Signature May/June 2015 - 43

JIM YOUNG/REUTERS

Volunteers distribute bottled water
in March to help combat the effects
of the crisis when Flint's drinking
water became contaminated with
dangerously high levels of lead.

"Sometimes we get mentioned and then
contacted by the media," Hogan says,
"and sometimes, people just call us directly. They say things like: 'I have family
in Flint... Can you help?' We do help,
but we make sure the spotlight stays on
the local and national members who have
responded to the crisis - not the association."
It's not the first time that IBWA bottlers have worked with state, county,
and municipal emergency management
agencies and emergency relief partners to
provide bottled water to those in need.
The bottled water industry has always
been at the forefront of relief efforts
during emergencies, natural disasters, and
other catastrophic events. Throughout

the years, bottled water companies have
immediately responded to the need for
clean water after disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, wildfires,
and flooding - including 2011's devastating storms in the Southeast and Midwest
and record flooding in the Northeast;
Hurricanes Andrew, Charlie, Sandy, and
Katrina; earthquakes; forest fires in the
West; and the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center in 2001.
Although they each have a positive
story to tell, Hogan says IBWA members
look to the association to be the industry
spokesperson. "Some members don't like
their names out there," he says. "Some
folks don't like the bottled water industry, and they blame us for everything.
Members get attacked by groups that
don't like bottled water and groups that
don't like plastics.
"Some groups seem like they are more
concerned about where the plastic bottles
are going than what the Flint families are
going through," Hogan continues. "But
we work with the recycling organizations and food banks to make sure our
members are connected to recapture the
containers."
And yet, even with all the good IBWA
members are doing in Flint, some people
still don't think the bottled water industry
should exist.
"It's an interesting PR situation to say
the least," he adds.
For example, when Hurricane Sandy
hit in 2012, Hogan says IBWA members
loaded up their trucks, driving into the
storm with their donations because they
knew how bad it was going to be. "Some
people don't think water should be sold,
but the bottled water industry makes
massive donations instantly possible,"
he says.

CRISIS: IBWA'S
BEEN THERE BEFORE
IBWA continues to offer its assistance
to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver. The ongoing
efforts are focused on helping to provide
Flint residents impacted by the lead-contaminated public water supply with reliable access to safe drinking water.
From a communications standpoint,
Hogan says IBWA's approach to the Flint
water crisis has been "to make sure that
people know our members are active."
And there have been opportunities to
educate the media and the public about
the industry as well.

"Members get attacked
by groups that don't like
bottled water and groups
that don't like plastics
... It's an interesting PR
situation to say the least."
"Half of bottled water is purified water
from municipal sources," Hogan says.
"And most people don't realize that
bottled water is regulated by the FDA,
while tap water is regulated by the EPA."
But even with the association's best
efforts to communicate and educate,
Hogan says there are still misconceptions. "The California water drought that
started in fall 2014 was the same scope as
the Flint water crisis," he says. "We were
extremely busy from a communications
standpoint because some people actually
thought that the bottled water industry
was causing the drought."
The association's communication
tools include its bi-monthly print and
digital magazine, Bottled Water Reporter,
and a popular weekly e-newsletter. "Our
MAY/JUNE 16

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signature May/June 2015