They Sold Bottled British Air for £80: When Even Air Became a Commodity
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Back in 2016, one British company was selling bottled air. Yes, actual air.
Aethaer, founded by British entrepreneur Leo De Watts, collected air from rural parts of Britain and sold it in glass bottles to customers in China.
Leo De Watts was behind Aethaer, the British company that decided to put countryside air into bottles and sell it in China.
The air was sourced from regions such as Dorset, Somerset, and Wales. The air was taken from areas in the countryside far from urban settlements where air pollution was associated. The collected air was stored in glass bottles before being packed for shipping abroad.
However, the cost was far from cheap. In some cases, the bottles were priced at £80 each.
Given the toxic smog choking cities like Beijing, selling bottled British countryside air wasn't a stretch, it was simple supply and demand.
Essentially, Aethaer was selling nothing but clean and unpolluted air from the British countryside in bottles that were sent to various places.
The idea made sense in the context of what was happening in China at the time. Air pollution was a serious problem in cities such as Beijing, so the idea of buying air from the British countryside probably seemed a lot less ridiculous than it does now.
Evidently, Aethaer was selling nothing but the image of clean, fresh air.
The company called its process “air farming.” They collected the air from places away from traffic and other industrial activities, then bottled it up.
Aethaer has introduced high-end gift packaging with the aim of increasing profits. They took the opportunity of holiday shopping and put together a Lunar New Year set including 15 jars worth £888.
The business relied on the idea of novelty: people view £80 jars as either luxury status symbols or as expensive surprises.
It’s ridiculous to ask for £80 for air, and that’s the whole point.
Air, one of the simplest yet one of the most vital elements of our life, is treated like a luxury product; it is bottled and branded and sold to the customers.
This is a way to demonstrate that consumerism can take something that is available for free and turn it into a product.
Sources:
ITV News
Sky News - Video Family Business Sells Bottled Air To ChinaVideo