Virgil Abloh, Founder of fashion brand Off-White and Creative Director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s line is joining mineral water company Evian (owned by Danone), as Creative Adviser for Sustainable Innovation Design. Abloh is a 21st century da Vinci, with recent creative collaborations with Ikea, and LVMH’s Moët & Chandon and more. Announced on Evian’s Instagram account, Abloh is joining the Evian team for ongoing collaboration. Together they will break new ground in sustainable design innovation, as Evian continues its ambitions and progress towards being 100% circular by 2025. EvianWater has 85,800 Instagram followers, Virgil Abloh, 3.3 million. Abloh is a good choice to raise visibility for the 159-year-old company’s sustainability efforts. Evian has collaborated with designers (Alexander Wang, Kenzo, Diane Von Furstenberg and others) in the past for limited edition bottle designs. This collaboration is more than design; it is sustainable design. The US bottled water industry is worth approximately $16 billion at wholesale, surpassing carbonated soft drinks as the largest beverage category in 2016. Nearly 80% of plastic water bottles simply become landfill, creating about two million tons of plastic bottle waste annually, according to Econation. It’s time for a creative solution! Danone holds the #2 market position for packaged water globally (Nestlé Waters is #1); Evian is its #3 brand, following #1 Mizone and #2 Aqua. Water represents 18% of its Danone’s $28 billion sales, of $5 billion. At its November 28, 2018 investor conference, Danone articulated its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy that is embedded in nine 2030 corporate goals under the broad categories of business model, brand model and trust model. Impacting health locally, preserving and renewing the planet, inclusivity, sustainable and profitable growth and to be certified as a B Corp are the more ESG focused goals. Certified B Corporations balance purpose and profit and are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions a broader set of stakeholders beyond owners and shareholders, extending consideration to their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. Already Danone North America is B Corp certified (and the largest B Corp certified company in the world). Other B Corp certified companies include Gap Inc.’s Athleta, Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and Natura Cosméticos SA. Abloh will unveil his first project for Evian during fashion weeks in February and March next year according to an article in WWD. His celebrity and social stretch could well accelerate a consumer focus on more sustainable drinking water practices (what about a straight-from-the-tap solution?). On the heels of the Evian/Abloh collaboration announcement last week, Nestlé Waters North America just announced it will achieve 25% recycled plastic use across its US product portfolio by 2021 and set a 50% goal by 2025. With the top two leaders in the bottled water industry leading a sustainable charge, we see further disruption and opportunities ahead. Coresight Research anticipates that sustainability will grow in importance in 2019 and work its way into the corporate goals of many global firms.