The KOR ONE is a simple way
to help the environment.

OIL FOR WATER

Have you had your oil today? According to the Pacific Institute, the amount of petroleum required to make, ship, and distribute the average single-use water bottle would fill 25% of the bottle itself. So when you drink a bottle of water, you're also consuming the equivalent of a quarter of that bottle's volume in oil. Unlike the tap water that flows through pipes to your faucet, bottled water gets terrible gas mileage. The Earth Policy Institute estimates that bottled water consumption is the global-warming equivalent of three million cars driven for a year. Hey, let's pull over.

Drinking from a reusable water bottle is a simple but empowering change. You may not be able to reverse global warming single-handedly, but collectively we can make a difference by changing our water consumption habits.

BURIED TREASURE

Saying we love bottled water is an understatement.  In the words of a recent Fast Company article “Bottled water is the food phenomenon of our times. We — a generation raised on tap water and water fountains — drink a billion bottles of water a week, and we're raising a generation that views tap water with disdain and water fountains with suspicion.” Nearly five out of ten bottles ended up in landfills or as litter. Deposits on water bottles are rare in the U.S., which means fewer such bottles are recycled. Curbside efforts only go so far, since we drink most of our bottled water away from home.

YOU + EARTH = ONE

Being “sustainable” isn't about black and white choices. The world won’t just stop drinking bottled water – sometimes it's the most convenient way to get clean drinking water. But healthy, filtered water is available in most of the U.S., and a reusable container like the KOR ONE can significantly reduce your bottled water waste.

How we’re Helping

It’s early in our journey to make a difference for our environment. Here are some of the ways we’re making an impact.

WE LIKE CARROTS (NOT STICKS)

We're more likely to change our behavior when we feel good about ourselves and our choices. That’s where KOR products come in. We think they’re so pleasing to the eye and touch that you’ll use them whenever you can. And the next time you find yourself drinking bottled water, we bet it'll seem oddly unsatisfying.

Not only do we think great design can help stop the bottled water tide, it’s more sustainable. Beautiful, durable objects don’t wind up in landfills the way commodity products do.

GIVING BACK

We have a social responsibility mission that we take very seriously. We’re donating 1% of all our sales to a select group of non-profits that focus on water-related issues.

EDUCATION

Our goal is not only to provide much-needed funds to our partner organizations, but to help them spread their messages by engaging our customers on issues such as recycling, watershed protection, and the global water crisis. Check back for invitations to learn about these issues and organizations, and for news about events like concerts, lectures, and river cleanups.

TAKE-BACK PROGRAM

We build our products to last, but we also take responsibility for them throughout their entire life cycle. That’s why you can send any KOR product back to us postage-free when its useful life has been exhausted for any reason. Simply register your KOR online.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

We’re committed to reducing our environmental impact by making enlightened choices about the way we run our company. For example, we selected a North American manufacturer, which means higher manufacturing costs but a smaller carbon footprint for every KOR ONE. That facility is also ISO 1400-certified, which means it adheres to strict environmental standards set by the International Standards Organization.

How You Can Help

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Going without bottled water isn't always easy. Not only do you have to remember your own container - that only solves half the problem - you still need clean water to fill it. But here's the good news: Most U.S. tap water is extremely high quality. It may even be purer than bottled water. That’s because tap water is a utility regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, which has more stringent standards than the Food & Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water, a luxury item that costs about 1,000 times more than tap.

OK, so your nearly free tap water is perfectly safe, but you may not like the taste. In that case, filters are an inexpensive and simple option. You can buy a pitcher or on-tap system for under $30.

But go easy on yourself -- nobody's perfect. Bottled water has its time and place, but with practice you’ll find yourself relying on it less. Then you can spend some of your saved water money on gifts for your friends.

EDUCATE YOURSELF

The Internet is brimming with information on the environmental impact of bottled water. There are also some great books and films on the subject. Here are some of our favorites, and we’ll be adding more. Send us your suggestions, and we may post them too.

GET INVOLVED

Many non-profit organizations are working on water-related issues, from container recycling to the important related topics of watershed protection and the global water crisis.
We've listed some of our favorites here. Have a look -- you may be inspired to help out.

RECYCLE

It’s not a crime to drink bottled water.  But we think it is one not to recycle when you do. Most U.S. cities now have curbside programs that make it easy recycle empty water bottles. If yours doesn’t, make some noise. Meanwhile you can still bring your empties to the local dump or supermarket for recycling.