Myths Versus Facts

Bottled Water

Myth:  Bottled water is a luxury item, not a necessity. 
Fact:  Hydration is essential for our bodies to function effectively. Bottled water is one of many hydration options and provides consumers with convenient access to clean, refreshing water that they can carry with them and drink throughout the day, something doctors and nutritionists encourage. People also enjoy the consistent taste they get from their preferred brand of bottled water – and the ease of picking up a chilled bottle when they’re on the go.

Also, in situations of extreme temperatures or natural disasters bottled water is a critical way to stay hydrated, especially as tap water is not always convenient or available. In fact, many communities recommend that people keep bottled water on hand in case of a local emergency. And on a larger scale, immediately following Hurricane Katrina, the beverage industry responded to an urgent FEMA request to provide more than 200,000 cases of bottled water for distribution to hurricane victims. This is just one example of the important role bottled water plays in consumers’ lives.

Myth:  Bottled water is not as safe as tap water.
Fact:  Both bottled water and tap water are strictly regulated by federal law. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposes standards for bottled water that are at least as stringent and protective of public health as standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for public drinking water systems. Many states also regulate the production of bottled water. All bottled water sold in the U.S. must comply with stringent federal requirements for safety, quality and labeling.
 
Myth:  Bottled water competes with municipal water systems.
Fact:  Tap water serves varying purposes in the typical U.S. household, including personal hygiene, clothes and dish washing, cooking, cleaning, irrigation and drinking.
Whether tap or bottled water – there’s room to choose depending on a consumer’s needs and preferences throughout the day.

Furthermore, water is the primary ingredient in many of our beverages. Therefore a strong municipal water system is very important to us. Just like homeowners, we are customers of the municipal water supply and we support its strength and viability. We wouldn’t be able to make our many different beverage products without a strong, viable local water supply.
   
Myth:  Most plastic water bottles end up in the waste stream.
Fact:   The beverage industry’s containers are among the most recycled consumer product packaging in the nation, and are accepted in virtually all curbside and drop-off programs. In fact, bottled water containers account for less than one-third of 1 percent of all waste produced in the U.S. Further, water, like many other food and beverage products, is packaged in PET plastic, which is one of the most recycled plastic resins worldwide.

The beverage industry agrees, however, that more needs to be done to educate consumers about the importance of recycling. That is why the American Beverage Association is a founding member of the National Recycling Partnership along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others. This initiative aims to revive consumers’ interest in recycling by educating them on what, how and why to recycle.

Furthermore, the beverage industry is making continued improvements to reduce its environmental footprint. In fact, we are incorporating more recycled content into our packaging and also making it lighter.

Myth:  The beverage industry uses an inordinate amount of water to make its products.
Fact:  In reality, the beverage industry is a minimal water user. While water is a key ingredient in all of our products, our manufacturing facilities use very little water compared to other industries. In fact, we account for only 3/100ths of one percent of all public water usage, or about a gallon out of every 3,300 gallons withdrawn from ground or surface water sources.

Myth:  Bottled water costs thousands of times more than tap water.
Fact:  Water is not free - even public, government-supported water supplies come at a price to consumers who use these resources. Further, bottled water companies do not simply “bottle” tap or spring water. Rather, they incur significant production and operational costs to bring bottled water to market in a safe, government-approved manner. For example, purified water is created through highly sophisticated purification systems, such as distillation, deionization and reverse osmosis, all of which are designed to remove impurities and enhance the taste and flavor profile. Likewise, a significant investment is made in developing, maintaining and testing spring water sources to ensure the integrity of bottled water.

Myth:  It takes millions of barrels of oil to make bottled water bottles and transporting water is unnecessary given that tap water is so accessible.
Fact:  Energy is used in the production and distribution of all consumer products, including foods and beverages. The beverage industry is committed to reducing its environmental footprint, and we do this by making our packages lighter, using more recycled content in our packages, improving our water use ratio and making all of our operations more energy efficient.

Myth:  Producing bottled water create needless carbon dioxide emissions.
Fact:  It takes energy to bring all consumer products to market. Hydration is critical in order for our bodies to operate effectively and bottled water is one of many hydration options. That being said, the beverage industry is proud to have a longstanding commitment to protecting the environment and will continue to do its part to promote stewardship of water resources throughout the world.