Icelandic Glacial (stylized as ÍCELANDIC GLACIAL) is a brand of bottled spring water, taken from the Ölfus Spring in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. The Icelandic Glacial brand is owned and operated by Icelandic Water Holdings hf. based in Hlidarendi,

Ölfus Ölfus () is a municipality located in Iceland. The major town is called Þorlákshöfn. The bottled water brand Icelandic Glacial is manufactured in this area, at the Ölfus spring. Geography In Ölfus several lava tubes can be visited. ''Rauf ...

, Iceland. Icelandic Water Holdings controls the sole commercial rights to bottle and sell water from the Ölfus Spring. The capacity of the Spring is recognized as one of the largest in the world. Icelandic Water Holdings was established in April 2004 by a group of private investors led by former media entrepreneur Jon Olafsson. The company has been exporting Icelandic Glacial to consumers since 2005. In the United States, it is distributed by Anheuser-Busch Inbev, which took a 20% ownership stake in the company in July 2007. Since then, Icelandic Glacial distribution has expanded to other territories including Australia, the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Canada, Peru, Singapore, South Korea, and China.

Environmental record

In 2007, Icelandic Glacial received a

Carbon Neutral Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...

certification for both product and operations from

The Carbon Neutral Company ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

. With the program developed with The Carbon Neutral Company Icelandic Glacial conducts an ongoing assessment of CO₂ emissions and reduces emissions wherever possible. Any unavoidable remaining CO₂ emissions are then offset by investing in accredited and bonafide projects around the world to reduce carbon emissions to a net-zero level. Icelandic Glacial offset project investments have included renewable energy projects in Europe, China and India. Icelandic Glacial uses natural renewable energy in the form of geothermal power to fuel production. The company implements a shipping policy from its mid-Atlantic location that uses otherwise empty cargo slots for shipments of product to the US and mainland Europe. The bottles are 100% recyclable including the labels and the outer box packaging uses 75% post consumer recycled materials. The source of Icelandic Glacial Water is the Ölfus Spring in Iceland, which has been deemed certifiably sustainable by Zenith International because it does not deplete or permanently damage its source. The long term sustainability of the product (and of

bottled water Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well water, distilled water, mineral water, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to lar ...

as a category) has been questioned, however.Luke Upchurch
"Can bottled water ever really be sustainable?"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', June 6, 2013.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Icelandic Glacial official websiteAnheuser-Busch website
Bottled water brands