The Molson Coors company has improbably joined the restoration economy by launching a new product called Coors Seltzer: a hard seltzer with a restorative mission. With a mission to help restore America‘s rivers, with every 12-pack sold restoring 500 gallons of water, including a commitment to restoring at least one billion gallons during the first year.
In order to accomplish this goal, the brand is partnering with Change the Course, a program of the national nonprofit the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. They specialize in helping partners implement water restoration and conservation programs, and claims to be the leading national corporate water restoration and engagement campaign.
“Rivers are the lifeblood of America. They provide clean drinking water, deliver vast economic value to communities and businesses, support critical fish and wildlife habitat and recreation in every state. Unfortunately, the iconic river basins that fuel our communities, economies and ecosystems are stressed,” said Todd Reeve, CEO of Bonneville Environmental Foundation and co-creator of Change the Course.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Coors Seltzer to build awareness of America’s incredible rivers and ensure that high-impact projects across the country keep our rivers clean and healthy,” he added.
The Change the Course partnership works by scoping, vetting and funding a portfolio of on-the-ground water projects that help restore healthy, flowing rivers.
Coors Seltzer and Change the Course will first target 16 iconic river basins within 14 states, including projects for the Colorado, Missouri, Sacramento, and Chicago Rivers. Supported projects are focused on modernizing irrigation, enhancing in stream flows, removing barriers, reducing pollution, and restoring fish and wildlife habitat.
To celebrate Coors Seltzer’s launch, the brand plans to make an impact. This past summer, America drank 87 million gallons of hard seltzer, but most of that drinking didn’t do much for the planet. So, Coors Seltzer is going to help get America’s hard seltzer craze to “water neutral” by footing the bill on 175,000 12-packs to restore all of that hard seltzer volume consumed.
All drinkers need to do in order to neutralize their summer of hard seltzer consumption is to join the Coors Seltzer Volunteer Program and consumers in select states will be offered a rebate to get their first 12-pack for free – they drink, Coors Seltzer gets to work. That’s right, just by drinking Coors Seltzer, you’re volunteering to save the rivers. Rebate value varies by state (full price in certain states, 50 percent price in other states, and is void where prohibited).
“Americans are drinking an astounding amount of hard seltzer, but it’s not doing much good. With the launch of Coors Seltzer and its Volunteer Program, we’re setting out to provide a seltzer that tastes good and also gives drinkers an opportunity to do good with each and every sip,” said Matt Escalante, Molson Coors’ senior director of above premium flavors.
By giving consumers an opportunity to volunteer for the rivers, Coors Seltzer is introducing a world where “volunteering” becomes a code-word for drinking seltzer.
“If you want to change something in the world, you can’t ask people to change their lives to provoke that change,” said Paco Conde, founder, partner and creative lead at Activista, the agency who developed the creative for Coors Seltzer. “The most effective way to engage and inspire people is to leverage something they are already doing and pivot that action into a helping act. That’s the idea behind the Coors Seltzer Volunteer Program.”
Sign up for the Coors Seltzer Volunteer Program and get your first 12-pack free.