“Bottled Water is Bollocks”
Tags: Britain, Cars, Climate Change, Lifestyle, Lighting, Oil, Plastic, Transport
It seems to have become a favourite with companies recently; to announce their products as sufficiently eco-friendly for today's green-concious public, yet with no actual basis for the claim. The term 'greenwashing', coined in the early '90s, applies to businesses who spend more money and/or time advertising their green credentials instead of actively working to develop environmentally sound practices. It is a term that could be applied to many, including bottled water manufacturers. When thought through rationally, it is of course absurd to purchase bottled 'mineral water' and the manufacturers know this, but they also know that people continue to buy it. However, this industry has not had good press recently and so the solution? Greenwashing. The manufacturer's claim is that less plastic is now used in making each bottle, which nevertheless results in a smaller bottle, thus less water in each, more bottles needed and more plastic used. Not really a perfect resolution. The sensible answer? Stop buying bottled water.
It costs 10,000 times more to create bottled water than it does to get it out of the tap and the plastic it comes in takes about 1,000 years to biodegrade. There is also the transportation issue. According to a report from the Earth Policy Institute, tap water is delivered through an "energy-efficient infrastructure" whereas bottled water is frequently shipped around the world, burning large amounts of fossil fuels in the process. Furthermore, in 2004 it took 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic needed for the demand of bottled water in America - enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year. It is no wonder then that Phil Woolas, the environment minister, remarked that the amount of money spent on mineral water "borders on being morally unacceptable". Tim Lang, the Government's national resources commissioner added that "we have to make people think that it's unfashionable just as we have with smoking." Mr. Woolas who remarked that it was daft that six million litres of bottled water were drunk every day in Britain when safe tap water was universally and cheaply available, is supporting Thames Water, along with Friends of the Earth this week, to launch a new campaign to persuade hotels, restaurants and pubs to make tap water more readily available, highlighting the effect that bottled water has on the environment.
The Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson called for taxes to be introduced on bottled water to raise the price in an attempt to dissuade people from buying it. It seems however that a rise in a few pence will not be enough. People are used to bottled water being marketed as a 'lifestyle product'; something that's easy to drink on-the-go and much healthier than a fizzy alternative. And it is this attitude that has to change. Buying a bottle of water is really no different to buying a reusable bottle and filling it with tap water, except this way you know it hasn't been shipped around the world and can feel justifiably smug about your small contribution to the fight against climate change. The campaign has even been endorsed by celebrities, with none other than Bob Geldof remarking that "Bottled water is bollocks. It is the great irony of the 21st century that the most basic things in the supermarket, such as water and bread, are among the most expensive. Getting water from the other side of the world and transporting it to sell here is ridiculous. It is all to do with lifestyle."
This is a lifestyle that has got to change. What's to justify people with perfectly clean tap water buying it in bottles, when there are enough countries without either privilege? It seems absolutely clear where our priorities should lie.
