You have to commend a guy who sits himself down in front of a crowd to talk about his life’s work. It’s even more impressive when you consider that the gentleman in question is the pioneer of the modern bottled water industry and the crowd is composed of what can only be described as ardent environmentalists. Kim Jeffrey, President and CEO of Nestlé Water North America Inc., sat down with Bill McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle, and moderator Marc Gunther (from Fortune) to discuss their joint efforts to redevelop the water bottle along more sustainable lines. Imagine trying to convince a group of business-minded sustainability nuts that there is a sustainable way to package and sell the Earth’s most precious and, for all intents and purposes, plentiful natural resource. It just doesn’t seem to jive.
Regardless of my antipathy for the very notion of bottled water as a consumer packaged good, I do find it remarkable (and to some degree admirable) that Mr. Jeffrey would expose himself to the kind of vocal criticism that he was sure to receive from the Keynote attendees. This is a man who seems very proud of his role in pioneering the concept of the water ‘service delivery mechanism’. He answered the pointed and baiting questions posed to him with honesty and conviction, never shying away from the audience and their barely-contained contempt. My own personal perception as I sat listening was one of a gentleman slowly but surely digging a hole deeper and deeper while standing at its centre. I felt like I was listening to a sales pitch from someone who was trying to downplay what I believe is a faulted business decision.
And despite the hypocrisy I feel that this man stands for, sitting in front of us championing his efforts to minimize the environmental damage his product creates and his role in its conception, I do aspire to Mr. Jeffrey’s level of conviction and his dedication to his craft. He is working toward finding a sound business solution to a problem that continues to challenge the long-term viability of his company’s core product. After all, he is demonstrating the very leadership abilities that we were there to develop.
