Comments on: Ethos Water is Evil

By: Darvin @ bestionicairpurifiers.com

Darvin @ bestionicairpurifiers.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:40:46 +0000

Great points Noah. I had no idea the Ethos water people contributed so little. I see you wrote this a little while ago, so i wonder if the size of their contribution has increased?

By: Nadiha

Nadiha — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:13:06 +0000

this is so funny! I can’t believe they’r selling water. This is wrong on so many levels!

A few years ago, meaning more like 15 years, no body bought bottled water. Commodification of water is absurd.
And now, these people to throw in a measly $0.05 are wasting more water, energy (it takes a lot of water + energy to make those plastic bottles). This whole thing is so fucking wasteful and unsustainable. Maybe if African governemnts and governments of developed countries’ got to gether and actually came up with a solution, people wouldn’t have to come up with a pathetic $10million goal for 2015.
As noble as Starbucks’s intention maybe, this whole process is a bandaid solution to a much larger problems. And please, $10million is pocket change for this company.

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:09:54 +0000

I bought two water bottels of ethos water from safeway tonight for $.99 so I hardly think this is just a starbucks label.. and if your so upset about how expensive it is drink tap water, its probly way better for you, and the enviroment, rather then using another plastic bottel that pollutes our water and food. So next time your in starbucks ask for tap, the bonus its free! And next time you at the grocery store if you must spend the $1.80 donate it to the man out front rining the bell for the poor. Every litle bit counts, Stop complainning. Starbucks suck anyway!

By: Christina

Christina — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:55:35 +0000

As a tap water drinker and someone who refuses to purchase bottled water, I find Ethos’s method of attempting to solve the problem doing more harm than good.

The bottled water industry actually wastes a lot of water, and in the process, damages ecosystems and communities. A ton of petroleum is also used, for both production and transport.

Below is a rather old blog post I wrote about this topic a while ago.

http://thisonesunrise.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/hello-world/

And I agree that actually donating money to a charity would be more efficient. Maybe you could list some alternatives? (I will actually be looking for one in the near future)

By: Joan Martini

Joan Martini — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:45:19 +0000

Will 5 cents even cover the damage caused to the environment by the plastic bottle.
In most of US, Europe, Canada, tap water is a better, safer answer. We Americans have been so brain washed into using an inferior product and paying absurd prices for it. Half the bottled water out there (the safer half) is coming from municipal water supplies. I have heard pediatricians advise new mothers to use tap water for infant formula. Most were shocked to be told they show boil any bottled water especially “spring” water.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:46:05 +0000

I saw this Ethos water in Starbucks, and it was certainly more than $1.80, and right beside the price, there’s the statement of the $.05 per bottle to the charitable cause.

My problem really isn’t the cost of the water… it’s the fact that the mark up beyond what is a fair price for bottled water (could go to the deli next door and buy a bottle of any overpriced water for $1 – $1.50) isn’t due to an increased cost due to charitable giving.

Yes, I can get out my checkbook and send in money to a good cause. It just seems pretty poor, when it’s obvious that a company like *$ can’t part with more than it’s > 1000% markup on a bottle of water which probably accounts for less than 1% of their sales to begin with.

It’s even more sad as I sit here and just saw an ad for a charity that says they commit $.80 of every $1 they receive to their cause. A company such as *$ should be able to sacrifice more. And maybe if they did, they might sell more $1.80 bottles of water. I can honestly say that I would be more likely to buy the water if a knew a substantial portion of my payment were going to the charity. I don’t even care if *$ still was making a decent profit on the water

By: Marc

Marc — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:43:55 +0000

I’m in the water distribution business, although not as big as ethos, I know how much it cost to produce these bottled water. With volume playing the greater role on price and taking in consideration how many sbuxs there are world wide, you are probably looking at lest than 20 cents to produce on of these bottled water, maybe even less.

But what I donâ€™t understand is, why are so many people getting upset? Is it the cost you are paying to purchase one of these bottles? If you buy a crystal geyser bottle form a vending machine, you are paying at least a dollar or even more. Any of that money going to charity? They pump out so many bottles, it probably cost them less than 10 cents to produce.

Like someone mentioned above, when was the last time you donated to charity?

Ultimately, if you want more than 5 cents going to a good cause, take out your check book and make it out to a charity.

Devils advocate

By: Colby

Colby — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 06:32:03 +0000

As an employee of stabrucks who thinks Ethos is a total scam . i totally support people just asking for tap water. WE have to get it for you (tap water). Its part of the customer service policy. And no one really minds doing it…

Ethos water is 2.50 in canada (10 cents goes to charity). They are trying to raise 10 million for kids. If they were to raise that 10 million it would mean they would have to sell 100 million water bottles. If they sold that many water bottles they would make 240 million in renenue. 10 million to charity 40 million to expenses 190 million in profit. Ethical.

Ethos is exploiting consumers.

By: olivia

olivia — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:57:27 +0000

$.5 may not be much, but if you were a poor child in Africa I’m sure five cents would mean a lot.

have you ever heard “EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS?”

By: RIITTA

RIITTA — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 01:18:56 +0000

Let me take this opportunity to let you know the commitment Starbucks has made ,It is a promise of 10 million dollars by 2010, in total. You say ten cents a bottle is not alot- put it in those terms- makes a bit of a difference.Do not knock a company that ensures that it does the right thing..sad that others can not just understand that at times there is good out there- have we become so questionable as a society that we can not just embrace human effort.. ps my figures are in Canadian..
and to add ..price differences in Asian locations are due to the fact that most of those stores are actually licensed !!