Birdsboro PA company earns national environmental award

International Bottled Water Association | MEDIA RELEASE | November 17, 2014

Birdsboro PA company earns national environmental award

Dallas, TX – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) today announced a Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, company has won the prestigious Environmental Stewardship Award for 2014.

The Water Guy co-founders Bryan and Doug Shinn were handed the award at IBWA’s Annual General Meeting as part of the 2014 IBWA Annual Business Conference in Dallas, Texas.

In making the announcement, IBWA Convention Committee Co-Chair Dan Kelly said the prestigious award recognizes member companies who have excelled in creating and implementing sustainable environmental projects and conservation measures.

“People outside of our industry are often surprised to learn about the bottled water industry’s history of focusing on environmental stewardship. But not us, as we as an industry have a long track record of environmental stewardship,” said Mr. Kelly.

“Here are a few examples of The Water Guy’s exceptional environmental stewardship efforts:

  • The company has examined and realigned its routes to optimize the transportation of water by minimizing drive time.
  • Route drivers use handhelds with live feedback capability, which enables live dispatching. This feature helps decrease vehicle mileage and increase fuel efficiencies—all while providing great customer service.
  • The Water Guy has initiated a pre-order system for all one-way products to reduce the amount of unnecessary goods loaded on to company trucks. This makes for lighter trucks and decreases emissions.
  • Its springs have undergone significant hydro-geological evaluations to assess any potential impact on local ground water levels and stream flows.
  • The bottling plant uses an ultra-efficient cleaning method to reduce water usage when cleaning empty bottles. They have also instituted a sophisticated ozone application to significantly reduce the use of chemical agents and cleaners when sterilizing water pipes, storage tanks, and finished products.
  • The bottling plant efficiently uses the heat produced by its compressors and steam distillation unit by filtering it and venting it back into the warehouse to provide supplemental heat. This further reduces the company’s use of its traditional heating system.
  • Lastly, the Water Guy went paperless. They eliminated printed receipts upon delivery and are encouraging email invoicing by offering discounted pricing for customers who participate in its paperless program. In addition, the Water Guy made a commitment to institute a 100 percent plastic and cardboard recycling program at the plant. In 2013, they were able to successfully recycle 99.9 percent recyclable plastics and cardboard.

“The Water Guy’s nomination form included more examples, but I think you get the idea. This company’s environmental efforts are truly inspirational,” he said.

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NOTE: Photos/head shots available upon request

Media Contact:
Jill Culora
[email protected]
703.647.4609

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.  

In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.  

IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.