Loonen and the rise of consumer safety as status symbol

Clara Sieg found inspiration in birds. A venture capitalist with a history of backing consumer-facing brands, Sieg had been increasingly concerned with the consequences of drinking polluted water. So last year she founded a “perfectly pure” bottled water brand—one that draws water from a spring; purifies it to filter out microplastics, forever chemicals, lead, pesticides, and other contaminants; and sells it in slim glass bottles that are entirely polymer-free but for the thin lining inside…