Description
Viva con Agua is a Hamburg charity for drinking water and sanitation that also has its own mineral water brand, sold in German supermarkets, whose licence fees and profits fund its projects.
The association Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli e.V. was founded in 2006. The mineral water belongs to Viva con Agua Wasser GmbH, which licenses the brand to bottlers such as Husumer Mineralbrunnen in the north and Fürstlich Bissinger Auerquelle in the south. Its profits go to its shareholders: in 2024 it paid out €1.1 million for 2023, 20 % to the association, 40 % to the Viva con Agua foundation and 40 % to a third partner. A licence fee per bottle sold also goes to the foundation. The GmbH counted 38.6 million fillings in 2023.
In 2024 the association passed more than €2 million to water, sanitation and hygiene projects, mainly in East Africa and Asia, and installed or repaired more than 40 water systems. About 29 % of its spending went to administration and communication. More than 4,800 people support it with a monthly donation, and volunteers collect cups and run stands at concerts and festivals.
Strengths
- Buying the water moves money from a bottler’s margin to a charity, through licence fees and paid-out profits.
- The association publishes yearly reports, its share in each company and its spending split.
- The water is bottled at springs in northern and southern Germany, not imported.
Weaknesses
- Bottled water is still far worse for the climate than tap water, and Jan Böhmermann made fun of the brand for this.
- How much each bottle brings in is not published, only the yearly totals.
- About 29 % of the association’s spending in 2024 went to administration and public relations.
Who it is for
People in Germany who buy bottled water anyway, at work, on the road or at events, and want the margin to go to water projects.