Durable water bottles with Albert Heijn and i-did

Last week, many had cause for celebration as national exam results were announced to secondary school students in The Netherlands. Albert Heijn, a Dutch super market chain, wanted to congratulate their recently graduated employees with a special gift and enlisted us to help.

A graduation gift made from recycled textiles

All graduated employees of Albert Heijn were surprised with a gift from their employers: their very own Bottle Made Blue. For this special occasion, these durable bottles were outfitted with a unique sleeve made from old Albert Heijn uniforms, produced by i-did.

On top of the 500 litres of water donated with the purchase of every Bottle Made Blue, the recycled textiles of the sleeved also provide 17 litres of water saved per bottle and a significant reduction of CO2 emissions. i-did also champions the hiring of employees that have experienced setbacks in the job market, getting them back on their feet again. Now that’s a great gift.

Sleeve of a uniform

This durable water bottle sleeve was produced by i-did, our ambassador since 2018. i-did gives piles of old textiles new life thanks to their recycling process which produces many yards of felt. This felt is used by i-did to create many different kinds of products, including the sleeve for our durable water bottle.

Albert Heijn donated over a hundred kilos of old uniforms and company clothing, which i-did turned into 300m2 of felt and 7,850 sleeves.

On top of that, i-did offers job opportunities to those with few prospects. Their impact if therefor not just good for the climate, but also directly for many people involved.

The impact of this collaboration

11

long-term unemployed people helped with production

700

kilos of CO2 emissions prevented

4.000.000

litres of water saved and donated via Made Blue

100

kilos of textiles recycled

Textiles and water

The textile industry causes an enormous amount of CO2 emissions. Just one piece of clothing can produce an average of 63 kilos of CO2! A lot of water is wasted as well. One pair of jeans requires 10,000 litres of water to be produced. The mountain of textile waste is growing world wide, causing many problems for humans and the climate.

Recycling textiles can yield tremendous positive impact. This collaboration between Made Blue, Albert Heijn and i-did proves that many kilos of old textiles can be turned into a beautiful, unique and thoughtful present. It’s a great example of the impact we hope to make in the world, together with our ambassadors.

Durable water bottles

We developed a sustainable, reusable water bottle with a huge impact: the Bottle Made Blue. Indestructible and stylish, yet very affordable – therefore ideal as a giveaway, for example at events, or in your hotel.

Each bottle provides 1000 times its contents of clean drinking water to our water projects. This way we ensure access to clean drinking water together. Surprise your guests, customers or employees with sustainable water bottles and put an end to the madness of disposable bottles together with Made Blue.

See all our bottles

You might want to read these updates too:

Clean drinking water update: 703 million people still lack access

At the end of last year, the WHO and UNICEF released a report on access to water and sanitation in 2020. Fortunately, we are moving in the right direction: from 785 million to 703 million people…

Original artwork inspired by Made Blue

Artist Sarah Boris made a beautiful and unique artwork which celebrates our collaboration with Lore Group.

17 billion litres on World Water Day 2024

As every year, we are announcing our meter reading on World Water Day: since our start, we have already produced more than 17 billion litres of clean drinking water on behalf of more than 500…

Made Blue news articles

In honour of our 10th anniversary, several platforms interviewed us about our achievements and dreams for the future. Here is an overview.

Show all updates