On various bottles of Propel, the label has described the beverage as Fitness Water, Fit Water and Invigorating Water. The new label says Vitamin Enhanced Water Beverage. After they enhanced the water, they enhanced the packaging. Then they enhanced the promotion of the packaging. With all this enhancing going on, I decided to enhance my knowledge and investigate further…

Dear Propellers:

I read that your 500 ml Propel Enhanced Water bottle now has 33% less plastic than your previous bottle. Nice work! However, after looking over the bottle, I can’t tell the difference. How does the average consumer know you’re not just making that up? Seriously, I wouldn’t even be able to tell if the bottle had 33% more plastic. Where did that 33% of extra plastic go? Why was it there in the first place if you didn’t need it? Can this technology also be applied to other products such as breast implant shells, which would make breasts lighter during fitness sessions?

You also promote that Propel contains antioxidants. From what I understand, and I really don’t understand it at all, an oxidant becomes an oxidizing agent when it oxidizes something else, but how did the oxidizing agent get oxidized in the first place if it wasn’t an oxidant before it was oxidized? Does this occur in nature intentionally or totally by oxidant? What makes an antioxidant “anti” and how does it let oxidants know it’s the boss?

Now that you’ve figured out how to reduce the plastic in your bottles, can you figure out how to get 33% more Propel in the bottle?

A PepsiCo Consumer Relations Representative responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to let us know you enjoy Propel Vitamin Enhanced Water Beverage.

We have a reputation of producing the highest quality products available. Advanced technology allows us to offer superior packaging for our fine products, and all of our packages are tested to ensure that they meet the quality standards we demand. Propel – now contains 33% less packaging material and 30% less label to be more environmentally friendly. Which equals taking 6,800 cars off the road (or eliminating 37,450 metric tons of greenhouse gases). Saving the energy that 20,000 US homes would use in a year (234,000 megawatt hours).

We welcome your comments and hope that you will continue to select and enjoy our products.

Final Thoughts: You know how a friend somehow looks different, but you can’t figure out why? Then you realize, or someone tells you, that your friend is wearing contacts instead of glasses, had a nose job, or shaved off their moustache? You might notice if a female friend shaved off her moustache, although, even big changes such as these aren’t always immediately noticed. It’s all part of the person’s packaging — and failing to notice the obvious can also happen with products.

When I read the claims Propel was promoting about their new packaging, it sounded significant. Yet, while the bottle looked different, it just seemed like a new bottle shape to me. However, aside from looking sleeker and more contemporary, if reducing the packaging materials benefits the environment to the extent they say, it really is much more than just another bottle. So, props to Propel!

Also enclosed were a Product Description Sheet and a $2 Off coupon for any Propel product or multi-pack. No answers to any of the antioxidant questions were provided. You’ll have to do your own research and you might want to start with this WebMD article, “How Antioxidants Work.”

If you’re thirsting for more vitamin enhanced water beverage information, visit Propel. And when you’ve got a bunch of thoughts bottled up about a product or its packaging, you may get a refreshing response if you Write The Company.