A ‘catalyst for change’: How Waiākea is pioneering sustainable packaging in bottled water

The Hawaiʻi-based brand said it is the first company in the world to print labels with algae-based inks, adding its climate values help it stand out.

What happened

Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages wants to be more than just a bottled water and small batch coffee company, with an aim to revolutionize how the beverage industry approaches sustainability.

After becoming the first beverage company to use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic in 2012, it's now pioneering another first more than a decade later: labels printed with algae-based ink. Hawaiʻi-based Waiākea said it's the first in the world to implement and commercialize labels with the pigment, which was developed after four years of research in partnership with Living Ink Technologies, Actega and NextGen Label Group.

Why it matters

“For us, innovation extends far beyond the traditional sense, where we’re always at the drawing board, coming up with creative products or marketing solutions,” Waiākea CEO Ryan Emmons said in an email. “Our goal is to use Waiākea as a catalyst for change and better standards for not just bottled water but beverage and CPG overall.”

Traditional carbon black-based ink is derived from petroleum, and a significant portion of the 33 billion pounds produced each year is used in printing, Waiākea said. If the global supply of black pigment were replaced with Waiākea's ACTExact UV Black Algae Ink, it would be the equivalent of taking roughly 25 million cars off the road.

Waiākea is declining to maintain exclusivity or IP rights over the technology, instead open-sourcing the ink through its partners and giving brands across industries access. It plans on scaling additional pigments over the coming years.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Food Dive on 2026-03-04. The original report is linked below.