Panorama aftermath: can bottled water ever be ethical?
Last night's Panorama pulled no punches in its attack on the bottled water industry, drawing the conclusion that there is really no excuse to be buying the stuff in a country where we've got clean, safe water on tap.
The arguments are strong: transporting water leads to higher C02 emissions, not to mention the plastic used to make those bottles. In some cases, we're even taking water from countries where many people don't have access to clean water of their own. It's expensive, and it all seems very unnecessary.
But what do you think about companies providing 'ethical' bottled water? One is Thirsty Planet funds clean water projects in Sub Saharan Africa through sales of its bottled water, and works closely with Pump Aid. Thirsty Planet claims that nearly 700,000 people have benefited from pumps installed in areas badly in need of water, which has no doubt saved lives. But it selling water to a country that doesn't need it a fair way to do this? If you think so, and you're one of those people who can't abide tap water, there are plenty of places to buy Thirsty Planet water, including ASDA, Tesco, Co-Op and Sainsbury's.
Related: Do you ask for tap water in restaurants?
Good job to every city, restaurant and individual making a stand against bottled water pollution. Learn the facts about bottled water quality and its negative impact on the environment at www.BottledWaterBlues.com
Posted by: susan | February 19, 2008 5:44 PM