Bottled water: the environmentally friendly option?

Don’t compared bottled water with tap water, the Australasian Bottled Water Institute has urged consumers. The institute, which represents Australian water bottlers, has rejected recent media reports that bottled water is expensive and environmentally questionable.

“Claims being made that bottled water is too expensive and not environmentally friendly are lacking context and some common sense,” said the institute’s CEO, Geoff Parker.

“Any comparison of bottled water to tap water is absurd. Bottled water doesn’t compete with tap water and has never claimed to. Bottled water competes with every other beverage it shares shelf space with, whether that be in a vending machine, supermarket aisle or shop fridge.

“Environmentally, bottled water has the best credentials of any commercial beverage. Australian bottlers lead the way in water efficiency, using just 1.3 litres to make one litre of bottled water, and in comparison to other popular beverages such as coffee, beer or wine, bottled water is by far the most eco-friendly option.”

A cup of takeaway coffee requires approximately 200 litres of water to produce, Parker said, but anti-industry campaigners aren’t suggesting consumers stop drinking coffee.

Bottled water containers are 100% recyclable, Parker said, and bottled water is also a key part of disaster management plans that help communities recover.

“This can only happen when the industry can operate in an open market free from attack and misguided criticism,” Parker said.