Belu/Life Water
Life Water was founded in 2002 by two Americans, Marilyn Smith and Reed Paget, after hearing a speech by former US President Bill Clinton in which he pointed out that 25% of the planet does not have access to clean water.
This gave them the idea of launching a locally-sourced bottled water brand - Belu Spring Water - that could also address global water issues. Belu invests 100% of its net profits in clean water projects in developing countries - every bottle of Belu bought in the UK provides clean water for one person for over a month - and in pollution reduction projects in the UK.
Originally launched in an award-winning glass bottle, Belu is now available in a 'plastic' version, produced from an eco-friendly polymer called NatureWorks®PLA. Made from maize, not only is this a substitute for petrochemical-based plastics, it is a renewable source and it can be commercially composed in just 8-10 weeks.
Belu can currently be found on the shelves in Waitrose and Tesco stores across the country, as well as most music festivals (notably Live8) and high-profile, trend-setting London establishments such as Nobo, Sketch and Umu restaurants; Aspinalls, Drones and the Groucho clubs; and the offices of the Department of Culture Media and Sport, Clifford Chance law firm, and investment bank Goldman Sachs.
Life Water has received two loans from LRS. The first (£50,000) was working capital to assist in the company's start-up and also the marketing and launch of its 'plastic' bottle version; the second (also £50,000) was to assist in the company's expansion and helped leverage larger loans from e.g. The Big Invest (£250,000).
Belu/Life Water is one of LRS' most successful clients and is recognised as such by others in the sector. In 2007, Life Water won the Edge Upstarts Social Enterprise of the Year award; in 2008, co-founder Reed Paget received The Independent's Social Entrepreneur of the Year award, and has also been named one of the government's Social Enterprise ambassadors.
Contact Details
T: 0870 240 6121
E: info@belu.org
W: http://www.belu.org/
First floor
1 London Bridge
London SE1 9BG