For nearly 40 years, we have focused on making a positive impact on our communities, supporting positive social programs, and empowering our team members to join us in these endeavors. Why do we do it? Well, it’s good for business. It’s also better for all of us.
We’re on a mission to craft products and embrace practices that build a better future for our business, communities, and the planet. Our products are produced with natural colors, flavors, vitamins and antioxidants that support a healthy lifestyle, and packaging that supports a healthier planet. Our giving mirrors that commitment to a healthy planet and healthy people.
National Nonprofit Partnerships
At Talking Rain, we live life in full flavor and believe the world should too. Our company partners with four national non-profits whose work supports healthy communities, personal wellbeing, and greater inclusivity across a full spectrum of life stages and experiences, from pre-teen girls to young adults, and from military veterans to those affected by cancer.
K9s For Warriors
This is the second year Talking Rain has partnered with K9s For Warriors, the nation’s largest provider of trained service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma.
K9s For Warriors is dedicated to saving lives at both ends of the leash – veterans and rescue dogs. Every day, an estimated 20 veterans die by suicide and over 1,000 dogs are euthanized. Through its innovative programming, K9s For Warriors allows veterans to regain their independence, facilitate healing and recovery, and build an unwavering bond with their service dogs that enables them to live a life they previously didn’t think was possible.
This year we are sponsoring the training of a very special service dog named Rocky, who will be paired with a veteran this fall. Sparkling Ice is also sponsoring Rocky’s ‘presidential’ social media campaign to raise awareness about the lifesaving impact of service dogs on U.S. veterans with invisible wounds of war.
Rocky, once a stray dog at risk of being put down, was rescued by K9s For Warriors and is in training for a higher purpose. His “presidential campaign” is running from July through October 2024, after which he will” take office” with his Veteran. Rocky’s resilience and strength make him a perfect spokesdog for this lighthearted campaign.
Rocky stands at a podium announcing his campaign for president. On a table to the left are three bottles of Sparkling Ice, the brand sponsoring his campaign. (Photo courtesy of K9s For Warriors).
Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run empowers girls through interactive lessons and physical activities, fostering confidence and essential life skills. The coaches and curriculum create a sense of belonging for all participants and meet the vital needs of girls today. At the national level, we have partnered with Girls on the Run to provide multiple opportunities for employees to connect with the mission of the organization. This includes engaging with their local GOTR councils, coaching or mentoring girls, participating in a physical challenge for a good cause, or handing out Sparkling Ice at their over 300 5K events a year. Talking Rain is also donating its signature Sparkling Ice beverages to Girls on the Run councils across the country, and bringing brand awareness to the organization via social media to amplify our partnership.
Veronica Blankenship, Talking Rain Chief People and Communications Officer (back row), stands with Snoqualmie Elementary school team, sponsored by Sparkling Ice, at the Girls on the Run Puget Sound 5K on May 19, 2024 in Renton, WA. (Photo: David Jaewon Oh/GOTRI).
Girls in pink t-shirts hold their free bottles of Sparkling Ice after the Girls on the Run Puget Sound 5K event on May 19, 2024, in Renton, WA. (Photo: David Jaewon Oh/GOTRI).
The JED Foundation
The Jed Foundation (JED) works to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for America’s teens and young adults, equipping them with the skills and support they need to grow into healthy, thriving adults.
With the support of Talking Rain, JED will develop a student-athlete mental health workshop and a series of trainings for college athletes, their coaches and athletic directors to help them identify athletes in distress and understand how best to help. These workshops will be piloted on JED Campuses in Washington state in fall 2024.
In addition, Talking Rain will provide its signature refreshment, Sparkling Ice, for the Neon Nights initiative, an event series through JED that encourages participants to “glow for mental health.” These student-led events raise awareness and essential funds to support JED, equipping more young people to help themselves, support one another, and overcome mental health challenges.
CEOs Against Cancer
CEOs Against Cancer is a partnership between the American Cancer Society and leading executives, working together to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. It is a network of top executives whose members are invited to create a culture of health in their own workplaces, helping employees stay healthy and reduce their risk of cancer.
Talking Rain’s CEO Ken Sylvia is a member of CEOs Against Cancer Pacific Northwest Chapter. Talking Rain is a proud supporter of the American Cancer Society through sponsorship and employee engagement.
Building a Better Future
We’re proud of the best-in-class beverages we bring to our customers, but we’re also mindful of our impact on the planet. To mitigate our carbon footprint, we’ve teamed up with Terrapass to support sustainable and renewable energy projects across the country.
We offset Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from our operations through the purchase of verified carbon credits and renewable energy certificates.
To date, we have offset 73,989 metric tons of C02e in our partnership with Terrapass.
Total Environmental Impact Supported by Talking Rain is Equivalent to Any One of the Following*:
17,610
Gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year
1.2m
Tree seedlings grown for 10 years
9,649
Homes’ energy use for one year
*Volume is based on Terrapass verified carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates purchases made through June 2024. Equivalencies source: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
Driving Carbon Reduction in our Operations
We actively work to reduce our carbon footprint by driving sustainability initiatives in our operations.
In recent years, we have executed on packaging reduction initiatives to lightweight our bottles and remove trays from our Sparkling Ice variety packs. We are also implementing recycled plastic (rPET) into the bottles produced at our company operated production facility in Preston, WA in 2024.
We have also improved the efficiency of our supply chain to reduce the miles on the road required to get products to our customers. In 2023, we reduced 25,380 metric tons of C02e from transportation in our supply chain (compared to 2022) due to these efforts. This is equivalent to the CO2e reduction from 1,259 garbage trucks of waste being recycled instead of landfilled*.
Industry Recognition
Our efforts to reduce and avoid CO2e emissions earned Talking Rain recognition as a Gigaguru for 2023 as part of Walmart’s Project Gigaton. This is a significant achievement as only 18% of Walmart’s suppliers achieved this recognition in 2023.
Please find more information on Project Gigaton and this achievement here.
