Industry Sales Bad News for Bottled

Water, Good News for the Planet

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In 2009, bottled water sales in the United States de- water consumption. Many people are turning to the tap
clined for the second year in a row, according to the not just because it is hundreds to thousands of times
Beverage Marketing Corporation. U.S. bottled water cheaper, but also because it is a more environmentally
revenues went down 5.2 percent and the volume of responsible choice.
water sold went down 2.5 percent.17LWZP»Z(X\HÄUH
sales declined by 10 percent, Coca Cola’s Dasani went The bottled water industry uses water, consumes energy
down by 7.9 percent, and Nestle Waters North Ameri- and creates mountains of plastic waste as a result of
ca’s leading brand, Poland Spring, declined by 6.4 per- the making, moving and use of its product. Researchers
cent.2 This fall in sales may be bad news for the bottled H[[OL7HJPÄJ0UZ[P[\[LMV\UK[OH[PU[OLPUK\Z[Y`
water industry, but it is good news for the environment. used 3 liters of water to produce each liter of bottled
water, and that in 2007, the U.S.
The Beverage Marketing Corporation bottled water industry consumed
cited the downturn in the economy the energy equivalent
as a reason for the decline in sales.3 of between 32 and 54
It makes sense that consumers with million barrels of oil.4
tightened budgets would drop They also calculated that
bottled water because it is not an bottled water production
essential product and tap can take up to 2,000 times
water is an easy alterna- as much energy as tap
tive. However, the report water when the plastic
also lists environmental production, water extrac-
concerns as a fac- tion, bottling and trans-
tor affecting bottled portation costs are all

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factored in.5 In addition, the Government Accountabil-
P[`6MÄJLYLWVY[LK[OH[PUHIV\[[OYLLX\HY[LYZVM
the plastic water bottles were not recycled.6 At this rate,
millions of tons of empty plastic bottles end up in land-
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environmental drawbacks are unnecessary costs to the
planet when tap water is a ready alternative.

Theoretically, producing less bottled water would

lessen these impacts. For example, based on the above
statistics, if the environmental impacts of bottled water
dropped proportionally to the 2.5 percent decline in
the volume of bottled water sold last year, about 650
million gallons of water, about 23,000 tons of plastic,
and the equivalent of between 0.8 million and 1.4 mil-
lion barrels of oil would have been saved compared
to the prior year. That saves enough water for about 65
million loads of laundry, prevents more than 17,000
[VUZVMWSHZ[PJMYVTLUKPUN\WPUSHUKÄSSZHUKMYLLZ\W
as much energy as it would take to drive up to 47,000
cars for a year.

Drinking tap water is a good way to avoid the envi-

ronmental effects of bottled water: Tap water has a bottled water.7 But in order to keep this environmen-
lower water footprint and a lower carbon footprint than tally friendly source of drinking water, we need to take
care of our drinking water infrastructure — which is in
need of repair and maintenance.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated in

2002 that there would be a drinking water infrastruc-
ture funding gap of $102 billion over the subsequent 20
years.8 This year, the federal government put aside $1.4
billion for drinking water infrastructure projects for the
whole country9 — a number that pales in comparison
to the $10.6 billion in revenues that the bottled water
industry took in last year.10

As more consumers are choosing to drink tap water

instead of bottled water, the bottled water industry will
likely see further drops in sales, and the planet will
YLHW[OLILULÄ[Z)\[PM[HW^H[LYPZNVPUN[VYLTHPUH
sustainable source of drinking water, it is not enough
to just stop buying bottled water. We also need to keep
our tap water in good repair by investing in our nation’s
public drinking water. Find out more about how to
Renew America’s Water at www.foodandwaterwatch.
org/water/renew/.
Calculations Saved Energy

Saved Water In 2007, bottled water production took between 5.6

It takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled
water.11
So, amount of water saved = 3 x volume of water de-
crease
Decrease in volume between 2008 and 200912 =
8,669.3 million gallons – 8454.0 million gallons =
215.3 million gallons
Water saved = 215.3 million gallons x 3 = 645.9 mil-
lion gallons
One load of laundry = 10 gallons13
645.9 million saved/10 gallons per load of laundry =
64.6 million loads of laundry saved
Saved Plastic
Plastic saved = number of bottles saved x weight of
bottles saved
Decrease in water sold = 215.3 million gallons =
814,999,157 liters
megajoules per liter (MJ/L) and 10.2 MJ/L of energy.16
Between 2008 and 2009, bottled water volume sales
declined by 215.3 million gallons. If the energy used
declined proportionally to the number of gallons sold,
the equivalent of between 0.8 million and 1.4 million
barrels of oil were saved, which is enough energy to
drive between 25,000 and 47,000 cars for a year.
Decline in bottled water sold = 215.3 million gallons =
814,999,157 liters
Energy in a barrel of oil = 6,000 MJ/barrel17
Low-end estimated energy use of bottled water = 5.6
MJ/L
Low-end estimated decline in energy use = 5.6 MJ/L x
814,999,157liters = 4,563,995,279 MJ
Energy equivalent = 4,563,995,279 MJ/ 6,000 MJ/barrel
of oil = 760,666 barrels of oil
High-end estimated energy use of bottled water = 10.2
MJ/L

Typical PET (WVS`L[O`SLUL[LYLWO[OHSH[LH[`WLVMWSHZ-

[PJ) bottle = .5 liters

Decrease in water sold = 814,999,157 liters / 0.5 liters/

bottle = 1,629,998,314 bottles

1 PET bottle has 12.7 grams of PET resin14

1 pound = 453.59237 grams

1 ton = 2000 pounds = 907,184.74 grams

Plastic saved = 1,629,998,314 PET bottles x 12.7

grams/bottle = 20,700,978,588 grams of PET resin

20,700,978,588 grams/907,184.74 grams/ton = 22,819

tons of PET

WLYJLU[VMWSHZ[PJIV[[SLZLUK\WPUHSHUKÄSS15 So,
WSHZ[PJZH]LKMYVTLUKPUN\WPUSHUKÄSSZ$WLYJLU[
x total bottles saved

22,819 tons of PET x 76.5 percent = 17,457 tons of PET

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High-end estimated decline in energy use = 10.2 MJ/L x barrels of oil saved times gallons of gasoline per barrel
814,999,157 liters = 8,312,991,401 MJ divided by gallons of gasoline used per car per year

Energy equivalent = 8,312,991,401 MJ / 6,000 MJ/bar- Low-end estimate = 760,666 barrels of oil x 19 gal/bar-
rel of oil = 1,385,499 barrels of oil rel / 581 gal per car a year = 24,875 cars a year

Gallons of gasoline in a barrel of oil = 19 to 20 gal/bar- High-end estimate = 1,385,499 barrels of oil x 20 gal/
rel18 barrel / 581 gal per car a year = 47,694 cars a year

Average annual fuel consumed by a passenger car =

581 gal19
Endnotes
Cars fueled for a year with the energy equivalent saved 1 Beverage Marketing Corporation. “Bottled Water in the U.S.” 2010 Edition. July
by decline in bottled water sales = 2010 at 3.
2 Beverage Marketing Corporation. “Bottled Water in the U.S.” 2010 Edition. July
2010 at 150.
3 Beverage Marketing Corporation. “Bottled Water in the U.S.” 2010 Edition. July
2010 at 155, 171, 213.
 7HJPÄJ0UZ[P[\[L¸)V[[SLK>H[LYHUK,ULYN`!(-HJ[ZOLL[¹".SLPJR7/HUK
HS Cooley. “Energy implications of bottled water.” Environmental Research Let-
ters, 4, 014009. 2009 at 6.
5 Gleick, PH and HS Cooley. “Energy implications of bottled water.” Environmental
Research Letters, 4, 014009. 2009 at 6.
 <:.V]LYUTLU[(JJV\U[HIPSP[`6MÄJL¸)V[[SLK>H[LY!-+(:HML[`HUK*VUZ\T-
er Protections are Often Less Stringent than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap
Water.” June 2009 at 23.
7 Quantis. “Project Report: Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Drinking Water
Alternatives and Consumer Beverage Consumption in North America.” Published
by Nestlé Waters North America. February 1, 2010 at 4,5.
 <:,U]PYVTLU[HS7YV[LJ[PVU(NLUJ`6MÄJLVM>H[LY¸;OL*SLHU>H[LYHUK
Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis. (EPA-816-R-02-020). September
2002 at 6.
9 United States Environmental Protection Agency. [Memorandum] Availability of
FY 2010 DWSRF Funds. Attachment A: Distribution of Drinking Water SRF Ap-
propriation. January 15, 2010.
10 Beverage Marketing Corporation. “Bottled Water in the U.S.” 2010 Edition. July
2010 at 3.
 7HJPÄJ0UZ[P[\[L¸)V[[SLK>H[LYHUK,ULYN`!(-HJ[ZOLL[¹
12 Beverage Marketing Corporation. “Bottled Water in the U.S.” 2010 Edition. July
2010 at 3.
13 United States Geological Survey Water Science for Schools. [Website] “How
much water do you use a day?”
14 International Bottled Water Association. [Press Release] “Weight of PET Bottled
Water Containers has Decreased 32.6% over Past Eight Years, Saving 1.3 Billion
Lbs of Plastic Resin.” February 18, 2010.
 <:.V]LYUTLU[(JJV\U[HIPSP[`6MÄJL¸)V[[SLK>H[LY!-+(:HML[`HUK*VUZ\T-
er Protections are Often Less Stringent than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap
Water.” June 2009 at 23.
16 Gleick, PH and HS Cooley. “Energy implications of bottled water.” Environmental
Research Letters, 4, 014009. 2009 at 6.
17 Gleick, PH and HS Cooley. “Energy implications of bottled water.” Environmental
Research Letters, 4, 014009. 2009 at 3.
18 “Frequently Asked Questions – Conversion Equivalents.” U.S. Department of
Energy. Energy Information Administration.
19 “Emission Facts: Average Annual Emissions and Fuel Consumption for Passenger
Cars and Light Trucks.” EPA420-F-00-013. April 2000

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tions around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. Through
research, public and policymaker education, media and lobbying, we advocate policies that
guarantee safe, wholesome food produced in a humane and sustainable manner, and public,
rather than private, control of water resources including oceans, rivers and groundwater.

Copyright © September 2010 by Food & Water Watch. All rights reserved. This issue brief can be viewed or downloaded at www.foodandwaterwatch.org.