The Truth About Jaden Smith's Water Company
While Jaden has had some success with both his acting and his music, neither career has catapulted him to the same level as the once-ubiquitous Will Smith, star of seemingly every movie from the mid-'90s through the '00s. There is one niche which Jaden has definitely carved out as his own particular territory, though — that of eco warrior-turned-teen tycoon.
When Jaden "was, like, 12 years old," according to an interview with Fast Company, he became upset at seeing plastic water bottles littering the beach, and decided that he could create a better bottle. Well, what do you know, when both of your parents are movie stars who are willing to lend their financial backing, dreams really can come true! In fact, four years after its 2015 launch, Just Water was valued at a cool $100 million — which is $40 mil more than the domestic box office gross of Will and Jaden's mega-bomb After Earth.
What is Just Water?
Just Water was "born out of a child's love for the ocean" — as proud papa Will Smith told the Associated Press (via the Chicago Tribune). It sells water that is packaged not in a bottle but a carton made with mostly renewable materials including paper and sugarcane-derived "plastic." The breakdown of materials is: 54% paper, 28% plant-based plastic, 15% protective plastic film, and 3% aluminum, and the A&T Register says that the entire package is recyclable (which would actually be the case with a water bottle, as well).
In addition to plain old water-flavored water, Just Water also offers an infused line with lemon, cherry, mint, and blackberry flavors. However, the drinks are no longer organic due to supply chain issues, according to the FAQ section on the company's website. The water for what the company calls their Still and Infused lines comes from Glens Falls, New York, where the watershed is fed by the Adirondack Mountains. According to their website, local use of the water accounts for half of the year's supply.
If you like your water carbonated, Just Water also has Just Bubbles, which comes in plain, lemon, lime, or watermelon flavors. Unlike their Still collection, Just Bubbles is bottled in a recyclable, resealable container to hopefully keep your bubbles fresh. It comes from mountain spring water in the Big Snowy Mountains in Montana.
Just Water gives back
Giving back to communities isn't something Jaden Smith's company does just where his company sources its water. According to Fast Company, Just Water became what's known as a certified B Corp company. B Corp companies are not only environmentally friendly, but also act with a social conscience. The B Lab, which certifies companies, measures everything from where a company sources its materials to what benefits they offer employees, going so far as to hold even shareholders accountable for the company's rating. Certified B Corp companies are thought to be the perfect blend of accountability, transparency, philanthropy, and sustainability.
According to Fast Company, Just Water gives back on a large scale. The company has provided members of the Flint, Michigan community with water filtration systems that can provide up to 10 gallons of clean water. But as Essence Magazine explains, Just Water didn't just supply the city — whose contaminated water has been an issue since at least 2014 — with filters; they designed the systems, too.
Just Water also partnered with AllBirds, a shoe company, to design an environmentally sustainable sneaker whose proceeds would benefit an emergency Amazon First Fund. The fund was created in 2019 in response to the wildfires spreading through the rainforests in Brazil, Deadline reports. With an initial commitment of $5 million, the fund's goal was to help indigenous communities and work on preventing more fire devastation.
What the future may hold for Jaden Smith and Just Water
Jaden Smith has taken an active role in promoting his company and his vision of reducing plastic use and carbon emissions worldwide, even going so far as to visit schools to educate children about environmental issues. And there's no telling how active a role he plans to play in the future. USA Today notes Smith has gone beyond Just Water's philanthropy and even opened his own food truck that provides free vegan food for the homeless as a birthday present to himself in 2019.
The company also continues to thrive. According to Fast Company, Just Water had planned to expand exponentially and while the water had been available in many countries, like the United Kingdom, Just Water has scaled back to focusing on U.S. distribution, per their FAQ section. Right now, Just Water is available in grocery stores and convenient stores across the United States. Just Water's website even has a store locator to show you what stores near you carry their products.
Jaden, though, has spoken of his long-term plan to essentially "disappear" from public view and just pop up from time to time with random guerrilla art installations, so how that fits in with his corporate role, who can say? But then, that's just Jaden. Whether he's the visionary genius savior of the environment he seems to think he is, or just another wealthy Hollywood eccentric, the one thing he'll never be is predictably dull.