Ethos Water: Helping Children Get Clean Water

Much like charity:water, Ethos Water is concerned with putting an end to the World Water Crisis.   Ethos Water, a brand of bottles water, has a mission of "helping children get clean water." 

The World Water Crisis is one of the biggest public health issues of our time.  Ethos Water has chosen to bring clean water to children because they are affected most by the crisis.  The lack of safe drinking water is estimated to cause the deaths of nearly 4,500 children every day.  

Ethos Water was started in 2001 by Peter Thum.  After working in South Africa and spending time in communities that had no access to clean water, Thum got the idea to help raise awareness and fund water programs.  In August 2003, Thum launched operations as a bottled water company and formed the non-profit, Ethos International.  Funds from the business were to be invested in safe water programs.

In 2005, Starbucks bought the company from Thum for $8 million.  According to Starbucks, the company was acquired "as a way to meet customers' requests for a convenient source of portable water and also help support water projects in water-stressed areas."

Ethos Water products include 500 mL, 700 mL, and 1 liter bottles of water.  They are sold at most Starbucks in the U.S. and Canada, as well as premium retail outlets, and major grocery, convenience, and drug stores across the United States.  

Starbucks is "committed to contributing $10 million to humanitarian programs through the sales of Ethos Water."  For every bottle of Ethos Water sold in the United States, 5 cents goes to the Ethos Water Fund, a part of the Starbucks Foundation.  In Canada, 10 cents is donated.  

Ethos Water has already helped raise money for water projects in Africa and Asia.  The countries that these projects were built in are: India, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Unlike charity:water, however, Ethos Water only donates a small portion of its earnings to water projects.  At Starbucks in the U.S., the retail price for a bottle of Ethos Water is $1.80, but only $0.05 is contributed to the Ethos Water Fund.  

How is it that Ethos Water, with all the financial backing and resources of Starbucks, cannot afford to donate more to the cause, while charity:water manages to donate 100% to it?  

I am not trying to degrade what Starbucks and Ethos Water are doing, because it truly is a great cause and any amount of help is better than no help at all.  Still, I think that it may be time for Starbucks to re-evaluate its priorities and do everything in its power to help put an end to the World Water Crisis. 

Information from ethos-water.com and businessweek.com