PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) has decided to change the label on its Aquafina bottled water. From now on it will say "Public Water Source," meaning, basically, tap water -- filtered tap water, but tap water nonetheless. I not only salute the label change but also the fact that Pepsi and The Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) aren't bent on destroying natural springs. They are still, of course, selling us loads of bottles that will need to be discarded later.
I am not the first to speak out against bottled water as a prime example of an industry that has completely "invented" a public need and managed to push it successfully. The result? Depletion of natural springs, huge amounts of bottles added to the already massive quantities of garbage we produce, energy wasted on production and shipping, and increased corporate control over a basic resource -- water. Not to mention the morality of the issue: 2.6 billion cases of bottled water sold in 2006 while people in some parts of the world don't have access to clean water.
But a movement away from this has begun, and hopefully it will slowly make a difference. Only recently, San Francisco's mayor "signed an executive order banning the use of city funds for the purchase of single-serving water bottles." Many restaurants, including Mario Batalli's, will serve only filtered water, not bottled water, even though it is more lucrative. Reuters quotes the industry newsletter as saying that it's more about convenience than health or taste. Well, then, I guess John Sicher, the newsletter's publisher, never heard of empty bottles one can fill with ... tap water.
What to do now? Despite all my objections, this unnecessary industry that has sprung into a multi-billion dollar sector, now has many jobs on the line if it is threatened. I don't doubt that a change is needed, but it can be gradual. Telling people that they're drinking tap water may be the first, small as it is, step into changing consumer perception. As for Pepsi and Coke, I'm sure they'll manage.
Pepsi will change the Aquafina water label -- a first, small step
Posted Jul 27th 2007 4:30PM by Melly Alazraki
Filed under: Products and Services, Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP), Marketing and Advertising
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-27-2007 @ 5:03PM
DayNovo said...
Of course Pepsi is not the only vendor to find itself in hot water over source labeling. Coke's problems in the UK with Dasani rank as one of the more notable product launch fiascos in recent years.
For more on "sources of misdirection" in the water industry click here:
http://sneakybusiness.typepad.com/sneaky/2007/07/aquafina-comes-.html
7-27-2007 @ 7:12PM
JOE BLOW said...
I drink bottled "spring" water and I don't feel guilty about it. It tastes good and I can afford it. As for the "people in some parts of the world who don't have access to clean water" don't expect me to solve their problems for them. Let them clean up their own act and develop functional plumbing systems. I can't save the whole world and you can bet they don't care a rat's ass about you or me either.
7-27-2007 @ 7:20PM
D.J. said...
I have long since been against all of those plastic water bottles and the damage they are doing to the environment. Not only do they fill up landfills, they are responsible for taking thousands of gallons of water out of the ecosystem. Millions of those bottles are scattered all over the U.S., with most having at least a little water, pop, etc. in them with the lids on. Just more waste in our wasteful society. Water will one day soon become scarce in some parts of the country. Along with CO2 emissions, those plastic bottles rank in the top five environmental tragedies currently in progress.
7-27-2007 @ 10:59PM
DJA said...
I drink spring bottled and proud of it. Have you ever tasted the crap that comes out of most city, chlorinated water taps? YUK!
Nothing wrong with bottled water from whatever source. Your worry about wasted bottles is unfounded and you add no value to society with those comments. This makes jobs for the people who bottle the water, distribute the water, and pick up the trash, and of couse let's not forget the land fill jobs it creates. Better than all those folks being on welfare.
Get a life....drink a bottle of water.
7-28-2007 @ 2:54AM
eric barthalone said...
DJA you idiot. The post makes legitimate arguments against bottled water, especially spring water. If you don't have a counter argument don't waste peoples time with your ignorance and stupidity.
7-28-2007 @ 10:13AM
Elle said...
Joe Blow,
I wish someone would send you to undeveloped Africa for 30 days. After you returned from seeing suffering at a level you've never once stopped to imagine, we'd see how many cruel, heartless comments you'd make, tough man. Pass the tap water, please.
7-29-2007 @ 10:30AM
J Thax said...
Because the public may choose to be uninformed does not mean that a company is deceptive in it's advertising. "Purified Water" is a simple statement indicating by way of common sense that the company producer of the water has purified it in some way.
Arguments regarding empty bottles are valid, but in many cases where bottled water is popular, these bottles are recyclable. In addition, refilling used bottles is inconvenient in itself, not to mention having to wash them (using more water by the way) which is also an inconvenience. Grab a bottle and go is very convenient.
Finally, there has been a lot said about depleting "natural springs" for bottled water, but what about tap water? Tap water does not just appear in the city tap. It comes usually from a well, a river or a lake and is then purified to some degree by the local municipal water treatment plant. In other words, for humans to consume water of any kind, we must drain it from wherever it is collected.