An Interview With Monica Sanders
Anyone has the ability to make an impact as long as you are focused on giving back or providing value to people and the planet. The smallest impacts can lead to really significant change so don’t be afraid to start small.
Although the United States has had a long trend of non-renewable consumption, the tides are turning. Many companies are working hard to break this cycle, moving towards renewable consumption. In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders who are sharing the steps they are taking toward renewable consumption. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Shadi Bakour.
Shadi Bakour is a Silicon Valley native and an entrepreneur with a passion for tackling the world’s largest ideas and problems. He co-founded PATH with a vision to disrupt and change the way people think about an industry that is destroying the environment. Over the past few years, he has built PATH Water into a global brand with partners including Kevin Hart, Ryan Seacrest, Guy Fieri, Ninja Fortnite, Adidas, Dropbox, Orangetheory Fitness, and Yellowstone National Park, to name just a few.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Coming from first generation immigrants, I was pushed to be a well-rounded kid, so I was actively involved in academics, sports, music, martial arts and more. My parents really invested in us, taking us to community college to attend advanced math classes and switching out PE at school with competitive swimming in the evenings. I spent a summer in China studying martial arts and went to boarding school in the middle of Indiana. I had the opportunity to experience so much early on in life, and I really cherish my childhood. It set a foundation for me, giving me the confidence and entrepreneurial spirit that I have today.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have had so many mentors and cheerleaders but if I have to choose one, I would have to say Nicholas Giannuzzi, the top food and beverage lawyer in the nation. He has helped build pretty much every big beverage brand and is very well respected within the industry. He’s been one of our greatest supporters and has been an amazing sounding board through an array of situations. He also has instilled a huge amount of confidence in myself and our team.
He has consistently provided advice and an outside perspective that I have found extremely valuable — but more importantly, whenever we are anxious or worried about something (as entrepreneurs usually are), he is there to cheer us on and give us the energy we need to keep moving forward!
He has a saying, “I don’t bet on the horse, I bet on the jockey,” and that he knows he can count on us to go above and beyond to make our dreams succeed because of our obsessive commitment to our mission and our cause.
What is the mission of your company? What problems are you aiming to solve? What is your “why”?
Each year, people spend approximately $200B on bottled water — yet less than 10% of plastic bottles are actually put back into the recycling system. Moreover, plastic’s composition is such that it can only be recycled one to ten times before the molecules are too damaged to be usable, at which point it is transferred to a landfill where it will sit for hundreds of years before decomposing. This highlights a fundamental problem with our market: despite the recent increase in reusable bottles, many people are still gravitating towards the convenience of pre-filled single-use plastic water bottles. At PATH we aimed to create a solution that could tackle sustainability from multiple angles. We’re on a mission to make the future sustainable as the go-to re-fillable aluminum bottled water that helps everyone break the addiction to single-use plastic bottled water.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
One of the most interesting stories that has happened to us was on Earth Day in 2019. We wanted to make a really big splash so we planned a campaign with a picture of a fish inside of a plastic bottle. The campaign didn’t mention PATH anywhere on it.
We captioned it with, “By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean,” per the World Economic Forum and then, “Choose your path.”
We printed 5,000 of these large cardboard cutouts of the image using sustainable materials and the night before Earth Day our entire team stayed up all night and posted these pictures all around the west coast of California from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
We were in the top five of the most viral campaigns on Earth Day; the picture was reposted to over 100 million people on Instagram and Facebook. It was so meaningful to us at PATH as it wasn’t about us, it was about the problem we are trying to tackle.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”
― Sigmund Freud
Let’s now shift to the main part of our interview. Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to help break the cycle of non-renewable consumption? What specific problems related to non-renewable consumption are you aiming to solve?”
PATH is the first company to sell bottled water in a sturdy and refillable aluminum bottle — thus revolutionizing the industry and leading it toward a more sustainable future. We aim to prevent 10 Billion single-use plastic bottles from entering landfills over the next few years. To date, we have prevented over 350 million plastic bottles from entering landfills and oceans.
Can you give a few examples of what you are implementing to help address those issues?
In the wake of the single-use plastic epidemic, we wanted to provide consumers with a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottled water. After a deep dive into the research, there was only one material that paired the sturdiness and weight of plastic — but with a smaller environmental footprint: aluminum. It’s one of the only 100% recyclable materials — it’s also BPA-free, lightweight, and infinitely reusable.
In an effort to be the most sustainable version of ourselves, we moved away from our reusable plastic caps and are now producing our signature aluminum bottles with the first-ever durable and resealable aluminum caps.
These sustainability efforts extend far beyond the composition of the bottle — PATH consistently uses its platform to spread awareness for sustainability and other important issues. We’re dedicated to ensuring that consumers are educated on the realities of the single-use plastic pandemic and how to effectively make a positive change. Partnering with people and organizations that align with the brand’s overall mission allows the scope to cover an infinite array of demographics and reach consumers across all sectors. Being the go-to product on K-12 and university campuses, airports, hotels, and retailers provides a subtle yet influential way for the brand to uplift users in a way that can benefit our planet.
How do you measure the impact of your company’s sustainability initiatives, both in terms of environmental benefits and business growth? Can you share any key metrics or success stories?
- PATH is the first and only company to offer bottled water in a container that is MADE to be refilled for years to come.
- A Life Cycle Analysis Report concluded that PATH bottles are carbon-neutral after just three refills and climate-positive following that.
- The company has sold over 56.6 million bottles to date. Based on a consumer survey, people refill their bottle at least seven times before recycling — based on that data, PATH has saved over 350 million plastic bottles from ending up in landfills and oceans (number of bottles sold x 7 refills x 80% confidence level).
- PATH frequently hosts campaigns to bring awareness to various social issues. Most recently, PATH launched an Autism Awareness bottle in Rite-Aid locations across the country.
- We launched new partnerships eliminating all single-use plastic bottles within organizations worldwide including Barry’s Bootcamp, Equinox, and Accor Hospitality Group in addition to launching nationwide in 65+ airports with the largest travel retailer in the world, HMS Host, partnering with Burger King, and seeing PATH in all Chanel stores nationwide.
- In 2022, PATH was named a SEAL Award winner for the fourth consecutive year and a Real Leaders Impact Award winner for the third year in a row.
- PATH was named a finalist in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards 2023 in the Packaging category!
- In 2023, PATH was named #1,083 out of 5,000 with a 548% 3-Year Growth in Inc.’s Fastest Growing Companies list. And for the regional pacific list PATH came in at #64 out of 185 with 299% 2-Year Growth.
What challenges have you faced while implementing sustainable practices in your company, and how did you overcome them? Can you share a specific example?
We have always been set on having a fully aluminum cap for its bottles. The first iteration of the aluminum cap turned out to be a failure. It was flimsy and ultimately ended up being flimsy and single-use — this was in direct conflict with the fact that the bottles themselves are made to be reused. Further testing proved that although these ROPP caps are commonly used in the industry, they could be dangerous and cut consumers’ fingers or lips during use.
In order to maintain the company’s promise of reusability and to protect consumers from potentially getting hurt, we decided to go with a more durable plastic cap while working to create a product design for a durable, sustainable, and safe aluminum cap. We have since launched a new reusable aluminum cap with rounded edges. Each bottle also features the first-ever, never before-used biodegradable tamper-evident band made of corn to minimize the use of plastic.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Every business today is trying to be more sustainable and environmentally conscious because the consumer is demanding that large corporations change the way they’ve done things for many many years. So corporate social responsibility in general has become more of a requirement and I don’t think businesses will succeed or thrive without that being one of their core values.
This is the signature question we ask in most of our interviews. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started promoting sustainability and climate justice” and why?
1. No product is perfect, every product has a carbon footprint.
2. It’s important to measure and track your progress over time so that you’re continuously improving.
3. There will be a long period of time where many people may not understand your concept but as you grow and with time, people will really start to understand the impact you are able to make.
4. Anyone has the ability to make an impact as long as you are focused on giving back or providing value to people and the planet. The smallest impacts can lead to really significant change so don’t be afraid to start small.
5. Don’t forget to look back at how far you’ve come when you get caught up in only looking forward.
You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
PATH has already inspired the REvolution, a movement that encourages refilling for the health of people and the planet! This is our mission and what we will continue working towards to end single use plastic.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
https://www.instagram.com/shadibakour/
https://www.instagram.com/pathwater/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org
Shadi Bakour Of PATH On How They Are Breaking the Cycle of Non-Renewable Consumption was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.