The world’s top hotels and restaurants are increasingly moving away from plastic water bottles, embracing sustainable alternatives like glass bottles filled with locally sourced and filtered water. Nordaq, a Swedish company, has been at the forefront of this shift, supplying its glass-bottled water to over 700 luxury establishments in 65 countries, including Capella Singapore and Mandarin Oriental Singapore. Instead of importing water, which involves high transportation costs and a significant carbon footprint, these venues now use local tap water purified through advanced filtration systems.
At Capella Singapore, Nordaq’s water has replaced not only plastic bottles but also premium European mineral waters. The process is straightforward: local tap water is filtered on-site, significantly reducing the environmental impact associated with water transportation. Nordaq emphasizes the sustainability aspect, highlighting how their system eliminates the need for constant repurchasing and disposal of plastic bottles. Their glass bottles are washed and refilled, contributing to the elimination of over 100 million single-use plastic bottles in 2023 alone.
The operational side involves a two-step process in dedicated facilities within the hotels. First, used bottles are collected in what’s referred to as the “dirty room,” where they are cleaned in industrial dishwashers. They then move to an automated room where they are refilled, capped, and filtered. This system allows for processing between 1,000 to 2,000 bottles daily at places like Mandarin Oriental Singapore, where the water is served in rooms, restaurants, spas, and gyms.
This sustainable approach isn’t limited to hotels; over 140 Michelin-starred restaurants have adopted similar systems. For instance, at Zén, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Singapore, Chef Martin Offner uses Nordaq water in all culinary applications, from stocks to non-alcoholic beverages, underscoring its quality and suitability for high-end dining.
However, Nordaq isn’t alone in this market. Competitors like Castalie in France, Purezza in the UK, and BE WTR from Switzerland are also making strides. BE WTR, after securing $44 million in Series C funding, plans to expand its operations into Europe, Southeast Asia, China, and North America, focusing on bottling facilities that minimize transport distances to under 10 kilometers to reduce carbon emissions and costs.
Despite these innovations, pricing remains a point of discussion. While the cost to produce one of Nordaq’s bottles is under 20 cents, hotels can charge up to $8 per bottle, aligning with luxury market pricing. Even with the availability of these sustainable options, some luxury travelers might still request traditional mineral waters from Italy or France, though this is becoming less common as sustainability becomes embedded in the lifestyle of luxury consumers.
This shift in the hospitality industry reflects a broader trend towards environmental consciousness, where luxury no longer equates to excess but to thoughtful, sustainable choices.
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