A review by Choice that deems bottled water a waste of money is based on a faulty premise: that the product competes with tap water, according to the bottled water industry.
The Australasian Bottled Water Institute, representing the nation’s water bottlers, today rejected the claim by Choice that bottled water is expensive and lacks any environmental credentials.
“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,” said the institute’s CEO, Geoff Parker.
He said people willingly pay for the convenience of a zero kilojoule hydration option when they’re out and about.
The Choice review calculated that Australians are paying 2000 times more than the cost of tap water to drink from a bottle.
“If you drink two litres of water a day straight from the tap, you’ll pay $1.50 a year. Drink the same amount from single-serve bottles and you’ll be $2,800 out of pocket,” it wrote.
It also said that not only is bottled water hard on the pocket, there are the environmental effects. "Less than half of these PET plastic bottles are actually recycled, while the remaining 60 per cent go straight to the landfill. Clean Up Australia cited plastic water bottles in the 10 most common rubbish items picked up on Clean Up Australia day."
According to Parker, however, bottled water had the best environmental 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,” he said.
“Not surprisingly the anti-industry campaigners aren’t suggesting people ditch their morning coffee because to do so would be laughed at. Interestingly a cup of take-away coffee takes approximately 200 litres of water to produce.”
Parker told Food & Drink Business that as a nation that's ranked fourth in the OECD for obesity, Australians should all be drinking more water.
“As an industry peak body, we encourage people to drink more water from whatever source, be that from a bottle, a bubbler, or a tap,” he said.
Parker also said that bottled water had to meet far higher quality and safety standards than tap water, and that it was a key part of any disaster management plan.
“This can only happen when the industry can operate in an open market free from attack and misguided criticism,” he said.
The Australasian Bottled Water Institute says bottled water does not compete with tap water.
