Canned Water Addresses Global Quality Issues

Cold Spring, another corporate partner involved in the program, fills water into the printed can bodies, then seams on a 202-dia aluminum lid to complete the two-piece can.

09/04/09 CannedWater4Kids is a North American-based program with global reach designed to create awareness and fund projects to purify water for children in developing nations. Coinciding with World Water Week March 22 – 28 and this year’s 50th anniversary of the first aluminum beverage can, CannedWater4Kids launched spring water in cans from Crown Cork & Seal’s La Crosse, WI, facility, offset-printed in six colors to provide a festive appearance. Ink is supplied by INX Intl.

Printing is done directly on can bodies on a Stolle Machinery Rutherford decorator, at 2,000-can/min speeds. Printed can bodies are then shipped to Cold Spring Brewery, Cold Spring, MN, where the sparkling spring water comes from a 300-year-old underground glacier. Cold Spring, another corporate partner involved in the program, fills water into the printed can bodies, then seams on a 202-dia aluminum lid to complete the two-piece can.

Cans are available in 12- and 24-count packs at www.cannedwater4kids.org. Site visitors may order water at the site and donate directly to the program to get fresh water to children in need. Out of every dollar collected for the program, 95 cents will go toward organizations and special projects that bring clean water to people in need.

Greg Stromberg, INX international director of sales, national accounts-Metal Deco, developed the idea for CannedWater4Kids after hearing a speaker at the 2008 Canmaker Summit talk about how developing nations seldom have packaging to keep food and drinks fresh, contributing to a World Health Organization claim that one child dies every eight seconds from drinking unsafe water.

That led Stromberg (shown in the photo) to found the not-for-profit 501c3 CannedWater4Kids program.

Discussions are underway with several major retailers to sell CannedWater4Kids through outlets nationwide, with plans to gain additional corporate support and partnerships with colleges and universities.

“There is a tremendous global need for the quality of water we take for granted,” says Stromberg. “Our mission is to find and help fund programs that are making a real difference for children and are doing so efficiently and effectively. By offering real value with our pure sparkling water, we think consumers will join in supporting the CannedWater4Kids program to help make a real difference, too.”