Social enterprise brand Thankyou has announced it will no longer produce its Thankyou Water, citing concerns over single-use plastic.
Announcing the news on its social media platforms, the company said it had already ceased production, saying bottled water was a “silly product” and shouldn’t exist.
Bottled water was the first product for the company, who use the profits from products to fund projects in developing countries.
The water is stocked in 7-Eleven and Woolworths stores and through its water sales, Thankyou has delivered $6.9 million in financial support to projects working to alleviate poverty.
However, although it delivered a considerable humanitarian benefit, the company said it was naïve to believe this could happen without an environmental impact.
“We naively always thought we’d eventually find a solution that’s a win-win for humanity and the planet. We were wrong. Our team looked far and wide for responsible-ish solutions, from reducing the amount of plastic and waste-water used in production, to challenging the amount of recycled plastic used in the bottle,” they said in a statement.
“We explored alternatives with biodegradable products and carton solutions, but to be honest, all-in-all anywhere we landed felt no better than greenwashing. Every new step sounded better and more palatable, it would tick a ‘green box’. But, the deeper we looked, and the more we considered the life cycle of the alternatives, we realised it wasn’t actually any better for the environment.”
While it may be the end for plastic bottled water for the company, Thankyou said they will bring a new water product to the market “in time”, which will be more sustainable.
The brand also sells personal care and baby products and will soon launch personal care products with plastic free packaging as part of its commitment to being an environmentally conscious company.
“It’s a big call for us to announce this today, but we do want to assure you that Thankyou is not going anywhere. We have, and always will exist to see a world where not one person lives in extreme poverty. Our purpose burns deep within our hearts and we’re not looking to play small to see this vision achieved.”