Pepsi's New Bottled Water Line is Not Eco-Friendly
posted by: GinaMarie Cheeseman 319 days ago
A few days ago PepsiCo Corp. announced its plans to use 50 percent less plastic in its Aquafina half-liter (10.9 grams) water bottles. Pepsi says it will save 75 million pounds of plastic a year. The new water bottles will be called Eco-Fina, and Pepsi is touting them as the "lightest in the industry." Pepsi will start shipping Eco-Fina to retailers in April.
Eco-Fina helps Pepsi reduce its packaging by about 13 million pounds, and cuts GHG emissions by 18,000 metric tons per year, according to the company. It is Pepsi's goal to reduce its water and energy use 20 percent, and its fuel consumption by 25 percent by 2015. The company claims it saved about five billion liters of water in its global operations in 2007, eight percent less than 2006.
There is a catch to Pepsi's "eco claims." The amount of energy required to manufacture plastic bottles in the U.S. in 2006 was equivalent to 17 million barrels of oil, according to the Pacific Institute's 2007 report, Bottled Water and Energy: Getting to 17 Million Barrels. The entire life cycle of bottled water requires energy: from capturing water to recycling the water bottles and everything in between.
Companies like Pepsi have successfully marketed bottled water to Americans. In 1976, Americans only drank 1.6 gallons of bottled water a year, but in 2007 they drank 28.3 gallons.
An October 2008 study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) examined ten different bottled water brands, including Wal-Mart's Sam's Choice and Giant Supermarket's Arcadia brands. The study pointed out the environmental impacts of bottled water. In 2006, only a fifth of all bottled water consumed were recycled, and the rest "ended up in landfills, incinerators, and as trash on land and in streams, rivers, and oceans."
According to the study, bottled water companies "place a strain on rivers, streams and community drinking water supplies" when they extract water. The study refers to it as "water mining" and criticizes the practice because it can "remove substantial amounts of water that otherwise would have contributed to community water supplies or to the natural flow of streams and rivers."
The study found that the levels of chemical contaminants found in all the ten brands studied are the same as those "routinely found in tap water." The big difference between municipal water and bottled water is that bottled water companies do not have to notify the public about the chemical contaminants discovered in the water, but by law municipalities have to notify the public. The Pacific Institute points out that bottled water manufacturers sample and test themselves.
Boycott bottled water
Sales of Aquafina dropped in 2008 as people became more aware of the effects of bottled water. In June 2008, mayors of 250 U.S. cities voted to stop using taxpayer money to buy bottled waters. However, Aquafina is still the number one bottled water brand in the U.S. with 13.4 percent of the market share.
There is a way to help Aquafina (and Eco-Fina) sales plummet further: Swap the bottled water for reusable water bottles. Join me in boycotting bottled water!
Read more: global warming
comments
The reduction in the use of base plastics for bottles is a good move by Pepsico. Keep in mind these companies are not going to go away, so anything they can convinced to do to reduce the harm of the products they sell will help.
Many Americans will buy into this unneeded "green-washed" product believing they are doing the right thing. Investing in nice affordable tap mounted charcoal filter and reusing glass juice bottles is the smart thing to do. But it does not offer the same conveniences for consumers. And we have grown lazy as a society.
OTHER IDEAS
Pepsi and other beverage manufacturers should be mandated to spend a significant portion of advertising dollars "educating" consumers on the importance of and personal responsibility to recycle beverage containers.
Perhaps throwing away a recyclable container should carry a fine.
Maybe all public trash cans should have a mandatory recyclable beverage container slot attached. (for convenience)
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How to make your own super water. Fill a large jug with tap water, place it in a fridge over night. In the morning use it as you would your usual brand of bottled water. Leaving it overnight allows the chlorine to evaporate and if you live in a high lime scale area there are filters that can be used first. Don't forget to wash your jug and reusable water bottle out regularly and thoroughly.
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Why don't we spend ou time and energy on ways to have great water from the tap? It's ridiculous to pay for water
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Paying for water in a plastic bottle must be one of the most ironic things I have ever seen, and sadly as Americans we have bought into this ridiculous idea. To think that water that isn’t bottled isn’t clean is bizarre. Sooner or later companies will be selling us air to breathe claiming that its better. Think about what we are doing, some countries don’t even have water to provide let alone bottled water. It is great that Pepsi is attempting to lessen its impact on our Earths environment, however the fact of the matter is that bottled water still effects it environment. Besides, I personally believe that Pepsi is not at all concerned with the environment but its profits; they must be saving a decent amount of money by doing this. Think about what you’re doing when you buy bottled water, knowing that the bottle you’re drinking from will probably end up in a landfill, or somewhere on a beach. Although it may seem impossible, boycotting bottled water is such a smart thing to do. I can understand if you want “healthy” water, but why must you us a plastic bottle. Using reusable bottles could have such a huge impact and I think it is up to us to take a stand against companies like Pepsi. So the next time you open a bottle of water and the crisp taste makes your say, “aaah” think of what you’re doing.
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It is so wrong to use bottled water in PLASTIC when so many people cant get clean water at all...if the companies would put all profits into maintaining clean wells in those places AND sell their"special" water in glass or re-usuable botles i would be more convinced by the convenience of buying it when forget to take enough with me from home...I too hate to find discarded bottles.mainly on beach,..it spoils walking when nearly every time ,i pick up such!just in case youre interested ,here is link for related plastic issue....http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-noncompostible-packaging-in-the-uk
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I drink lots of water. However, its tap water in my nice steel reusable water bottle or in a glass. Why on earth would anyone want to buy something in plastic is beyond me!
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I used to buy the bottled water but stopped as i prefer to not drink from a plastic bottle. I hate milk in a plastic bottle too. I can taste the plasticy flavour. I would be suspicious of any Manufacturing Sales Companies motives. I would imagine Pepsi is saving a lot of money doing this. That may really be the reason why they are using this LIGHTER bottle. They are after all a sales company a producer of a marketable product of which they have a target audience. I would imagine they believe by using this LIGHTER bottle using less plastics they might capture a different market, more customers, right or wrong. What do you think ? A sales companies no. 1 objective is to sell, sell & sell. Nothing else, but that is just my personal opinion. I could be wrong. It really is ingenious is it not that people will pay $3 for a bottle of filtered water. Such a basic commodity. What will it be in 50 years time mobile oxygen cylinders. Maybe 50 years is too long it may closer than we think.
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Bottled water is wrong in so many ways.
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Pepsico has NEVER been co-friendly, healthful, or environmentally responsible. This is why I have boycotted Pepsico, along with Coca-Cola for the past two decades, and urge everyone else to do likewise. I know my boycott is but a drop in the bucket of Pepsi's huge net worth, but I still feel it is my responsibility to do my part, no matter how small. Multiply little ol' me by millions, and we can make quite an impact.
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http://www.pbgact.com/
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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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