by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Despite the fact that the Dragons of the BBC's “Dragon's Den” program rejected the Aquatina idea and refused to back Guy Jeremiah I believe this to be an interesting product with capabilities. Black Leisure and Millets, both Britain's leading outdoors equipment retailers also do.
What the Dragons, though the board, failed to appreciate is that reusing the single use PET bottle is not a good idea as far as health is concerned and not just for children (and we will come to that, however, in a separate article). This is primarily with regards to leaching Bisphenol A and (other) phthalates but also, and this must also be a concern, as to hygiene. The single use PET bottle is not easy to clean and to keep clean.
The Aquatina bottle – and that is the selling point for me – is designed and manufactured in the UK. It is not, and hopefully never will be, “Made in China”. Its carbon footprint is thus reduced in comparison to other bottles, whether single use or reusable as the Aquatina bottle is, which are predominately made in the Middle Kingdom.
The two British outdoor retailers, Blacks and Milliets, had the right nose, methinks, to get involved with Aquatina and I, personally, think that Aquatina would also be good an addition to larger “survival” kits as a collapsible water carrier. I mean, honest, who wants to carry water – for drinking – in a rubber birth control device? I know that I would not.
Coming back to the question or story of the Dragon's Den dragons and Aquatina I must say that the presentation could have been done better, perhaps, without the mention of the monetary volume of the bottled water market and even that of the reusable bottle market. Neither of that really mattered. It should have been the fact of Aquatina being a reusable water bottle than can be collapsed to a more-or-less convenient pocket size. Some pockets, I know, are smaller than others but it is the principle that counts.
The selling point, in my opinion, is the fact that Aquatina is a reusable water bottle that can collapsed and in that way can be carried, without getting into the way, unfilled, to a fountain or filling station and after the water has been drunk it can be collapsed again and stowed away in the pocket.
In fact, creating a pocket for it with a carabiner that would enable the Aquatina bottle to be carried, empty, clipped to a belt might be an accessory to be considered.
The Aquatina collapsible reusable water bottle may be the one tool that might just convert some bottled water users to switch to reusable bottle and tap water. It just might do it.
I must say that, while initially intrigued I did remain sceptical, prior to having used it a few times, as to whether the Aquatina bottle would work OK and such, but must say that I am, so far, pleasantly surprised.
The one main worry that I had, and maybe still have, to a very small degree, is the constant folding, the constant opening and collapsing, of this plastic concertina bottle and how the plastic will cope with that. Having read the test results from the university, however, I must say that they are rather impressive and the estimated nine years plus of serviceable life to me appears to be a good one.
As far as I am concerned, and, it would appear, also many other people, the Dragons, as more than once before, have not seen the potential of this product.
Was it not a similar panel that rejected Trevor Baylis' windup radio, now called Freeplay? All those that refused to back him then are now really kicking themselves.
Whether the bottled water market is US$ 85 Million or or not is not relevant in this equation and neither, really, is the size of the market in reusable water bottles.
The latter will get bigger as the former will shrink and shrink it will as people ditch the single use bottle but it also does not have unlimited expansion capacity either.
Neither here nor there that is anyway. What counts, however, that that Aquatina is, in my opinion, a convenient receptacle and carrying device to tap water, and at £5 retail (maybe the price could be rethought) for “Made in England” it is brilliant.
The Aquatina reusable collapsible bottle is made from LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) and is a plastic that does not have any association with the dreaded BPA and other similar substances.
© 2011
Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article with the exception of a sample of the product to keep.
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