Are “The Facts” given a little Spin?
Online Education has a great new infographic on bottled water. I think it’s good, but I do have a couple of issues with it. There’s no denying that bottled water is a real scourge from an environmental point of view.
Look at the graphic, read my critique, and do let me know what you think!
Bottled water is a billion-dollar industry, and the implication seems to be that it makes vast profits for the manufacturers. I’m sure it does – but I don’t believe we should blame the manufacturers. They may have ‘created’ demand for bottled water, but let’s be honest here, no one is holding a gun to any consumer’s head and saying “drink bottled water, or else……”.
Online Education say that the regulations are stricter for tap water than for bottled water. I agree. Different agencies look after tap and bottled water (in the US, it’s the EPA and FDA respectively) so there are bound to be differences in approach, but it does seem unfair. Regarding the health of bottled water versus tap, there are as many studies for as there are against.
The other issue I have with the infographic is that it says that 40% of bottled water is tap water. Now, that is probably true (I’ve read studies giving different figures) but it seems to me to imply that the manufacturers simply put tap water straight into bottles. In most cases, manufacturers do actually apply some form of filtration to the water first. (The amount of processing, and the additives as well as the things taken out of the water, varies considerably). So while factual, I’m not entirely comfortable with the implication. Personally, I prefer a more accurate rather than a more emotional statement.
I don’t quite get the logic behind saying that a lack of clean drinking water elsewhere in the world implies we shouldn’t drink bottled water. Whether we drink bottled water or not, there will be people in the world who will suffer without clean water. Short of donating money or volunteering, we’re unlikely to change that. Sadly.
But look, even if I don’t agree with some of the arguments used, I do totally agree with the sentiment. Drinking – and paying hugely for – bottled water IF you have good quality water coming from your tap, is one of the worst things an individual can do for the environment.
You see, I worry that someone – who might otherwise be convinced – may read the infographic, disagree with some of the ‘facts’ and disregard the overall message as a result.
But perhaps I’m over-reacting. Perhaps people just skim a message and don’t think too much about it. What do you think?
I’ll follow up on this article with more interesting ideas as well as alternatives if you don’t like the taste of your tap water or are concerned about its ingredients.
Other interesting articles on water filters:
Choose the best water filter for YOU!
Which type of water filter is best?
The best water filter for Las Vegas and for Barcelona
Is your drinking water safe and tasty?
Is chlorine in water good or bad?
Bottled versus tap water – the taste test (video)
Great graph at the start of your post. That really put in perspective the sure volume of bottles of water consumed and all the resources it takes. I found it extremely interesting that it takes more water to produce the bottle than is in it.
I read an article many years ago that said the next world war will be fought over water. When you think of it, oil is a luxury, water is a neccessity. And yet we think very little about our water sources and how safe they are.
I had always assumed that bottle water had similar testing requirements to tap water – this was an eye opener for me.
Some of the stats in this are quite scary to say the least. I have always been an advocate of using tap water wherever possible. I do accept though that when I go on holiday to strange parts that bottled water is almost a necessity. But when 1st world people in 1st world countries still drink bottled water, I have a major issue. The land fill and general disposal issues are major and the sheer cost of production is quite frightening. Somebody somewhere is making a fat fortune out of many millions of extremely gullible people.
That’s amazing how much bottled water costs in terms of dollars and energy used to make the bottles. I always thought that somehow it should be regulated that you need to bring your own reusable (probably glass or stainless steel) containers to get water from a central source. If you don’t, you should be charged such a large fee that it would force you to get the containers to reuse. Great information–thank you!
TKS
There are many alternatives to bottled water. The bottled water facts and the bottled water fiction should be investigated before selecting a brand.
Great piece on bottled water. I agree there needs to be a balance when sourcing your water. It really depends on your geography and the municipality’s quality standards/water source. Being an ocean goer, I know first hand the effects of plastic waste on the ocean in particular.
Thanks for the good info.
Andrew Miner
PHENOMENAL start to a very controversial topic. I do agree that bottled water is a tremendous burden on the environment. I understand that there are many ways one can reduce this problem and I am looking forward to reading the solutions that you will be sharing so I can continue to do my part to leave a better world for future generations.
Stay Extraordinary and Keep Doing Great Things, Neil
There has been a lot of talk about bottled water recently, or so the newspaper puts it. I remember a couple years ago my school was cracking down on people bringing bottled water to school. Well, cracking down seems a little harsh. The teachers were saying that instead of bottled water, you should bring some sort of container that is reusable, and BPA-free. Nothing was ever ultimately said, however, on the pure cost. I always thought tap was $.15/gallon, much less $.0015…
Always keeping me curious and eager to read more.
~Mark Hogan
I actually spoke to a water manager who explained how much more safe, more purified the water is from the tap to the bottled water.
Thank you for this reminder!
Looking forward to the next exciting update
Clare,
This is an excellent and very interesting post. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the 2 camps. It is important for each of us to study the issue here and in other controversial areas of our lives, gather information, and then form our own conclusions.
There is no easy answer but I, too, have often heard that our municipal tap water is as safe, if not safer, than most brands of bottled water.
Dennis
I love this post because I have been torn about bottled water.
It’s has been almost trendy versus necessary to drink it or have it in the home when you have guests.
What do you think of the filtered water systems people keep in the fridge instead?
Thanks
Jen Battaglino
I was a tap water drinker up untill earlier this year. Then I got a Brita. Water tastes better. I know what you mean about the cost of bottled water, though. As an everyday habit, drinking bottled water does not make sense to me.
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