There’s no shortage of conversation around the need to reduce carbon impact and think about environmental justice. In fact, the conversations that have failed to happen in a constructive legislative process are now often tackled by leading brands that want to react more nimbly to consumer sentiment. In an effort to learn how leading thinkers and doers are acting on this, I spoke to CEO Mike Keech at Liquid I.V., a Unilever company.
Lead by example to encourage other companies to pursue profits through purpose.
Jeff Fromm: What are your views on sustainability?
Mike Keech: Given the urgency and scale of the challenges facing us today, I’m inspired by solutions that go beyond sustainability. Rather than doing less harm, how might we add positive value to the planet and the environment for future generations? This is why I've been inspired to drive Liquid I.V. towards a future as a Net Positive business.
Fromm: What does a Net Positive business look like in practice?
Keech: We have set a target to be a carbon-neutral operation by the end of 2023, to have 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025, and to offer a completely carbon-neutral product by 2039. And we innovate. Last year, we unveiled a new packaging carton made from materials that were not only sustainable, recyclable, and compostable, but also biodegradable. Simply running the paper container under your kitchen faucet could decompose the package entirely. This was a significant design breakthrough, but it’s only the beginning of what we want to do.
Fromm: What are your views on innovation?
Keech: Innovation is absolutely required to make a Net Positive business a reality. Liquid I.V. was founded as a forward-looking startup. That startup spirit is still very much in our DNA, even as part of the Unilever family, and this means we are continually looking for ways to innovate to stay one step ahead of the market. And we do this in many ways, whether through new product offerings, the science and R&D behind our products, design solutions, living our brand purpose, or social impact commitments.
Partnerships are also a key catalyst of innovation for us. Here’s one example of an innovative, partner-driven solution for a serious problem – last year, we made our biggest financial investment to date and partnered with the non-profit DigDeep on its Appalachia Water Project. With our support, this initiative brought clean, running water to 150 families in West Virginia’s McDowell County, an area faced with deteriorating, 100-year-old pipes, gained access to new water mains and to fresh water. Now, we are expanding these efforts and commitments into Wyoming County in West Virginia.
Fromm: What are the big issues that your brand has the ability to help solve?
Keech: Our impact agenda is focused on clean water access, a healthier planet, and community wellbeing for all. While there’s a purpose imperative to our planned investments rooted in equity and justice, we’re also pragmatic about why we’re picking these issues as a business.
For example, the reason for focusing on clean water access is that we’re a functional hydration company. Water is the main vehicle to deliver our product benefits. High-quality water that’s easily accessible helps us deliver on our vision of hydration for all. This is why we continue to invest in locally-led solutions that are focused on supporting water access.
In addition to our history of global missions to support water access in other parts of the world and our current work in Appalachia, we are also helping to provide clean drinking water to children in underserved communities across the United States. Last year, we announced a partnership with Waterboys’ Hometown H2O program to install water filling stations in four rural U.S. communities, reaching more than 12,000 students in schools that have a contamination issue.
Fromm: How are you using your brand to make a difference?
Keech: Our commitment to science and excellence makes us a trusted brand, while our extraordinary business success makes us a brand to watch. We recognize that this kind of brand power comes with responsibility and opportunity. As such, we are on a clear path to Net Positivity. When you see our products on the shelf, in your home, or on Instagram, it’s impossible not to think about things like personal health and wellness, sustainability, and doing right by the planet.
As a functional hydration company, our number one brand goal is to keep the world hydrated. Since 2015, we have donated over 22 million servings of Liquid I.V. around the world through our one-to-one giveback pledge. In 2021, we donated over 12 million servings to organizations making an impact globally, nationally, and locally, a target we will exceed in 2022.
As part of our mission, we are committed to upholding environmentally responsible business practices and championing an ethos of health and wellness for all.
Looking to the future, we will use our brand power to bring awareness to issues that matter like equitable access to the best of health and wellbeing, continue to ignite the creativity and generosity of our LIV Fam, and lead by example to encourage other companies to pursue profits through purpose.
