The brief

Enhance the presence of evian® natural mineral in the home/h4>
When evian® approached Possible Future in October 2017, they are in the midst of an ambitious environmental revamp. Their objective is to become 100% circular in 2020, and use 100% recycled plastic for their bottle production by 2025.

This objective translates to profound realizations regarding their production methods of bottles, in particular to reduce the quantity of plastic per liter of water, of consumer hydration habits, and consumption of natural mineral water.

It is on these challenges that the water brand asks Possible Future teams to dive deeply, to reinvent the way of consuming mineral water at home, in a more eco-responsible fashion.

Our approach

Working hand-in-hand, from the study of use cases to the manufactured pilot

Passionate about the proposed problem statement, the team starts their work with an in-depth immersion phase : interviews with US and France consumers, meeting with experts in the drinks and nutrition sector, detailed benchmark of technologies and innovations in the relevant sectors (water, bottle production, as well as packaging technologies, distributions methods, delivery services for direct-to-consumer…).

This month-long phase allows us to the precisely define the consumer journeys, their expectations and demands, perceptions, and pain points that they encounter while consuming bottled mineral water. Two specific key points guided the following phases:

• <Drinking mineral water is a choice against drinking tap water. It is an assurance of quality water that is beneficial for health, compared to public water in which the composition is sometimes unknown (in particular in certain geographies).
• However, mineral water can become a guilty purchase, with heavy and bulky water packs, and the accumulation of empty bottles in the trash is a reminder of the environmental cost of quality water.

These findings guided the team to create solid concepts during the ideation phase : beginning very broadly (urban distribution points, connected bottles, store recycling solutions, reusable formats, self-owned stores…), the direction gradually turns towards a fountain designed for the home, along with direct distribution services and coaching services. For validation, the team prototypes and tests the concept with several consumers in Paris and New York. This phase of in-vivo testing is to validate many elements of the concept (physical form of the fountain, delivery service, packaging material, personalized programs, automatic commands..), in order to determine, thanks to the feedback from consumers, the best value proposition and design. This leads to 3D-printed fountains prototypes, connected via Arduino and a mobile application developed alongside cardboard packs in a few days, that are then installed at consumers’ homes for the first test.

As a result of the test, the project keeps going forward on the side of evian®, and enters a new phase of development for preparation of a pilot.

This phase is both an occasion to integrate, at the heart of the concept the fountain worked on by Possible Future, and innovative technology developed by evian® R&D : a recyclable-PET bubble that uses 66% less plastic per liter of water than the classic 1.5 evian® bottle. The Possible Future teams have used their skills in product design and manufacturing to continue to support marketing and R&D at evian® on various aspects of the product : industrial design,  materials and colors, electronics, software…

The result

A smart mineral water fountain, for simpler, more sustainable consumption

This fountain combines:

• A new type of exclusive container to present evian® natural mineral water. Developed by the R&D team of the brand, this 5L blow-molded bubble is made of 100% recyclable plastic (r-PET), using 66% less plastic per liter than the iconic 1.5 liter bottles. This is the first commercial application of this blow-molding technology, after many years of development. The surface of the bubble; extremely thin, shrinks as water is consumed, offering a smooth spectacle for the user, in addition to its functional benefits.
• A connected base that allows for the maintenance of the bubble and dispensing of water. The present electronics in the pedestal allows users to follow their water consumption and easily initiate a delivery of water to their home, relying on the mobile app developed by Possible Future.

The device is currently in the pilot test phase. In September, 200 consumers in Paris and London will be able to preview the fountain and service.

Patricia Oliva Elorza, Global Brand Director evian® explains: “The collaboration with Possible Future allowed the teams to test new innovation methodologies; by looking for an outsider’s perspective that allowed us to challenge certain convictions we had internally. With this agile team with the same drive as our brand, we were able to accelerate our capacity for innovation.”

For Thomas Papadopoulos, President and co-founder of Possible Future, “This project is representative of the realized work by Possible Future for clients in the consumer goods industry facing a pressing need to (re)invent in order to address the environmental and societal challenges of this century.”

En savoir plus

• evian (re)new's website
• Fast Company article
• Bloomberg article
• Packaging Europe article