Submitted by Danielle Merchant
A Devon spring water company which puts sustainability at the heart of everything it does is set to double its area of operations. Devonia, which has reused 2.2 million bottles since it began trading, saving nearly 300,000 kilograms of glass from going into a landfill, is the only spring water company in southern Britain with a business model based on the concept of reusing bottles time and again.
“There are two basic elements involved with the increasing demand for spring water, what’s inside the bottle and the bottle itself,” says company owner, Neil Graham. “And every drop of the pure H20 we take from our ancient spring located near the South Hams coast is delivered in a glass bottle, which will be collected to be used again, and again and again.”
Last year alone, by supplying hotels, pubs, cafes, restaurants, special events and private customers across the South Hams area, Devonia reused no fewer than 211,644 bottles saving the energy required to recycle nearly 11,560 kilos of glass. Now, because of an increased commercial interest in being sustainable and plastic-free, the 17 year-old company is planning to double the area covered by its regular spring water delivery rounds.
“More and more businesses are keen to have green credentials and they are able to tick a lot of boxes by purchasing still and sparkling spring water in our branded glass bottles, which are collected by us to be washed and reused,” says Neil. “You must remember, even if you buy drinks or liquids in glass bottles so that they can be recycled, it is a process which requires a huge amount of energy.”
“An American study showed that you use 94 per cent less energy washing a bottle the way we do it, compared to recycling glass, melting it down and reforming it into a bottle. Everyone thinks putting something in a recycling bin is really good, but that bottle travels an awful long way before it’s melted, reformed and brought back into use.”
“Our highly sustainable business model is simple and more and more customers are buying into it,” said Neil.
Adam Cornish, general manager at Polizzi Collection’s Hotel Endsleigh, on the banks of the Tamar, commented: “We’re delighted to work with Devonia, supporting a small local business. Our guests are very pleased to see we have sourced local spring water. Devonia has always provided superb service with sustainability in mind. The collection, cleaning process and reuse of the glass bottles is excellent.”
“The business originally took off because people loved the idea of local water,” commented Neil. “They still love the idea, but now sustainability is a big thing. Devonia doesn’t pollute the seas with plastics – it is a circular model – and today people appreciate that idea. Which is why we are now planning to extend our delivery and collection rounds beyond the South Devon area.”
For further information about Devonia please visit www.devoniawater.co.uk, follow on Instagram: Devonia Water Company or ‘Like’ Devonia Water on Facebook.
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