Water: I'll take it, but don't wrap it up

The International Bottled Water Association recently reported a decline in the volume of bottled water sold in the United States for the second consecutive year. After a 2.7 percent decrease in 2009, the industry is looking for new ways to attract consumers to their products. Here are two egregious examples of their targeted marketing efforts:

We need to stop thinking of our water as a product and return to our old behavior of being comfortable consuming water without wrapping a plastic bottle around it.

A new brand called Nourish has officially introduced its full line of “mom-made” products—bottled water specifically designed for babies and toddlers. The plastic bottles come with a “trusty, spill-proof Sippy top,” that prevents kids from spilling the water. The company’s Facebook page actually shows a video of a dad getting splashed in the face by his baby’s standard bottle of water (see videos on left-hand side). Rather than refilling a reusable Sippy cup from the sink that’s right in front of him, the mom pulls out a bottle of Nourish from the fridge.

Nestlé also has a new ad campaign for its Pure Life line of bottled water, which comes from tap water supplies. Nestlé’s commercial targets Latinos by using Cristina Saralegui – often referred to as “the Spanish Oprah” – to hock bottled water. Latino children are the demographic considered to run the highest risk of diabetes, so the campaign is designed to highlight a healthy alternative to sugary drinks: a water bottle of pure quality.

Nourish and Nestlé are urging parents to choose bottled water over beverages like soda and juice. It seems like a good thing until you stop to think about what their product really is: something that we can normally get ourselves from the tap without all the plastic packaging and advertising. Water is a lower calorie choice than juice or soda, but bottled water is not the only alternative, despite what these ads try to make you think.

It’s not unreasonable to compare this situation to the selling of those “ready-to-eat sliced apples” that you find at McDonald’s. Sure, that plastic bag of apple slices with low fat caramel dipping sauce is a more healthful option than a hot fudge sundae (let’s ignore the caramel for now). But why not just buy an actual apple? Why is it necessary to add the calcium ascorbate and plastic baggie to a fruit that is naturally ready-to-eat? We need to ask the same question about water.

Buying things wrapped in plastic single-serve containers seems to emotionally ensure that the things we buy are our own. We have come to require some comforting process or material unwrapping ceremony to prove to ourselves that our personal items are uncontaminated and untouched by others. This makes us feel safe, but it’s often not necessary- especially with water.

Water is a life-sustaining, naturally occurring substance that is vital to human life. In its natural state, it is not found packaged in a plastic container. So why do we allow the beverage industry to make us view water as a product? Is it because of the packaging?

We need to stop thinking of our water as a product and return to our old behavior of being comfortable consuming water without wrapping a plastic bottle around it.

Take the pledge to Take Back the Tap today!  And enjoy the convenience of simply turning on the tap to get your drinking water.

-Rich Bindell