News article
The Open teams up with Bluewater
Sweden-headquartered Bluewater, a water purification and beverage solutions provider, teamed up with The R&A to install hydration stations at last week’s 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Bluewater’s ‘Water Wall’ hydration stations were deployed throughout the venue to provide visitors with a sustainable way of quenching their thirst, eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, which concluded on Sunday, Philip Russell, Managing Director of Bluewater’s Event organisation, said: “Gone are the days of lugging around toxic single-use plastic bottles or constantly searching for drinking fountains. Thanks to Bluewater’s strategically sited 16 hydration stations around the Royal Liverpool venue, players, fans, staff and volunteers will be able to refill with purified and chilled drinking water across the Championship.”
Mastercard, an official patron of The Open, has supported The Open Water Project since 2021. The project was created by The R&A in collaboration with Bluewater and saw the golf tournament become one of the first major sporting events to completely eliminate single-use plastic water bottles.
As part of the shift, Bluewater supplied stainless steel refillable bottles, which have been available to purchase onsite. For every bottle sold, a proportion of revenues have been donated to Priceless Planet Coalition tree-planting projects.
Mastercard founded the Priceless Planet Coalition in 2020 with the aim of planting 100 million trees by 2025.
“This innovative project sets an inspiring example for other events, organisers, and sponsors worldwide."
Bluewater founder and Chief Executive Bengt Rittri added: “This innovative project sets an inspiring example for other events, organisers, and sponsors worldwide. We gratefully thank the commitment of The R&A to being a sustainability frontrunner and for taking the bold step to demonstrate that innovative and planet-friendly solutions are possible.
“The example set by The Open is globally significant in showcasing that major events can be successfully delivered without reliance on the single-use plastic water bottles that are so damaging to planetary health. At Bluewater, we are very proud to be able to supply our industry-leading solutions to enable this amazing project and to show the world that we can hydrate responsibly without compromising on convenience or taste or the commercial viability of a major event.”
Image: Bluewater