"Close, but no cigar" – Another attempt to make bottled water appear safer than it really is
A 100% biodegradable water bottle? Brilliant. But marketing that as the cure for all bottled water woes? Misleading. AQUAMANTRA recently came out with such a bottle in honor of Earth Day, claiming that with this new biodegradable bottle, “everyone can feel good about drinking bottled water again.” Not so fast! While it is a step in the right direction, it only deals with one of the many problems that revolve around bottled water. The bottled water issue involves far more than just recycling, or the lack thereof. It‚ primarily an issue about consumer safety and about how its producers charge exorbitant amounts for something that you could just as easily get by turning on your tap, at a small fraction of the price.
AQUAMANTRA argues that their water is safer now, since these new bottles presumably do not leach plastic. What about the water itself, regardless of the bottle? Considering that bottled water is subject to far less stringent testing standards than tap, with less than one full-time FDA employee dedicated to bottled water oversight, it is clear that any claims of bottled water being safer than tap are currently unfounded.
The company also fails to go into the costs of producing these biodegradable bottles. They argue that they are working to reduce their carbon footprint, but the entire production process could very well undo a lot of the good work they are aiming to accomplish. Currently the production of plastic bottles in the US requires the equivalent of 17.6 million barrels of oil, not including the oil needed for transporting the bottles throughout the country. AQUAMANTRA has yet to address that issue.
While the initiative that this company has taken with regards to creating a biodegradable bottle is definitely a good thing , they, or anyone else for that matter, have a long way to go before they can declare that bottled water is either safe or environmentally friendly. To claim otherwise would put this bottle of theirs onto the ever-growing list of “greenwashing” attempts by the corporate world.
Dear Sofia,
While we appreciate your looking out for the public, as we are not a big corporate entity but a small private company working towards a brighter future. Our mission is to raise consciousness in humanity, give to children’s charities and provide safe clean water. You mention that “It‚Äôs primarily an issue about consumer safety and about how its producers charge exorbitant amounts for something that you could just as easily get by turning on your tap ‚Äì” We are here to tell you, the reason that the prices are exhorbitant is because of the cost to bring water to the stores. If you can figure out a business model to get great water to people without the convenience of supermarkets and organic markets, we’re all ears. What people don’t realize is the amount of effort it takes for any of those markets to stock and keep “good” products on the shelf. AQUAMANTRA happens to be AWARD winning water, because it tastes AWESOME. As for the comment that “any claims of bottled water being safer than tap are currently unfounded.”- We suggest you dig a little deeper into how OUR bottle water is made, when you lump us into the MASS Volume production of Bottled water. AQUAMANTRA has strict guidelines. Our source Spring Water comes from Palomar Mountain Spring, near San Diego, California. Stainless steel tankers transport the water between the mountain and the production facility. The Natural Spring Water is transferred from the tanker through FDA and NSF approved channels, filtered through a one micron absolute filter to remove any single celled protozoan type microorganism, passed through a high intensity Ultra Violet light to destroy any bacteria,and then stored in stainless steel holding tanks. Prior to bottling the water is again treated with high intensity Ultra Violet light, filtered through a one micron absolute filter, Ozonated to sanitize the water, and filtered again with a 0.2 micron absolute filter.
This bottled water is both IBWA and NSF inspected, then tested daily, weekly and annually showing no evidence of arsenic, bacteria, lead or chemicals. Consistent out source testing of AQUAMANTRA also shows no leaching from their PET Level 1 food grade plastic bottles.
We are NOT Tap Water and in an industry that is moving towards making a difference, we applaud you for your kind comments and encourage you to investigate deeper when making ‘blanket’ statements about AQUAMANTRA or ENSO Bottles. The owner of ENSO would be happy to have a conversation with you about how much oil it takes to make their bottles.
Don’t we live in a land where we can make a difference? We started our company to raise consciousness, not knowing that the crisis of people not-recycling had hit it’s peeking point. We’ve been searching for the best alternative for over a year so that consumers don’t have even recycle, they can! But they don’t have to. And ENSO and AQUAMANTRA are working towards an even better cradle to cradle solution in the future that doesn’t require oil. We need time to create that. What would it look like if you could be part of the solution instead of ignoring the bravery we are showing by being the first to change the system. Aren’t we a system of all ONE people, ONE harmony working together? We too are trying to make a living and bring good healthy water to people who Choose to drink it. Isn’t that what America is about? I honor you for your opinion, and hope that in the future you can examine all the facts to adequately honor/dishonor the company in question. Thank you for being you, with love and gratitude.