Chris Hogan, vice president of communications for the organization, points at the strides water companies are making in reducing use of plastic in their packaging, and increased consumer recycling rates, as evidence that the industry is unfairly maligned for being environmentally harmful.
“IBWA demonstrates a ‘Face of Positive Change’ through its numerous environmental impact-reduction efforts,” Hogan said. “The bottled water industry is taking a broad-based approach to reducing its environmental footprint.”
Sustainability evidence
A study from the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) shows PET plastic bottled water containers are the most frequently recycled item in U.S. curbside collection programs.
Further, NAPCOR says the recycling rate for single-serve PET plastic bottled water containers stands at nearly 39 percent, more than double where it was seven years ago.
Battles over bottles
Meanwhile, municipalities are playing tug of war over bottled water, with several cities and towns mulling bans of the packages. Concord, MA passed a measure earlier this month barring the sale of personal-size water bottles within the town’s borders. In late March, president of San Francisco’s board of supervisors David Chiu announced he intends to introduce legislation banning bottled water in that city.