Paget Reed
Organization: Belu Water
Year Founded: 2002
Country: United Kingdom
Website: www.belu.org
Geographic Area of Impact: Bangladesh,India,Madagascar,Mali,United Kingdom.
Model: Hybrid Non-Profit ,Social Business
Focus: Environment,Water.
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, United Kingdom, 2007 Schwab Fellow of the World Economic Forum The Innovation Belu is the first bottled drinks company in the UK to use “bio-bottles” made from corn. These look like ordinary plastic bottles and can be recycled with plastics or commercially composted back to soil in just 8 weeks. By demonstrating that eco-friendly bottles are economically viable, Belu is leading a change in favor of a more sustainable approach to consumer goods. In addition, Belu is driving an increase in bio-bottle volumes, which will reduce the cost of manufacturing and make it easier for other companies to adopt the technology in the future. Belu has begun works with a number of large players in the drink production and retail industry including, Spadel, Mitsubishi and Marks & Spencer to developing corn bottle technology and/or improving the recyclability of biopolymers. Background The earth is running out of many natural resources and clean water is one of them. In the last 150 years, we have used or polluted two-thirds of the earth’s available fresh water and by 2050 we will have run out of the rest. Belu Water was launched to harness the incredible resources of business and use them to create a sustainable balance between people and the planet. Belu’s first step was creating the most eco-friendly bottled water in the world. Belu’s natural mineral water is the first Carbon Neutral bottled water, the first to come in a compostable bottle made from corn and the first to donate 100% of its profits to fund clean water projects around the world. Thus far, approximately 20,000 people in India and Mali have gotten clean water and ten times this number is projected for 2008. Strategy Belu leads by example and seeks to change the way businesses operate through a business model that is both financially and environmentally sustainable is possible. Belu has minimized its environmental impact by: 1. Introducing the UK’s first biodegradable and compostable plastic bottle; 2. Reducing its carbon footprint by using clean electricity and locally sourced water; 3. Offsetting any remaining carbon emissions by raising the environmental performance that the public expect from companies. Belu’s compostable bottle has inspired most major retailers to consider using similar plastics for their products. Belu is also influencing the consumer goods industry as a whole. As the first Carbon Neutral product out of 70,000 in the retailer Tesco, Belu has helped set a trend for all businesses to take responsibility for their carbon emissions. Funding clean water projects, Belu is the first bottled drinks company to invest all its profits to clean water projects. Every bottle of Belu bought in the UK provides clean water for one person for over a month. Belu funds projects through WaterAid, a clean water charity, in Tamil Nadu and Mali, installing wells and fixing hand-pumps, which provide water for 20,000 people. Belu is also working in Bangladesh and Madagascar. As Belu becomes profitable, its investment in clean water projects will increase significantly. The projected investment for 2008 will have the potential to help more than 200,000 people if used on similar projects. They plan to fund projects in similar activities such as eco-sanitation, a safe way of treating sewerage to produce fertilizer. This technology would help to conserve soil fertility and improve health, while minimizing water pollution. By selling a consumer good to raise funds for their fresh water projects, Belu is not competing against other charitable organizations for limited funds; Belu is not reliant on donations and grants to operate. Belu’s message of sustainability reaches over 500,000 consumers every month and has shown itself an effective medium for engaging the public in wide range of environmental issues. The Entrepreneur Reed Paget completed his university education in Fine Arts in 1992. He has over a decade of experience working in the media including working for New York One news, and the Freedom television. Reed produced and directed the award-winning documentary film “Amerikan Passport” about US foreign policy and the end of the Cold War. Amerikan Passport covers more than 20 countries and documents political upheaval including the civil war in El Salvador, the US invasion of Panama, the Unification of Germany, the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Scud Missiles hitting Israel during the 1991 Gulf War. In addition, he was involved in managing the merchandising initiative on the Clinton / Gore 1996 US Presidential campaign across 40 states. Reed founded Belu Water in 2002, after hearing a speech by former US President Bill Clinton in which he pointed out that 25% of the planet does not have access to clean water. Though Reed had no business background, the united Nation's Global Compact inspired him to use the tools of business to help solve global problems.
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