Jaden Smith Draws Inspiration From Elon Musk With 'JUST Water'
As we approach the launch of JUST Water, its star co-founder has big aspirations for the water bottle industry. He hopes his reusable product emitting less CO2 will be a game changer for eliminating plastic pollution and holds other ideas for the JUST brand.
Updated May 25 2019, 4:48 p.m. ET
With the bottled water industry booming, a major problem that needs to be fixed is the amount of plastic waste that’s generated. Backed by celebrity power, JUST Water is founded in part of Jaden Smith, son of famous actor Will Smith. At just 19 years of age, he hopes to revolutionize the bottled water industry in similar fashion to Elon Musk’s approach to electric vehicles.
JUST Water brings a box-like container that’s made from paper and plant-based product. The goal is to limit carbon dioxide emissions in both production and disposal, and each container can be recycled. The mouth of the bottle is enlarged so it’s easy to refill, encouraging customers to reuse the container.
Smith founded the JUST brand back in 2015 with environmental activist Drew Fitzgerald. The latter has also co-founded SDG Engine, who attaches social entrepreneurs with investors to achieve the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals. Both Smith and Fitzgerald opted for their first project to focus on eliminating plastic bottle waste.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m sinning every time I’m taking a sip of water,” Smith told High Snobiety when talking about his inspiration for JUST Water. “I want to have something I can feel good about that I can feel like it’s changing the world. I’m not only being neutral with the world, I’m actually making the world a better place.”
After a few years in development, JUST Water will be distributed in March. They’ll be widely available at Whole Foods and Amazon at the retail price of $1.99 each. That isn’t too far off from the standard price of single bottled water at convenience stores and vending machines. Along with traditional spring water, there will be infused flavors such as lemon, tangerine, and apple cinnamon.
Instead of just donating money to help remove plastic pollution from our environment, Smith wanted to establish a new company. He believes that the new water container is just the start of his new JUST brand name. Drawing inspiration from Elon Musk, he wants to force others in the industry to improve their ways.
“[Musk] revolutionized the car industry in a way that no one before him could do,” Smith told Business Insider. “That's kind of what I want to do. I want to step into this water-bottle industry and revolutionize it in a way, because I'm thinking in a way that no one else is thinking."
There’s plenty of benefits that Smith brings to the JUST brand with his star power. Other product ideas he has in mind are device accessories and building material that’s completely sustainable. Both him and Fitzgerald will be one of many guest speakers at the EMA IMPACT Summit at Los Angeles in May, an event that will award a $50,000 grant to the most sustainable project.
