Aug
Ban the Bottle
It’s not exactly jaw-dropping news that big names in the corporate world are suffering as a result of the current global economic crisis. But the decline in Nestlé’s bottled water sales (a 5% drop in North America and Western Europe) is particularly representative of our changing environmental values. Nestlé, the multi-billion dollar conglomerate, manufactures bottled water under the labels Poland Spring, Perrier, Pellegrino, and Deer Park. As people cut back on spending, luxury goods are usually the first things to go. That is to say, if you can hardly put your kid through college it’s unlikely you’ll be spending $3.50 on a Poland Spring at the movie theater this weekend.
The bottled water phenomenon is unique, however, in that it raises the question: when did water—the most essential element of human survival—become a luxury good? How did the most basic ingredient for health and happiness become a commodity? Water should be a human right because it is something that every person needs to lead a decent life. If that’s the case then,
why are we letting billionaires package our human rights in plastic and then sell them back to us at inflated prices?
Nestlé, among many others in the corporate realm, has the power to turn a necessary good into a luxury good with the use of clever marketing. Some trendy grocery stores are selling water in drop-shaped containers with gold caps and others sell water specifically marketed for children. They even have caffeinated water these days.
I understand that this is a contentious issue and that many people have lost confidence in our municipal water systems to the extent that they have now refused to drink tap water. In some places, these concerns are somewhat merited and should not be discarded as bourgeois paranoia. If the water in New York City was indeed unsafe to drink, then I too would pay five bucks for the bottled stuff in a night club. But actually, bottled water is often less regulated than public water systems, and the plastic used in the bottles has been known to contain harmful chemicals that leach into the water.
Even with a 5% drop in bottled water sales, Nestlé is still leading the way toward corporate control of our most valued resource. While some consumers are wising up to the facts about the safe quality of our municipal water systems and the harmful environmental consequences of bottling water, I don’t think Nestlé is going to loosen its grip on their luxury good marketing scams any time soon. However, it’s encouraging to hear what the Think Outside the Bottle campaign is up to. Communities, religious organizations, and students nationwide are doing their part to promote tap water use for the sake of environmental protection. Also, it makes me happy to see that American mayors are challenging private control of water as well. Government officials from Florida, California, Washington and beyond have collectively decided to decrease the bottled water consumption in their areas in hopes of easing the stress on our wallets and our environment. The green efforts that people are making on big and small scales chip away at my sometimes thick layer of cynicism. So for the moment I’m feeling optimistic that we can turn water into a human right again and save a little money while we’re at it.
As a final note, don’t be naive and drink bottled water…
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great article…good info on the water quality and lack of controls…but I think the MOST important part is illustrated by your posted picture…the huge impact of plastic bottle TRASH in our waste and in our landfills.
I challenge all you moms out there who are packing your school lunches this week to BAN THE BOTTLE!!
Buy your kids a Sigg brand or other reusable bottle and fill it with good old tap water. No sugary juices – no soda – just GOOD OLD FASHIONED TAP WATER IN A REUSABLE (NON PLASTIC) BOTTLE!
As a Licensed Master Plumber, being around potable water systems for years at this point, my tour through a water treatment plant has led me to drinking water through distribution of Polar water, which is now Crystal Springs. The “process” and the possibilities of cross connections, contaminators along with pipe degradations have me drinking water that comes in an inviting blue bottle since 1992. But, the risks are two gambles that I subject myself to. One is what I know and see as a licensed professional and the constant bad situations that chlorine has clearly stopped from getting deadly, and the other is the product that I know nothing about, but always tastes good and never have a consideration of high chlorine levels or leaves hard water scale.
Is there relevant data to draw comparisons to the use of glass bottles and aluminum cans with steel bottoms that were heavily used in the consumption of beverages? I’m totally against the plastic industry but the alternatives do not leave us with many options. This predicament is a bad one, but I don’t know how anyone can stop the train at this point as we were cultured into nursing our plastic bottle of water at outdoor activities and events, exercising, walking, anything. Some of the profits should be demonstrated in recycling their own products, but how will you ever discipline the end user of this product when there is not initiative to recycle? Unless there’s money tied to that equation, not “save the earth” , then it has a chance to be reduced. But the majority of consumption of drinking water through these bottles are treating it as disposable, and reversing that momentum is asking a river to not flow till we figure this out. I commend the concern, I’m 100% with the action, but is the alternative going to follow the majority. Please respond as I would love to see plenty of participation on this topic, as it needs various points of view to gather a consensus of how it should be dealt with.
Steve:
If you aren’t convinced about the quality of our municipal water systems, you might try buying your bottled water by the gallon as a way of using less plastic. Or have you tried using a Brita filter? I find that those take out any kind of metallic taste that tap water might have and a full one carries as much water as 16 plastic bottles. Here is a great website about how you can use your Brita filter to reduce waste and cut costs: http://www.filterforgood.com
This is awesome, I am very passionate about keeping unnecessary plastic off our earth!
Thanks for responding. I’m referencing the water quality in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati area only. I know that in other parts of the United States that the municipal water systems are quite the opposite in nature to what I describe. So good they bottle it and ship it all over to states like mine. :0
What I’ve been doing for years is taking 5 gallon bottles I get delivered every month and fill the smaller bottles that I use along with glass containers and reusable thermos bottles. I hear the best tasting water from the spout is California, constantly winning awards. I eventually pitch those bottles in short time as the leaching issue is known by the triangle stamp on the bottle and what number it associates.
My area is considered a cancer belt. I would blame it on what we drink and breathe primarily. Brain tumors are very common here along with kidney problems. If you saw the concentrations of chlorine coming immediately from the plant, a tub of water, smell is awful
hey, gr8 post. I think plastic bottles are a huge threat. supermarkets have walls of plastic. maybe govt could charge a tax to reduce waste. I think we should have huge collection water tanks in cities where everybody can go with reusable glass bottles for a price. I personally use clean tap water since its quite good in my area filled on glass bottles.
I like the dialog here, I filter (treat) my drinking water with a bodyglove brand filter. Aquasana has a good one too. Tap water has its hazards, no denying this, bottled water has its hazards too. Treating water yourself is cost effective and a better option.