Bluewater urges sports events and music festivals to ban on-site single-use plastic bottles

Bluewater events chief Philip Russell told over 400 international representatives of the sports and festival industry gathered at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium at the 2022 Sports Positive Summit that we need to do more to stand up for the planet by implementing initiatives to halt the use of single-use plastic bottles that continue to harm ecosystems around the world.

“The scale of use of throwaway plastic bottles at festivals remains astronomical, with reports saying in the UK alone audiences consume around 10 million plastic bottles every year. Extrapolate that figure globally and the scale of the problem becomes incredibly concerning,” Philip Russell told the 500 strong summit audience. And he added that the pollution problem is further exacerbated by the thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions stemming from the transport of the plastic bottles.

Russell, who joined Bluewater earlier this year from The R&A, where he served as Head of Corporate Sustainability, underlined there are now tried-and-proven alternatives available to event organisers who want to have a positive impact on the climate emergency by transitioning to a hydration model that is free of single-use plastic bottles. He stressed how one of the world’s foremost sporting events, The Open, successfully leveraged Bluewater solutions in 2019 to become one of the first major global sporting events to completely eliminate single-use plastic water bottles, enabling the removal of over 120,000 single-use plastic bottles from the Championship.

Single-use plastic bottles are not just bad news for the natural environment, but they also pose a serious risk to human health, with a recent French study finding that 78 percent of bottled waters are contaminated by microplastics, which other studies have shown to contain health-threatening chemicals. Bluewater water purifiers have been shown to remove up to 99.99 percent of pervasive PFAS chemicals which have been found in the tap water of communities around the world and linked to some cancers and other medical issues, including resistance to vaccines, liver damage, immune system disruption, impaired fertility, and high cholesterol.

Bluewater has set its sights on becoming a global force in providing innovative large-scale events and venues with premium hydration solutions that can break the stranglehold of single-use plastic bottles. With a portfolio of purification and dispensing solutions for any size of event or venue, Bluewater is uniquely placed to support organisers in the de-coupling process from a reliance on single-use plastics. 

The Bluewater Wall of Water, which was premiered at The 150th Open in St Andrews in July 2022, become the world’s largest water station and vended over 19,000 litres of free chilled and purified drinking water to keep fans and staff well hydrated. Combined with an enormous water delivery rate, the pioneering installation also featured integrated 55 inch high-bright TV screens to display bespoke promotional messaging.

Complementing Bluewater’s industry-leading purification and dispensing solutions, the Swedish water innovator also produces a range of premium refillable bottles – made from stainless steel or borosilicate glass – that provide a sustainable and attractive alternative to any kind of single-use vessel. Bluewater bottles are warrantied for life and can be fully customised according to customer requirements.

“From planning to delivery, we’ve leveraged our expertise at Bluewater as the world’s leading innovator of clean water dispensing solutions for home, commercial and public use, while incorporating feedback from our event clients to create something truly special,”Philip Russell said. “Our aim is to be to be the world’s most planet-friendly beverage company by innovating disruptive water purification technologies, health-enhancing drinks, and plastic-free containers for home, work and play that break the stranglehold of single-use plastic bottles and their unnecessary, polluting transportation.”

For more information, please contact Philip Russell at philip.russell@bluewatergroup.com or at +44 7500 948478.

About Bluewater

Bluewater is a world leader in innovating, manufacturing and commercialising water purification technologies and solutions for residential, business and public use that harness the company’s patented, second-generation reverse osmosis technology. Bluewater water purifiers remove virtually all pollutants from water, including microplastic fibres, lead, bacteria, pesticides, medical residues, chlorine, and limescale. www.bluewatergroup.com.