Norland’s Strategic Partners Receive Canadian Food Contact Approval

Planet Green Bottle Corporation (Planet Green) confirmed final receipt of approval for food and beverage contact from the Chemical Health Hazard Assessment Division of HealthCanada for its proprietary state-of-the-art additive technology which causes PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottle to oxo-biodegrade on a life cycle of 10 to 20 years as opposed to the estimated 1,000 to 10,000 years as projected by many scientists and environmentalists. The oxo-biodegradation process developed by Wells Plastics and Planet Green results in a slow release of CO2 at a rate absorbed by nature. The HealthCanada approval letter was issued to Wells Plastics of the UK, Planet Green’s joint venture partner and the developer of the PET masterbatch additive. HealthCanada approval completes the trifecta of approvals to include prior food contact approvals for the USA FDA and the EU food and drug regulatory agencies. Planet Green believes that the triple government agency approvals allows

Planet Green to market its patent pending, oxo-biodegradable PET plastic bottle technology globally with a full repertoire of health agency approvals generally recognized and needed to sell the Planet Green product in most territories globally.

Patrick Rooney, Director of Corporate Development of Planet Green stated, “Planet Green has been successful in contracting with leading edge, early adopter beverage and container companies who have a desire to be first in offering the consumer the choice to buy an oxo-biodegradable bottle or container. However, certain regions of the world are awaiting feedback and approvals from Health agencies from countries that are respected for their analytical approach to approving technologies for food contact in packaged food and beverage products. Planet Green believes the entire world will now open up to us for our oxo-biodegradable PET plastic bottle. Certain early adopter brand owners currently have their products packaged in our oxo-biodegradable bottle on the shelf of leading USA-based grocery stores. Consumer feedback has been overwhelming. The consumer, like Planet Green believes in recycling but is suspect of its effectiveness with published reports of only a 24% recycling rate compliance for PET plastic bottles. The consumer is proving that they will pay a small premium to buy an oxo-biodegradable bottle in order to contribute towards saving the planet. The consumer is searching for our logo and making it the tiebreaker in their buying decision”.

Planet Green Bottle Corporation has developed a masterbatch additive through its joint venture partner, Wells Plastic of the UK, which causes a PET plastic bottle to become oxo-biodegradable in landfills, ditches, rivers and oceans. Planet Green is a brand enhancer in that the consumer is beginning to search for the Planet Green logo on a brand owner’s label as a sign that the bottles and packaging is eco-friendly and caring of the environment and will oxo-biodegrade over an intermediate time frame. Planet Green markets its product to brand owners globally.

3 & 5 Gallon Oxo-Biodegradable Caps

Norland International now offers Oxo-Biodegradable 3 & 5 gallon bottle caps. To learn more, contact Norland today!

Transportation - Truck Tankers

Stainless steel is the preferred material for truck tanker construction, because a lined tank on a mobile chassis is subjected to too much twisting and surging to allow a lining to adhere well to the basic tank structure. However, glass and synthetic resin lined tanks are now in use, and have been proven satisfactory. Linings that meet the specifications of NSF Standard 60 are also suitable for tankers. Large plastic tanks apparently won't take the vibration and bending forces. Some smaller plastic tanks are in use on trucks.

An air filter is an especially important part of the truck tank, for the tank is subjected to road dust and other airborne debris. Air pressure changes occur during travel, also. Air filters should be located near the middle of the truck tank.

This passage was taken from Norland's "Success Guide to The Bottled Water Business". To order your own copy, go to http://www.norlandintl.com/ today!

Lawsuit Challenges NY Bottle Bill’s Labeling and Special Exemptions

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) today announced that it has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly-added provisions of New York’s Returnable Container Act (RCA) – also known as the “Bottle Bill”. The suit alleges that certain Bottle Bill provisions added as part of New York’s 2009-2010 budget law improperly impedes interstate commerce while violating IBWA members’ equal protection and due process rights.

Joining IBWA as plaintiffs in this lawsuit are Nestle Waters North America, Inc. and The Polar Corporation d/b/a Polar Beverages.

The Bottle Bill, originally passed in 1982, is intended to encourage recycling and to reduce litter and waste. It requires consumers to pay a five cent deposit when purchasing certain bottled beverages and permits consumers to obtain a refund of that deposit by returning the empty bottle to the retailer.

The Association strongly supports the Bottle Bill’s goal of encouraging recycling and environmental conservation and is not challenging the deposit requirement or the recycling portions of the Bottle Bill. Rather, the IBWA lawsuit concerns the new labeling requirements, unrealistic effective date and special exemptions granted to certain IBWA members’ competitors in the recent Bottle Bill amendments. Under the new Bottle Bill, all bottles covered by the law must contain a special New York specific bar code. The law prohibits bottles with that New York bar code from being sold in other states, even if those states’ laws would permit the sale. IBWA believes that the New York bar code requirement is unconstitutional because it controls commerce occurring in other states. While the new Bottle Bill applies to nearly all forms of bottled water, including flavored water, vitamin water, and water containing artificial sweeteners, it creates an exception for bottled water products that have sugar added. The new

Bottle Bill gives no reason why water with sugar should not be covered by the law when all other forms of water are covered. Indeed, the sugar water exception runs counter to the important environmental goals of the Bottle Bill. IBWA believes this arbitrary exception, which gives special preference to companies that sell sugar water products, violates the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

IBWA also seeks a reasonable amount of time for its members to comply with the new Bottle Bill, which is set to take effect in just a few weeks, on June 1, 2009. The new Bottle Bill imposes a number of different requirements on IBWA members, including the need to design new product labels, register those labels with the State, implement a distribution system that ensures New York-labeled bottles are offered for sale only in New York, and create a process to handle redemption of empty bottles by consumers.

IBWA members are unable to prepare for all these complex requirements in such a short time (less than 60 days after the law was passed). The original law provided the soft drinks and beer industries 15 months to comply with a far simpler system than the recently enacted changes. IBWA has asked the court to prevent the new Bottle Bill from taking effect for a reasonable period of time sufficient for its members to prepare for the law’s new requirements.

Bottled water is a safe, healthy, convenient food product and consumers appreciate its refreshing taste and use it to stay hydrated. The new bottled deposit law is not in the public interest because it will discourage and possibly prevent consumers from making a healthy beverage choice. By including an arbitrary exception for water products that have sugar added, the new law provides financial disincentives for consumers to drink bottled water. We should be creating incentives for consumers to drink healthy beverages, such as bottled water, instead of making them more expensive. Moreover, because it will be impossible for companies to meet the law’s June 1 effective date, it is likely that New York consumers may soon not even be able to find bottled water on their store shelves.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Please click here to see the rest of this article courtesy of the IBWA

Preventing No-Pays

No-pays and late-pays are the worst things a company has to deal with. Help prevent them by telling new customers that your drivers are not allowed to deliver water to any account that is more than 30 days late. Remind people not to put the water bill to the side and forget it. Make yourself available to call accounts that are getting behind. Sometimes all an account needs is to hear from the person who originally set them up. When you call, be concerned that they might get their water cut off. You wouldn't want that to happen, so prevent it.

This passage was taken from Norland's "Success Guide to The Bottled Water Business". To order your own copy, go to http://www.norlandintl.com/ today!

National Drinking Water Week a Time to Celebrate Choice

The International Bottled Water Association supports National Drinking Water Week as a time to celebrate water choice: Be it from the tap or from a bottle, staying hydrated is a key part of maintaining good health.

In the United States, both bottled water and tap water are heavily regulated, tested for quality and considered safe to drink. The decision to choose one over another largely depends on an individual’s tastes or need for convenience. As with many foods, water --whether tap or bottled -- tastes differently to different people. Some people are discerning about the source of their water, while others prefer not to have the odor and taste of chlorine. And then there are those who can’t tell the difference between any of the waters available to them.

“The freedom to choose our drinking water is being challenged by activists who discourage people from consuming bottled water,” says Tom Lauria, Vice President of Communications, International Bottled Water Association. “Bottled water is a safe, healthy, convenient food product and any efforts to discourage its consumption are not in the public interest.”

“This is not a tap vs. bottled water issue. Most people drink both, depending upon the circumstances,“ Lauria continued. “Bottled water comes from both groundwater and municipal water sources. The bottled water industry supports comprehensive groundwater management policies and strong and adequate funding for municipal water infrastructure.”

“National Drinking Water Week is a time to celebrate having choices about the water we drink. As Americans we are fortunate to enjoy the freedom to choose our drinking source water – be it tap, filtered or bottled – and it is healthy to stay hydrated with water,” Lauria said.

Please click here to view the rest of this article courtesy of the IBWA

pH

The term pH commonly used in water chemistry is expressed as a number from 0 - 14 and indicates whether the water is acidic or basic (or alkaline). If it were possible to have such a thing, 100% pure water would have a pH of 7, that is, neither acidic nor alkaline. A pH value of less than 7 indicates that the water is acidic. A number greater than 7 indicates the water is alkaline.

This passage was taken from Norland's "Success Guide to The Bottled Water Business". To order your own copy, go to http://www.norlandintl.com/ today!

Referrals

Obtaining referrals is a very importnant way of prospecting for bottled water customers. Anyone who visits a friend who has a cooler is almost always a prospect. Oftentimes, current customers are some of the best salespeople you can have for your service. They have experienced the benefits of your service and have developed positive feelings about the quality of the water and your service. These people can easily transfer their positive feelings to their friends, family and co-workers.

This passage was taken from Norland's "Success Guide to The Bottled Water Business". To order your own copy, go to http://www.norlandintl.com/ today!

Closing The Free Trial

You should have answered all your prospect's questions, dealt with any objections and pre-qualified them during the set-up of the trial. Make some note on your forms about each particluar prospect's hot button. Did they try the cooler to make baby formula? Did they try it because the water where they live tastes like mud? Did they take a free trial to convince their spouse about something of which they were already convinced? Use that in your close. Call on the phone and say, "Hi, it's Bruce from Down-right Delicious Water. How'd your wife like the taste of that free water I left you?" If they decided not to keep the service, they will let you know, and you can go get the cooler.

This passage was taken from Norland's "Success Guide to The Bottled Water Business". To order your own copy, go to http://www.norlandintl.com/ today!

Water Company Uses Profits To Drill Wells In Africa

While profits are drying up for some companies in the ailing economy, one local company is keeping the money flowing in steadily by selling bottled water.
A company based out of Clemmons sells Zao Water. Zao is a Greek word meaning "to live," and it's giving life to the people in countries throughout Africa.
Women carrying huge buckets of water back and forth from their homes are a way of life in Africa.
"They're drinking very polluted water, lots of drugs, moss growing on top of it," said Matt Peterson, of Zao Water.

Peterson said he wanted to help bring clean water to the people, so he started the company.
The company sells bottled water and then uses any profits to drill wells in Africa.
"There are millions and millions of people who are walking on top of water, they just don't know how to get to it," Peterson said. "So, because the needs are the greatest there, that's where we started."

Zao Water can be found at a few local stores. Peterson said he believes people buying the product understand that the water isn't about corporate profits, but more a grassroots effort to help the needy.

"It's helpful when people see the cause, when they see the profits are going to help someone on the other side of the world," Peterson said.
So far, the company has sold enough bottles to pay for 60 wells. The staff has even bigger dreams for the future.

"We want to grow a lot, to send tens of millions of dollars from this business over to Africa," Peterson said.

Click here to find out more about Zao Water

How To Find Prospects - Free Water Giveaways

Consider giving away lots of free water at running road races, fun runs, bicycle races, walkathons, ground fundraising walks - anywhere there will be lots of people thirsty for a good cup of water. The pros call this "event marketing." And it works.

Put your water at any of the "aid stations" where water is handed out. Many Norland customers report that this type of exposure has proven to be extremely valuable in growing their local markets. Consistency is the key to success. After you've provided this free service for several such events, your company name will become well known to participants and sponsors alike. Hwen they become interested in adding a clooler to their business or home, they'll naturally think of you.

This passage was taken from Norland's "Success Guide To The Bottled Water Business". To learn more go to www.norlandintl.com and order your own copy today.