelandic Glacial’s super-premium spring water is one of the purest waters in the world. The extraordinarily low level of dissolved solids gives the water an exceptionally crisp, clean taste. At 68 ppm, Icelandic Glacial contains less than a quarter of the total dissolved solids as compared to other leading competitors as measured by NSF and USDA/FDA.
"Icelandic Glacial has done a fine job positioning itself as a bottled water brand that's on the right side of the environmental controversies currently dogging the water category," said Jeffrey Klineman, editor of BevNET.
Icelandic Glacial’s environmental leadership was recognized internationally when the company received another high profile award - the Global Sustainability Award at the 2007 Global Bottled Water Conference in Mexico City. The award acknowledged Icelandic Glacial for its industry leading environmental practices, including powering their bottling facilities by 100 percent renewable hydroelectric and geothermal power and being the first certified carbon neutral bottled water distributed in the United States.
Innovative packaging is another award criteria and is a category in which Icelandic Glacial has consistently been recognized. More specifically, Icelandic Glacial’s unique patented bottle won “Best Overall Concept” at the 2005 Bottled Water World Design Awards in Dubai. Kristjan Olafsson, Vice President and General Manager of Icelandic Glacial said, “Our packaging evokes a glacial feeling which draws consumers’ eyes to the shelf. Many retailers have noted that our unique bottle design drives consumers to purchase the water.” The 3D ice-capped square PET panel bottles sport four different labels affixed randomly to four slightly different bottle shapes. The snow and ice landscape is the logo’s backdrop, seen through the bottle, serving as a visual reminder of the water’s unique purity. The likelihood of having six randomly placed identical bottles in a row has been calculated at a million to one, according to its designers, creating a unique landscape for each shelf allocation.
With national rollout underway and supported by the recent distribution agreement with beverage giant Anheuser-Busch, Icelandic Glacial plans to be available nationwide by midsummer 2008, bringing the “Best Water of 2007” to all American consumers.
For more information on The Bevnet 'Best Of 2007' Awards, go to:http://www.bevnet.com/bestof2007/best_water.html