Innovation

Wallop Water was initially created as an Australian company with the goal of providing safe, clean drinking water to those across the world, while reducing the waste from plastic water bottles often seen at large events. Additionally, co-founders Bruce Plant and Ryan Tait wanted to create a solution that disrupted the use of single-use plastic bottles. This led them to create their line of chilled water dispensing stations. These products are portable, durable, easy to use, and operable without a power source. This makes their product viable in a variety of settings, from concert venues to construction sites and even disaster zones.

Since Wallop Waters began in 2019, they have grown to become a major provider of water dispensing stations for events in Australia. They have also expanded their operations into the United States and licensed their products to Canada. The innovative side of the company revolves around the opportunities of sponsorship on the Wallop Water assets, while also having a variety of different machine sizes and styles for events.

Part of the reason Wallop Waters has grown so quickly is the innovative design of their products. As I stated before, the portability of Wallop Water stations allows them to be utilized in a variety of environments. This means that their water stations are more accessible to their competitors and positively drive some of the UN’s sustainable development goals. They are helping the mission of providing clean water and reducing limited access to various environments. Wallop Water also contributes to the environment, and the UN's sustainable development goals by decreasing plastic water bottle use.

Inspiration

Bruce Plant had previously owned a company that organized events throughout Australia. One of the major problems he noticed during these events was that the plastic water bottles served at these events remained 2/3 of the way full of water when being thrown out. The issue was related to people forgetting which water bottle was theirs, losing their bottles, and even just not wanting to finish their water. Bruce stated in our interview "Our biggest culprit of waste was single-use plastic bottles. In Australia, when you run an event, you get charged for your waste. We embarked on a journey of weighing the water that was left over after these events, and basically, the data conferred that most people only drink 1/3 of the bottle of water." This was one of the main inspirations behind Wallop Water.

Bruce came up with the idea to create chilled, filtered water stations that could cater to these events as the solution to the plastic bottle waste problem. Bruce and his team work to maintain the cleanliness of the machines with chlorine tablets, while also filtering water both on the way into the machine and on the way out. Bruce was inspired by his entrepreneurial drive to start and expand his business, while also being able to have a large impact on the world after seeing the effects of plastic waste in his previous profession.

Overall impact

Wallop Water also provides premium event water solutions, offering filtered and chilled water to event patrons, staff, and volunteers through the use of their Hydration Stations, which aim to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles. This is done through the refilling of an attendees' reusable water bottle that they are encouraged to bring. The short-term effects of this innovation include reduced plastic waste, increased brand awareness, and enhanced user well-being. We see that by providing an alternative to single-use plastic, Wallop Water helps reduce the amount of plastic waste that is constantly generated at large events, disaster zones, or construction sites. There is an increased brand awareness as the company’s branded water assets can help increase brand awareness and drive engagement with the target audience. The enhanced user well-being ties in with the second effect as the availability of free water can contribute to the well-being of users, leading to positive brand experiences.

In the long term, this innovation can be seen as having a positive impact on sustainability practices, environmental benefits, and educational opportunities. The effect that Wallop Water’s innovation has on sustainability practices is the influence their brand will have in contributing to a broader adoption of sustainable practices in this field. The reduction in usage of single-use plastic bottles to a reusable water source can help hit many of the UN SDG’s target goals. There are environmental benefits that will be seen in the long-term as there is a lower demand for plastic bottles, allowing their Hydration Stations help to conserve resources, such as water and oil, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Wallop Water’s presence at events and focus on sustainability can provide educational opportunities for attendees and other organizations to learn about the importance of reducing plastic waste and adopting more sustainable practices.

The evidence suggests that these impacts include testimonials from satisfied customers, such as event organizers who constantly praise the company for its efficiency, support, and ability to provide these water stations, their quick growth throughout multiple countries, and their presence at events held by prestigious companies. Firstly, we see that companies like NASA are working in unison with Wallop Water and use Wallops Island as a base for missions documenting evidence of a warming climate, highlighting the importance of sustainable practices like those promoted by Wallop Water. Evidence provided from the impact of Wallops Flight Facility’s shoreline restoration and enhancement project on water quality also shows their commitment to creating a positive impact on the environment.

Business benefit

Wallop Water’s innovation benefits the business heavily as their service of providing filtered water through their Hydration Stations has increased brand awareness throughout the world, increased revenue growth and brought about new investment opportunities, and has allowed for employee well-being and retention. Their increased brand awareness and market expansion came about due to Wallop Water’s unique approach in focusing on sustainability and reducing single-use plastic waste, allowing them to differentiate their company in the market. This increased brand awareness has given the company more opportunities as different event organizers seek out sustainable alternatives for their water needs. In addition, their growth in the market has also allowed for revenue growth for the company and new opportunities for investments. For example, Wallop Water has recently partnered with Northumbrian Water, which is an important utility company in the UK, to explore opportunities for reducing water waste and improving efficiency. This collaboration opens up a market full of opportunities that may be extremely beneficial for Wallop Water. Not only is the company seeing growth in the financial sector, but they are also seeing positive employee well-being as well as retention.

Employees who are proud to work for a company that is truly making a difference in the world are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work, leading to increased retention and productivity. Additionally, as the company begins to grow more and more, an increase in employees will be necessary as Wallop Water continues to bring about environmental benefits and positive social impacts to the world.

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Social and environmental benefit

Wallop Water’s dispensing stations are a sustainable and innovative solution to the problem of access to clean drinking water. The implementation of these products over the past few years has brought a variety of societal and environmental impacts. On a societal level, these products have improved health and have reduced limited access to water. Wallop Water dispensers don’t need a direct power source to set up and are thus able to be used in a variety of different environments. This gives people in developing countries the opportunity to have access to clean, filtered water. This has greatly impacted people’s health as their prior form of water sources may not have been clean.

On an environmental level, Wallop dispensers have helped reduce the use of plastic water bottles. This has a huge environmental impact, as bottled water is one of the biggest sources of plastic waste. Reducing this waste also positively impacts our water and energy conservation efforts. When these dispensers are used, people are less likely to waste the water they receive. Furthermore, with the reduction of plastic water bottle use, fewer bottles will need to be produced and in turn, less energy will be used in production.

Interview

Bruce Plant, Co-Founder/President