Waterless Products

SAVING PLANET, SHRINKING FOOTPRINT

Increasing water efficiency is one of the most impactful ways companies can reduce their carbon footprint and meet their ESG goals. This is driving a wealth of innovation in waterless products, and it's happening across multiple industries including alcohol, beauty & F&B.

Will this innovation trend continue to rise and will consumers be happy to to “just add water”?

Consumer Challenge

At a cultural level, consumers are demanding better business practices from the brands they purchase, but at an individual consumer level, their purchase decisions are still heavily reliant on value and convenience. The challenge for brands is to turn 'good' practice into tangible value at the point of purchase.

Data Signals of Now

Almost half of the world faces some water scarcity every year, yet 22% of the global water supply gets lost in industrial production.
The CO2 emissions produced by transporting solids is 80% more efficient than liquids.
The Environment Agency has warned that 3,400 million more litres of water could be needed every day by 2050 if we don't take action to address our water security.
Waterless cosmetic sales are expected to grow at a 13.3% CAGR between 2021 and 2031

BRAND EXEMPLARS

There are some super exciting brands across multiple categories that are already delivering new levels of personalisation:

Onelogy

A skincare serum that comes in tablet form, designed so consumers simply add water to use. Using a dry and compact product not only prolongs the efficacy of their active ingredients but it requires far less plastic packaging and fossil fuels.

HUEL

A powdered meal packed with all the nutrients found in a full meal. The powdered form offers value by being a more convenient way to get sustenance and reduces the carbon footprint of a meal, and helps to prevent food waste.

Klosterbrauerei Nuezelle

A beer delivered in powdered form for consumers to simply add water to. The result can be shipped at 10% of the weight of liquid (normal) beer, reducing the energy required and carbon footprint across the supply chain.

CBD One

Absorb Pure+ is a soluble CBD solution for consumers to add to any beverage. The company have created a formula and delivery system with extremely high bioavailability, increasing the efficiency and efficacy of the product benefits.

So what can brands do?

Bring people with you

Consumer perception and behaviour are the biggest hindrances to new ideas. When you're disrupting, it's extremely important to educate consumers at every step and make consumption as easy as possible. For example, ONELOGY takes careful measures to clearly and obviously outline how to use their product.

Showcase value

In the current economic landscape, consumers are prioritising value for money. New products and practices must offer value beyond their ESG claims. Value exists beyond simple price points as consumers increasingly seek health benefits delivered in the most pleasurable way. For example, HUEL's communication leads with the health benefits, convenience of consumption & taste, with the environmental benefits as a bonus.

Reimagine the process

Look to disrupt what seemingly cannot be disrupted. Traditional categories often struggle to innovate beyond certain means because current production processes are well-established. For example, Klosterbrauerei Nuezelle completely rethought the delivery and consumption of beer to create a more efficient product.