Bottled Water Industry’s Loss=Gains for Planet Earth?

New Food & Water Watch Analysis Estimates Projected Environmental Benefits of Decreased Bottled Water Sales

Washington, D.C.— The escalating consumer backlash against bottled water in the U.S. may be helping to conserve oil and water resources, while reducing the volume of plastics in landfills, finds new analysis released today by the national consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch. Industry Sales Bad News for Bottled Water, Good News for the Planet finds that if bottled water production dropped commensurate with sales, 2009’s 2.5 percent decline in the volume of bottled water sold  translates to a savings of 64.6 million gallons of water and 1.4 million barrels of oil.

“As bottled water sales decline, it stands to reason that so too would the industry’s destruction of precious natural resources,” said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. “These numbers reflect a growing awareness among consumers that bottled water is a wasteful, mostly frivolous product whose eventual obsolescence will greatly benefit planet earth.”

Based on the known environmental impacts of bottled water production, decline in bottled water sales translates to 23,000 tons of plastic saved, and 17,000 fewer plastic bottles in landfills. These savings are the equivalent of the amount of energy needed to drive 47,000 cars for a year and the amount of water needed to wash 65 million loads of laundry.

Industry Sales Bad News for Bottled Water, Good News for the Planet is available here.

Contact: Kate Fried, Food & Water Watch: (202) 683-2500, kfried(at)fwwatch(dot)org.