Meet the judging panel Click here to subscribe Now in their 8th year, the 2010 Water Innovation Awards attracted over 150 entries from 31 countries. Designed to recognise excellence, creativity and innovation in the international packaged water industry, the Water Innovation Awards began in 2002 as the bottledwaterworld awards.
Bill Bruce Group Editorial Director FoodBev Media ----------------------------------Judging panel Chairman Bill Bruce is FoodBev Media Group Editorial Director, responsible for the company’s magazine portfolio, contract publishing activities and international awards programmes.
Eight years ago, the focus of the awards was the design of products in PET and glass, but over time we have seen the introduction of many new packaging formats from cartons and pouches to cans and bag-in-box. Environmental sustainability issues have risen up the agenda, with the average weight of PET and glass reducing and a steady increase in the use of recycled materials and even non-petrochemical plastics. Consumers’ taste in flavours and demand for functionality has changed, too. Today, flavours
and essences tend to be more natural and functions more niche. Packaged water is competing in a market where traditional category boundaries are blurring and while some products appear close to traditional carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks, it is their pure water base that lends them credibility in the marketplace. A panel of experts gathered at the Sheraton Hotel, Heathrow, in October to judge the 2010 Water Innovation Awards - all of which are included in this Showcase. Finalists and winners will be announced during the 7th Global Bottled Water Congress in Gleneagles, Scotland. These will be featured on www.foodbev.com and in the next issue of Water Innovation magazine.
Medina Bailey Editor Water Innovation ----------------------------------Medina Bailey has contributed to several FoodBev Media magazines for five years, becoming Editor of Water Innovation in 2009. Her specialist subjects are new product development and the latest trends in packaged water.
A review of the finalists and winners in the 2010 Water Innovation Awards will appear on
Sponsor of ‘best environmental sustainability initiative’ category The Highland Spring Group is the UK’s largest supplier of bottled water. Bottling over 350 million litres of water a year, the Highland Spring Group produces brands including Highland Spring, Speyside Glenlivet, Gleneagles and Green Valley. It also manufactures a range of private label waters for some of the UK’s major supermarkets and food service retailers. Highland Spring Limited was formed in 1979 and following its acquisition of the Greencore Water company, the Highland Spring Group was created. Led by Chief Executive, Les Montgomery the company has ambitious plans to be a £100 million and 500 million litre turnover business by 2013. Headquartered at Blackford, Perthshire, the Highland Spring Group oversees five bottling plants and employs more than 400 staff. It has a current production capacity of over 700 million litres of water a year and has an available resource in excess of 2.2 billion litres a year. All Highland Spring Group’s waters are harvested from naturally renewable sources, which are constantly replenished by the UK’s ample rainfall. The company is fully committed to protecting the environment and developing the business in a sustainable, ecofriendly way. © Water Innovation 2010. Reproduced with the kind permission of FoodBev Media - www.foodbev.com For details about syndication and licensing please contact the marketing team on 01225 327890.
4 water AWARDS
www.foodbev.com/water Gleneagles, November 2010