The bottled water scam
I’ve always been suspicious of the bottled water industry, that it had to be an ingenious marketing ploy tapping into our fear of faucets. How do you know what you’re getting in the bottle? Not to mention the environmental scars, the pricing, the chemicals. Well, a new documentary blows the lid on bottled water, although it appears some people have started to catch on anyway.
The documentary, Tapped, is from the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car?. Tapped is screening this week in Los Angeles. The film’s website tells you how to order DVDs, has suggestions for switching from bottled water and for letting people like Jennifer Anniston and Tom Brady know they should stop shilling the stuff.
The movie’s trailer is powerful (watch it below), but here’s a good synopsis about why you should see the film:
Not only is (bottled water) a clear waste of resources (only 20 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States are recycled…) it’s an incredible waste of money for consumers, who pay more than the price of gasoline for water that’s marketed as “pure,” but in reality is largely unregulated, full of harmful toxins like BPA, and far less safe for drinking than free tap water. (In fact, 40 percent of the time, bottled water is nothing but municipal tap water, freed from the government oversight that keeps it safe.)
A backlash against bottled water seems to building, from an environmental standpoint and an economic one. Last month, a community in Australia banned it altogether, which will save $2.5 million a year.
Today, Nestle reported a drop in profits, mainly due to weakness in water sales. From the Wall Street Journal:
Analysts say the drop is owed partly to growing environmental and health concerns about bottled water — and partly to the global recession, as cash-strapped consumers trade down to tap water…
…last month, in a separate earnings call, Pepsi Bottling Group reported a similar shift.
“One of the first things that a shopper can decide to do is consume tap water as opposed to purchasing bottled water,” said Robert King, president of the company’s North American division, “and I think we are seeing just a pretty dramatic change in the growth trajectory of that category.”
Of course, in many communities, unfiltered tap water isn’t the answer either. I use a pitcher filter at home, and here at Marketplace, we’ve switched to bottleless water coolers. They tap right into your water line. Examples here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
- Aug 12, 2009 9:56 AM — Scott Jagow
- 13 comments
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Comments (13)
August 12, 2009 10:29 AM PT
Tap water at my house tastes great, so I bring a big stainless steel jug of it to work everyday - we have old nasty pipes here, so the water tastes terrible! I try not to use bottled water, but for convenience I do (carry one in my purse, etc.). But I recyle every plastic bottle - they NEVER go in the trash!
August 12, 2009 2:27 PM PT
You’re lucky. A lot of places have tap water that’s not very good.
When you think about it, people buying things like bottled water and in-home air cleaners are trying to personally take on the cost of reducing pollution because we’ve failed as a society to do it.
August 12, 2009 12:02 PM PT
This is my favorite episode of Penn and Teller’s show ever: Bottled Water
August 12, 2009 12:04 PM PT
That’s great stuff. Thanks for the add!
August 12, 2009 1:19 PM PT
For what it’s worth here’s what I do:
I go to Safeway and buy the 43 cents refillable gallon water bottles. Then I pour them into a 2 Gallon dispenser in my refrigerator as it empties. Then I take emptied Gold Peak Ice Tea bottles and fill them as I need. So aside from the occasional gallon container that I recycle, I’m not creating any extra waste.
I mean, sure, if I need something to drink while walking around away from home I’ll buy a bottled water. But I’m not buying 24-pack cases of the stuff.
I only trust the tap water in my house only so far, washing and cooking mostly.
August 12, 2009 1:21 PM PT
I really don’t understand the bottled water backlash. Yes I consider it a bit indulgent. But everything you say about it you can say about soda. Is it more environmentally acceptable and healthier to drink Diet Coke? Once you get rid of bottled water, you’re going to have to demonize all the juices and sodas next.
Is it Brita or Pur that has the tag line under a plastic bottle saying it lasts a lifetime in our landfills? Are those filters biodegradable or compostible?
This is a recycling problem.
August 13, 2009 6:46 AM PT
Carl, this isn’t just a recycling problem. Yes, that’s part of it. But water is a FREE natural resource. Coke is not. You’re paying for something you should be getting for free because you’ve been convinced that bottled water is better. In many cases, it’s just tap water that’s been filtered. You can do that on your own, for very little cost and without the bottles.
August 12, 2009 1:24 PM PT
Some dogs I know refuse to drink tap water, too, and travel well with bottled water. But basically, I think the real cause for bottled water is mostly convenience, since these days time equals money. Keep up your great work.
August 12, 2009 2:24 PM PT
I agree. I don’t buy bottled water in convenience-sized bottles that often but when I do it’s usually because I’m out somewhere and I’m thirsty and I don’t want to drink soda pop or bottled drinks. I just want some water.
August 12, 2009 2:20 PM PT
I agree with a lot of the accusations in the trailer, but bottled water makes much better coffee and tea than chlorinated tap water.
Also, unplalatable algeas are beginning to be a problem in many tap water systems around my state. These algeas produce really bad-tasting compounds that make the water taste like dirt and they’re really hard to get rid of.
August 13, 2009 5:11 AM PT
I trust what is coming out of a bottle much more then the tap. I know that both are tested, but I suspect a bottled water company has more to lose from bad press.
For example, since around 2003 DC has had very high lead levels in it’s drinking water. The water oversight reported that the water was safe, but when tested by a private company it was found to be toxic. To this day, nothing has been done to correct the issue.
http://tinyurl.com/qxvotf
August 14, 2009 12:53 AM PT
I think the movie is right on! I stopped buying bottled water years ago. The cooler water is next.
August 15, 2009 6:12 AM PT
Great article! I switched from bottled water a couple of years ago when I saw Project Earth H2o on the news. They have been at the forefront of this very message for a few years. They provide awesome stainless steel bottles w/ Free S&H, + free sports cap for $17.99 total. $2.00 of every bottle is dontated to non-profits with parallel causes and breast cancer research. Check them out at here Link