Oscar winner Anne Hathaway has been loved by moviegoers for many memorable performances over the past two decades, beginning with her standout role in 2001's The Princess Diaries, followed by roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Love & Other Drugs and Les Miserables.
Hathaway recently invested in a company with a heart purpose and a sustainable lifestyle. ZenWTR bills itself as the world's first and only beverage bottled with 100% recycled ocean plastic. And the brand just achieved its goal of achieving plastic negative certification, becoming the first beverage brand to do so. As a plastic negative brand, ZenWTR says it will be able to at least double its annual plastic footprint.
Hathaway recently shared more with Fortune about her decision to invest in the company.
Commissioning: ZenWTR
Location: Los Angeles
Year of foundation: 2020
Rating: Disclosure denied
Investment Level: Founders
Number of employees: 70
Other key investors: Jessica Chastain, Zoe Saldana, Khloé Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Ellen DeGeneres, 2 Chainz, Ellie Goulding, Juicy J, Lil Jon, Kelly Slater, Julio Jones, Tristan Thompson, Erin and Sara Foster, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa and Danny McBride
Why he invested, in his own words
Something my mother taught me from a young age is that you should try not to let the perfect get in the way of the good. This excellent tip came to light recently when I was offered the opportunity to invest in ZenWTR alkaline bottled water.
I had always been annoyed by the many half-empty plastic water bottles left on my film sets. Of course, at some point I realized that what bothered me the most was my own commitment. I decided to focus less on what other people are doing and change my own habits and started bringing my own bottle to drink. In 2017 I discovered the zero waste lifestyle and was really addicted to it. I have traded in many of my single-use plastic products and have found that I relish the challenge of planning my daily life in a way that reduces my reliance on single-use plastic products.
When my husband mentioned in 2019 that he had heard from friends about an opportunity to invest in a recycled bottle plastic company, I was very skeptical about participating. At first glance, I thought my investment might just be hypocritical given my personal ethics. Despite this, my husband encouraged me to be curious about the immediate process and I received a call to ask questions and discuss my reservations with a ZenWTR manager.
You'd think the reason I finally agreed to invest was because of the company's impressive build ([founder] Lance Collins' track record in this area speaks for itself), but it wasn't. Nor was it the company's clear passion to develop a 100% recycled ocean plastic bottle and determination to achieve the world's first plastic-free beverage certification. (He's since achieved both.) And it wasn't the (really cool) fact that each of their bottles is made from up to five plastic bottles found in the ocean, a huge and necessary reduction in plastic waste.
What made me invest was the chill I felt when I asked my question, "What happens when you run out of plastic in the ocean to recycle?" was answered. The answer? "That's practically impossible."
I accept that whatever I prefer, people like to drink from plastic bottles. I also accept that my choice/ability to use a reusable bottle comes with a number of privileges that not everyone has. With both of these pieces of information in mind, I could see the beauty of ZenWTR, particularly its goal of salvaging £50m in OBP by 2025. If this company is successful, it is also because it offers consumers a more sustainable option without requiring them. Drastic change in your personal habits (a well-documented block to making meaningful changes). That then takes the pressure off consumers to be “perfect” and puts it on beverage companies to do better.
