It has been reported in a first of its kind study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health that the environmental impact of bottled water is 3,500 times greater than that of tap water. The research has also found that the harmful impact of bottled water on ecosystems is 1,400 higher than tap water. Refillable water bottle innovators air up have been questioning the nation on their own plastic waste habits and found that almost a quarter of Brits throw away between 5-10 plastic bottles a week with a staggering 1 in 10 Brits confessing that most of the plastic bottles they buy are not recycled.

The landmark research highlights a need for an alternative to single use plastic bottles. With almost a third of the nation finding water boring and therefore choosing bottled drinks, air up provides Brits with a sustainable alternative, flavouring tap water through scent alone in a refillable water bottle. With 80% of flavour coming from our sense of smell, instead of taste, air up harnesses this clever bit of science, infusing every sip of tap water from your bottle with flavoured air. These flavours range from Lime and Orange-Passionfruit to Cola and Iced Coffee with ten others in between, creating an environmentally friendly way to drink water without sacrificing flavour, or the planet.

Key stats:

23% (11,871,000) of Brits throw away between 5-10 plastic bottles a week
11% (5,604,000) of Brits agree that most plastic bottles they buy are not recycled
30% (15,701,000) find water boring so they don’t drink it much
Lena Jüngst – co-founder of air up comments:

“air up is a new and fascinating way to taste. What I love most about our product, as a designer, is that it shows that a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle can still be fun and appealing. For me that is a very promising sign for our future, and something that we have worked hard to achieve. air up is the world’s first drinking bottle that flavours water only by scent with the help of retronasal smelling. Compared to other drinks with flavour, we do not put any ingredients into the water, but only add small fragrance bubbles that are not absorbed by the body. So the water remains water – just with flavour. This is not only good for your health, but also a much more sustainable alternative. As far as we know, no one has ever used retronasal smell like we do, to create flavour. We are a true “world’s first” and that’s pretty rare nowadays.”