How bottled water contributes to global warming?

In a crowded, industrialized world, bottled water is two obvious ironies for ecologically conscious people. They drink it to avoid contaminating tap water, but there is growing evidence that the recyclable plastic bottles used to produce and transport the water have a significant impact on global warming, and that the plastic bottles themselves are a significant source of new pollution. The second irony is that about half the time, the bottles contain only pure water.

Consumption of bottled water is increasing

100% of the plastic bottles used by manufacturers are made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which itself is made from recycled plastic. This gives the impression that only old bottles are needed to make new bottles and no other resources are needed, but the reality is different. Consumption of bottled water is increasing and it is estimated that only 13% of plastic bottles are recycled.

Manufacturing Emissions

Unrecycled plastic bottles end up in landfills or in waterways and eventually in the ocean, where they pose a long-term threat to marine life. Because so few bottles are recycled, more must be made, and the process releases large amounts of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, including acetone, methyl ethyl ketone and toluene. It also releases greenhouse gases, including sulfur oxides, nitrous oxide and volatile organic compounds. These global warming gases enter the atmosphere regardless of whether the manufacturing process uses recycled or new materials.

Transportation Emissions

It is not only the production of plastic bottles that consumes petroleum products and generates emissions; after filling, the bottles must be transported from the bottling facility to the point of use. The transportation process releases thousands of tons of CO Producing the energy to keep the bottles cool for consumer use requires burning fossil fuels and releasing additional greenhouse gases.

Choose filtered tap water

If the health benefits were clear, then the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to atmospheric warming might be justified, but unfortunately, this is not the case. According to the report, 49% of bottled water does not come from a natural source, such as an underground spring, but from the tap. It is then unlikely to be pure compared to water from a municipal water supply. We recommend installing filters certified by Public Health and Safety International on your taps as a safe ecological alternative to drinking bottled water.