Research Paper Final Draft

Research Paper Final Draft: Bottled Water

The last time you went on a family outing, hiking trip, bike ride; did you bring water, and if so did you bring water from the tap or did you purchase bottled water? Regardless of the source the actual water quality is probably the same. Although bottled water is convenient and marketed as being healthier, the disposable plastic bottles are having a negative effect on the environment, as they harm ecosystems, clog landfills, and consume hydrocarbons in the manufacturing process.
Fifty years ago, bottled water was non existent. People actually went to the effort of filling a glass or bottle from the tap. They didn’t have to spend money on a resource that was basically free. A person still has to pay a utility bill, but in states like Alaska, one pays a flat rate per month for water. Before the 1900s, bottled water was only purchased and drank by the elite of society, especially in Europe. Nowadays it seems like the rest of the world has caught on. After businesses developed enough technology (cheap plastic bottles) to make a profit off bottled water, companies jumped on the chance to sell a cheap product for 1000 times its worth. According to the American Beverage Association (2007), by the 1980’s various companies in total were producing upwards of 500,000 bottles a year. Today companies are producing upwards of a billion bottles a year. This phenomenon seemed to gain momentum during the health craze of the 1990s when people were encouraged to understand the effects of the foods they were ingesting. Health conscious consumers saw water as a healthy substitute to soft drinks and alcohol. The way people were able to increase their water intake, was not by filling up their water bottles or canteens, but to instead purchase pre packaged bottled water from supermarkets and bulk food stores (Wal-Mart, COSTCO etc).
According to a survey by the World Wildlife Fund, a conservation watchdog group (1999), commissioned researchers to look at the bottled water craze, and they showed that the world’s bottled water consumption was increasing seven percent each year(p.4). This number has surely risen since 1999, as the bottled water market has increased tremendously in the last 8 years, and the trend is projected to continue. With this newly popular product came a new industry for the taking. The money to be made was too good to pass up, so drink super-powers Coca-Cola and Pepsi jumped right in. These two super giants are currently battling it out in India. Charles Fishman, a writer for Fast Company Magazine (2007) pointed out that last year, we spent more on Poland Spring, Fiji Water, Evian, Aquafina, and Dasani than we spent on iPods or movie tickets( p. 117). The money to be made in this new industry is in the billions, and many large corporations are looking into getting into the industry because of the high profit margins. Even in places like Quebec, Canada, where quality water is not a factor, it is becoming a large issue. Delia Montero (2004) documented in the journal of international Canadian studies that even when the government of Quebec decided not to privatize water-related activities, private companies decided to compete and became deeply involved in infrastructure, treatment, and bottled water activities (p. 93-115). Society has accepted paying more for a bottle of water then are for gasoline, and yet people continue to complain about the price of gas.
The bottled water phenomenon is spreading across the globe. According to an article by Alys Edwards from the Swansea Institute of Higher Education (2007) “the demand for fresh water will exceed availability by 56 percent by the year 2025.” This is an alarming statistic, because water is a guaranteed human right, and should not be a commodity for sale. Some economists describe bottled water as “Blue Gold” because it could become a trillion dollar industry if the demand increases as projected.
The United Nations has come out in full force to state that the access to water is a fundamental human right. UNESCO, an organization within the U.N. that looks into human rights issues around the world, reaffirmed this and designated 2003 the international year of water. This movement toward people paying serious money for water is alarming to the U.N., because for struggling economic countries, they might not be able to secure water of any kind due to the high price. That is why UNESCO along with other watchdog agencies are looking into ways to make sure that it never comes to countries not being able to secure water for its people. Otherwise, water could become the new oil; where countries potentially go to extreme measures (war), to protect their resources.
Although water is healthy and everyone is encouraged to drink more of it, the process of making bottled water is detrimental to the environment. Pumping the natural springs of water can drain the spring and cause the ecosystems and the surrounding environment to suffer. Groundwater levels and downstream water supplies are taking a significant hit due to companies drawing down on previously undeveloped aquifers. Another harmful factor in bottled water is the amount of water it takes to make a bottle. The process to produce the plastic for the bottles takes twice the amount of water than the water in the bottle. For instance, it takes 3 gallons of water to create a one liter bottle. Plastic is produced from hydro carbons and an estimated 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide were generated in 2006 for the production of plastic for bottled water according to National Geographic (2007). Also factored is the significant amount of fossil fuels consumed and carbon dioxide generated in transporting the bottles to the water source, and then transported on to retail outlets. At the end of the consumption cycle the empty bottle usually ends up in the landfills. Tom Paulson of the Seattle PI (2007) stated, “90 percent of bottles water is not recycled.” This is the reason plastics are 25 percent of today’s landfill growth, and although bottled water is not the only plastic out there, it is safe to say that they are significant contributor. The United States along with the world do not have enough recycling plants to handle the volume of bottles being discarded and plastic is not biodegradable.
Bottled water companies have done a great job at selling their product; as most people believe, or once believed that it’s water was a better quality than general tap water. However a four year study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (2006) found that there is “no assurance that just because water comes out of a bottle, it is any cleaner or safer than water from the tap.” The NRDC also found that bottled water plants were not tested as much as municipal water plants, and that the FDA can only regulate bottled water when it crosses state lines.
Information on the negative impact of bottled water is available but the public needs to understand, accept, and be willing to make changes if we are to reverse this dangerous consumer trend. People from around the world have begun to take different approaches toward reducing the number of bottles. The city of San Francisco recently decided to stop purchasing bottled water for its city employees. This move will save the city and its taxpayers roughly $500,000 per year. It is also a show of faith to the municipal water source, which comes from a very clean reservoir in Yosemite National Park. California contributes to 23% of bottled water usage in the United States. This move by the mayor is an effective first step toward reversing the trend on a local level.
On the east coast of the United States, Smith College is taking a proactive grassroots stance to combat the growing environmental problem associated with bottled water. First reported by Carol Fuller (2007), students enrolled on campus the fall 2007 will be given a free water bottle, complete with hooks to attach to a backpack. By giving each student a bottle, it will replace the bottled water once given out at the dining hall’s Grab and Go. Although this may be just a local movement, it is still cutting down on the amount of empty bottles in the hope that someday, the rest of society will get the message and begin to ease up on bottled water consumption.
Bottled Water has even made it into our churches. An article by Martin Mittelstaedt (2007) provides an extremely different viewpoint to the issue of bottled water. The article still attacks the bottled water process and believes it is the wrong choice; however it isn’t all based on environmental reasoning. Strangely enough, some religious communities in Canada have spoken on the “extravagantly wasteful way of quenching a thirst” or bottled water. They feel water is an element of life, and shouldn’t be used as a way to make profit. The moral issue of the sale of water is disheartening to the religious groups, who claim that water is “a scared gift from God”. So they have stopped allowing bottled water in the churches, or the ability to sell them at church functions. This is another way that society is moving in the right direction; although in this case not for environmental reasons, but spiritual and religious reasons.
The International Bottled Water Association takes the other side of the argument. It is an association that represents the major corporations responsible for the distribution of bottled water for profit. The IBWA still sees a need for bottled water in society to help replenish our bodies with this vital liquid, needed in order to survive. As far as the environmental impact that bottled water has, they leave that in the hands of consumers. They feel that if the bottles are recycled properly, there is no issue. They also answer the issue that they (bottled water companies) are extracting dangerously large amounts of groundwater. They point out that other industries such as the oil industry take way more resources from the earth therefore they are not as guilty of exploitation.
The bottled water craze has shown no sign of stopping. Society loves the convenience and health aspects of the water. What most people don’t want to acknowledge is the harmful environmental affects associated with bottled water. Until we educate the world on the harmful effects of their consumer choices the trend will continue. Commercial advertisers have done a great job selling their product; and it will probably take public service announcements over many years to change consumer spending. Someone, probably governments and environmental protection groups, will have to be spend enormous amounts of money to counter the bottled water industry’s advertising efforts. This trend needs to be dealt with immediately; everyday more bottles are being produced with continuing damage to aquifers, air quality, and filling landfills around the world. This anti-bottled water movement should not be driven by just the United States. A global effort needs to be made in order for there to be a significant difference. European support is especially critical as they lead the world in bottled water consumption. Until there is a united effort in significantly reducing the amount of bottled water produced, the world will continue to suffer. Water is a necessary ingredient to life, but the consumption of bottle water is harmful to the environment and a selfish indulgent. So the next time you go on that camping trip or bike ride, take a little extra time and fill up your reusable water bottle with tap water because it is the right thing to do.




References:

American Beverage Association. (2007). History of Bottled Water. Retrieved Oct 24, 2007 from http://www.ameribev.org/all-about-beverage-products-manufacturing-marketing-consumption/americas-beverage-products/bottled-drinking/history/index.aspx

Chura, Hilary. (2003). Pricing Getting Slippery. Advertising Age, 74 (25), 20-20.

Edwards, Alys. (2007). Bottled Water: Pouring resources down the drain? Environmental Ethics. Retrieved Oct. 9, 2007 from http://www.environmentalethics-sihe.co.uk/pdfs/ALYSARTICLE_Edit.pdf


Ferrier, Catherine.(2001, April). Bottled Water: Understanding Social Phenomenon. WWF. Retrieved Oct. 8, 2007 from http://assets.panda.org/downloads/bottled_water.pdf


Fishman, Charles. (July, 2007). Message in a bottle. Fast Company. Retrieved Oct. 9, 2007 from http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/features-message-in-a-bottle.html

Food and Water Watch. (2006, Jun). Bottled Up and tapped Out. Food and Water Watch. Retrieved Oct. 8, 2007 from http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/BottledUpTappedOut.pdf

Fuller, Carol. (2007, Aug. 23). Moving away from bottled water. Grecourt Gate News. Retrieved Oct. 8, 2007 from http://www.smith.edu/news/2006-07/BottledWater.php

Macarthur, Kate. (2005). Drink your fruits, veggies:Water’s the new fitness fad. Advertising Age, 76 (1) 4-24.

Mittelstaedt, Martin. (2006, Sept. 23). The Religious War on Bottled Water. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved Oct 8, 2007 from http://www.newsdesk.org/old_archives/000866.php



Montero, Delia. (2004). Water in Quebec: A transnational business. International Journal of Canadian Studies, (29), 93-115.

Owen, James. (2006, Feb 24). Bottled Water isn’t healthier than tap. National Geographic News. Retrieved Oct 9, 2007 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/0224_060224_bottled_water_2.html

Pande, Bhanu. (2003).Pepsi Throws new challenge at Coke in India water fight. Media Asia, 5-5.


Paulson, Tom. (2007, Apr 19). Thirst For bottled Water may hurt Environment. Seattle PI. Retrieved Nov. 2, 2007 from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/312412_botwaterweb.html.



Scow, Adam. (2007 Sept). San Francisco says no to bottled water. Sierra Club Yodeler. Retrieved Oct. 8, 2007 from http://sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/yodeler/html/2007/09/conservation10.htm


Welland, Diane. (2007). Tapping the truth about bottled water versus what flows from the faucet. Environmental Nutrition, 30 (1), 1-6.