Boxed Water Signs Deal with Zeeks Pizza to Reduce Plastic Pollution

Pizza chain first business to take on Boxed Water's Ditch the Plastic campaign

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Apr 29, 2019, 09:00 ET

HOLLAND, Mich., April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Boxed Water Is Better®, a company that provides an alternative to plastic bottles by producing pure water in 100% recyclable cartons, today announced a new contract with Seattle-based Zeeks Pizza. Zeeks, a 16-store pizza chain based in Washington has taken on an initiative to ditch Dasani Water and its plastic bottles, replacing them with Boxed Water. In fact, today Zeeks removed all Coca Cola products from its delivery and in-store operations.

"1,500 plastic bottles are produced every second, leading to eight million tons of plastic going into our oceans and landfills per year," said Zeeks President Dan Black. "Zeeks was born from two friends looking for a way to fuel their passion for the outdoor adventure lifestyle of the Northwest. We are wind-surfers, surfers and paddleboarders and we need clean beaches and oceans to do what we love. Most of our customers and employees have an outdoor oriented lifestyle as well and they will be stoked by this news. Boxed Water aligns perfectly with our community's passion for the outdoors."

Boxed Water, the leader and original sustainably packaged water company, is entering its 10^th year in operation. Through it's Better for our Planet campaign, Boxed Water has planted over 790,000 trees in America's National Forests in partnership with the National Forest Foundation (NFF). Boxed Water customers who post a picture of their water carton on Instagram or Twitter, along with the #Betterplanet hashtag, prompts the NFF to plant two new trees as part of the partnership.

"You don't even have to buy our water to initiate the NFF response," said Rob Koenen, CMO of Boxed Water Is Better. "We debated internally early on about asking people to buy our product, but felt it was more important to get the trees planted. The Better for our Planet campaign allows people everywhere to participate, and at this point we are evaluating other crowd-shared tactics to help the planet."

In fact, in 2018 Boxed Water started organizing beach cleanups with a goal to clean 3,000 miles of beachfront in the United States. In 2019 the company is asking consumers to Ditch the Plastic, a campaign intended to raise awareness of the plastic pollution problem by asking consumers to give up plastic bottles for 30 days. The partnership with Zeeks is the first example of a business taking on the challenge.

"After cleaning beaches, we realized the actual scope of the plastic problem," said Koenen. "Cleaning beaches is a great start, but people around the world need to stop buying plastic altogether, because we couldn't keep up. Our goal with this campaign is to remove a minimum of one million bottles from the world this summer."

The transition at Zeeks from Dasani Water to Boxed water starts today. The transition will be complete at all Zeeks locations by the middle of May. For more information, or to speak with a Boxed Water and, or Zeeks representative about this deal, please click here.

About Boxed Water
Boxed Water Is Better. Better for the planet. Better for us all. Boxed Water was founded in the belief that sustainability matters with the purpose of changing the way packaged water is shipped, sold and enjoyed. Boxed Water provides people with an alternative to plastic bottles by producing pure water in recyclable cartons made using paper from well-managed forests. Boxed Water is a proud member of 1% For The Planet and partner of the National Forest Foundation (NFF). The simple act of choosing Boxed Water is a statement that sustainability matters. Boxed Water is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan with filling locations in Michigan and Utah. Boxed Water is available for purchase from their site - www.boxedwaterisbetter.com - as well as on Amazon. Socialize with us @BoxedWater.

About Zeeks Pizza
Founded at the base of Queen Anne hill in 1993 by Tom Vial and Doug McClure, Zeeks Pizza is rooted in friendship and likes to fuel the stoke. From our founders to our franchisees and crew members, the Zeeks' team fully embraces the adventurous spirit of the PNW and its affinity for fine craftsmanship. We also believe in homegrown authenticity.

Therefore, Zeeks has not, nor will it ever try to be anything it is not: no looking-up to New York pizza, no fascination with Neapolitan; and no playing little brother to Chicago style. We just focus on the big, fresh flavors of the Northwest and push the creative boundaries of pizza while maintaining a respect for the classics. Find one of our 16 locations, or schedule a delivery online at www.zeekspizza.com or by downloading the Zeeks App.

SOURCE Boxed Water Is Better