Water in PET Bottles

Water Supply

There is a basic human necessity and right for all persons to have access to clean drinking water, essential for life.

Only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh, and most of that is in the ice caps.

The water delivery infrastructure in the UK is dependent on plastics and metal piping. In London 772 miles of old cracked Victorian water mains are being replaced by blue polyethylene pipes to prevent 30% water leakage.
The UK water infrastructure has regular problems. Burst pipes, contamination (flood & sewer water and other types), vandalism etc which leads to water shortages. These shortages are supplemented by the supply of tanker water (which has to be boiled by the consumer before using) and packaged water – fit for purpose – supplied directly to the public by the water supply companies. Members of the public also purchase extra water from sales outlets (i.e. supermarkets, corner shops, garages).
Water supply companies also provide bottled water for sporting events (e.g. the London Marathon and Great North Run). A key issue for the London Olympic Games in 2012 will be an adequate supply of bottled water.

Emergency Relief

Stocks of clean water must be maintained in appropriate pack sizes for emergency applications, these can be:-

Floods (Sheffield, Tewkesbury etc 2007)

Burst water mains a regular occurrence

Localised contamination issues (Cornwall)

Supply to armed forces and emergency services

Delays in airports (a regular occurrence)

Local problems such as bomb evacuation

Bottled water is essential in many emergency situations and is often the only source of drinking water in natural disasters. In this case the easy storage, transportation and convenience make it an essential supply
30 million litres of bottled water, enough for 150 million glasses, were distributed in 2007 to residents in Gloucestershire when floods cut off people from their homes and tap water supplies (Zenith International 2007). The British Plastics Federation arranged for the empty bottles to be collected and recycled.
In 2006, one in 30 households experienced an interruption in tap water supplies
Stocks of clean water must be managed at appropriate levels in appropriate packaging for any predicted emergency use and an emergency plan should account for this with a back up supply.
18,700 million litres of water goes into the mains water supply each day of which 4, 300 million litres of water leaks out again before use.
6 million litres of bottled water is consumed each day.

UK Bottled Water – an important industry sector

Highland Spring employs 300 staff and produced 226 million litres in 2007 with a turnover of £51 million.
Highland Spring won organic status in 2001 from the Soil Association. They export to the USA, Japan, Hong Kong and the Caribbean.

Why Bottled Water?

Hydration on the Go:

UK Food standards Agency recommends that we should drink at least 1.2litres of fluid/day “In climates such as the UK, we should drink approximately 1.2litres (6 to 8 glasses) of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. In hotter climates the body needs more than this. We also get some fluid from the food we eat.”
Considered by the young to be part of a fit and healthy lifestyle.
‘Portable water’ offers ‘mobile’ convenience for the consumer and allows consumer choice.
Purchased packaged water is safe to drink in almost any situation.
Bottled water offers one of the easiest ways to stay hydrated throughout the day, replacing fluid that is naturally lost through normal breathing, perspiration and urination.
Bottled water provides consumer with a natural and calorie free healthy option.
Water plays a vital role in the function of the brain, the heart, the kidneys, urinary tract, digestive system and each and every cell.
Drinking water and remaining hydrated also helps maintain mental alertness and concentration. Lethargy is a classic symptom of dehydration.

Reassuringly Natural:

All bottled water is fully traceable. Natural Mineral and Spring Water can both be traced back to a naturally occurring source that is governed by strict regulations regarding abstraction and testing procedures.
Natural Mineral and Spring Waters are purified by nature and as a result have a natural taste that many people prefer
Natural Mineral and Spring Waters are subjected to no chemical treatment and extraction from sustainable sources is strictly controlled to protect them for future generations.
Bottled water currently accounts for just 0.03% of total carbon emissions.
From a dietary point of view packaged water is often preferred to packaged soft drinks with their sugar content possibly leading to obesity.
In areas where there is a taste issue with piped water i.e. London water is described as tasting awful, also some campsite well water

Other occasions when bottled water is made use of:

For coping with emergency issues owing to disruption of normal water supply
London Underground recommends the carrying of a ‘portable water’ supply when using their services.
Theatres and cinemas sell bottled water for consumption during long performances.
Consumers are not uniformly replacing tap water with bottled water; rather they are choosing bottled water over other beverages (e.g. tea, coffee, colas).

How much ‘portable water’ is consumed?

The average Briton drinks 37.6 litres of bottled water each year.

Oil Consumption in PET

All Plastics packaging uses only 1.6% of the World’s oil production. The rest is used for energy and transport.
In 2007 UK production of PET bottles accounted for only approximately 0.05% of total UK oil usage.

PET Bottle light weighting.

Industry has worked for many years to reduce the amount of packaging materials we use for packaged water and this trend can be seen below.

The most popular PET water bottle is the 1.5 litre bottle and this currently weighs 33g – with savings in material of 34% made.

Recycling PET Bottles

The UK collected 21% of used PET bottles, up from 2.6% collection in 2005. 75% of local authorities have kerbside collection of plastics.
Recycling rates depend on the collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure
The UK is learning from the European successes and recycling is growing fast
The UK will continue to expand its recycling in 2008 when the Closed Loop London Recycling unit comes on stream
‘Alternative Waste Solutions’ has announced a 14 million pound (£14m) expansion of its recycling plant in Lincolnshire which will create an extra facility to handle 100,000 tonnes of mixed plastics bottles annually.
Drinks brand Innocent has put its full range of fruit smoothies into 100% recycled PET 250ml bottles. This will reduce the firm’s carbon footprint by 55% and save 1,000 tonnes of CO2 this year.
GlaxoSmithKline have put its ready to drink Ribena into 100% recycled PET bottles.

Litter

Litter is a societal behaviour problem and is not limited to plastics
It can only be reduced by education both in the home and in schools
Litter on beaches and in the sea comes from shipping and irresponsible public behaviour which can lead to fines.
Taking a positive view of an opportunity in countries where there are incinerators with energy recovery litter could be collected and used as a fuel. Plastics have a high calorific value equivalent to coal.

Peter Davis
Director General BPF 10th April 2008

For further information on bottled water call the Bottled Water Information Office on 020 7388 7421 or visit www.bottledwaterinformation.co.uk

Join Mailing List

Member Control Panel