A UV water purification system made by Berson InLine, installed at Mery sur Oise near Paris, France. It may contain small amounts of minerals but so does tap water from many public municipal water supplies. Every year 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water and toxic chemicals can be released during the manufacture and disposal of the bottles, says the study. A quarter of the 89 billion liters of water bottled worldwide annually are consumed outside their country of origin and emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, caused by transporting bottled water within and between countries, contribute to global climate change, it adds. In addition, tap water is more energy efficient as it is provided through underground pipes, compared to fuel and energy needed for filling bottles and transporting them around the world.
Clean water is a basic right.
Protecting our rivers, streams and wetlands will help ensure that tap water remains a service which delivers good quality drinking water for everyone at a fair price. In a statement today, the IBWA supported WWF's calls to clean up and better protect water resources but said the organization was mistaking the bottled water industry for the problem itself. Western Europeans continue to be the greatest consumers of bottled water. Regardless of whether water comes from the tap or from a bottle, the world should demand it be clean, safe and available for future generations. The fact is, people are increasingly choosing bottled water because of its consistent high quality, safety, taste and convenience.