A bit of a mix-and-match today. I guess that’s what you get after a weekend…
Most people know that I’m not a huge fan of the anti-bottled water campaign. I think the campaign is too easy and lack substance and sometimes even just plain light on facts. But sometimes the bottled water people just asks to be hit. You might recall that I wrote about the cool anti-bottled water video by Annie Leonard in a Daily Stain. Well, as expected, the bottled water industry ‘hit back.’ Let’s look at what they had to say, shall we?
First they had to tackle the recycling figures used by Annie Leonard and the team. Annie and team said that 80% of plastic bottles in the United States end up in landfills or are burned in incinerators. Sound pretty awful doesn’t it? So the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), using different statistics, hit back saying that “water bottles were the most recycled plastic containers in the United States, with a 30.9 percent recycling rate.” Now just hang on a minute here. So they are arguing that 69.1% vs 80% no recycling makes a huge difference? I am sorry, but 30.9% is just as bad a fail as 20%. Pick any one of the two but they both point to one single thing – a failure of recycling plastic bottles. Period. Don’t nitpick percentages when your own figures are so miserable.
The second bit of the IBWA statement that hit me as odd was this beauty: “‘Consumers are really quite thoughtful in selecting and enjoying a safe, healthy, convenient, calorie-free beverage that’s delicious, refreshing and a very smart drink choice.” What would you have thought they were referring to if you read this sentence without knowing the context first? Water right? How about good old tap water? That is a “safe, healthy, convenient, calorie-free beverage that’s delicious, refreshing and a very smart drink choice.” Actually, I would add “almost free” to that sentence if they did indeed refer to tap water and that would make it a very smart drink choice… Sorry IBWA, by using the words “safe” and ”healthy” in the same line it seems as if you indirectly hint that either (1) other drinks in plastic containers aren’t safe or healthy (orange juice anyone?) and that (2) water not in plastic containers might not be as safe and healthy. Wrong again. Please refrain from using this line. Either say what you mean and be transparent about what you mean or don’t say anything at all. Hinting has never been the best defense.
The third argument was another open door for criticism. The IBWA said that “bottled water was a necessity – particularly in emergencies like floods, tsunamis and earthquakes.” Mmm… Let’s think about that one. Makes perfect sense. So tell me IBWA, how much of bottled water sold is actually for emergencies like floods, tsunamis and earthquakes? A tiny fraction of the actual total sold. I don’t see a flood or a tsunami or an earthquake hitting any of the people walking the streets right now with the bottled water in their hands. It’s another weak argument where you are trying to twist the argument and not address the real issue. I am sorry – get better arguments as none of the large bottled water companies would survive if they only sold bottled water for use during emergencies.
The bottled water industry’s case wasn’t helped by the UN reporting that bottled water isn’t sustainable – wasting resources and consuming 17 million barrels of oil a year. Ouch… That must have hurt.
Are you surprised that Annie’s video has been watched over 150,000 times and the IBWA one around 300 times? I’m not. Apart from the entertainment value and lack of clear arguments on the side of the IBWA - the biggest reason? Annie and team have no vested interest in this apart from helping the world be a bit more sustainable. Yes they might be wrong in some of their facts and not know the line between fact and fiction as often as we like, but the average Joe in the street knows that the IBWA is protecting their interests and industry while Annie and her team have no money in this game. Values vs Value. And when it comes to story telling – values tend to be more creative and believable.
2. How responsible is clean tech companies?
We tend to assume that a company that has some inherent goodness in the product must be a good corporate citizen right? And I don’t mean that goodness captured in that burger joint you frequent. Think of the Prius – good for the environment so it must be good. Mmm… Maybe we need to rethink that one. Yes, the Prius is better for the environment than the alternative Hummer but it’s not exactly eco-friendly. Just a tad friendlier. I wouldn’t suck on the exhaust pipe just yet – still emitting some bad stuff, just less than others. And let’s not even talk about how the car is made.
But that’s almost too obvious. How about clean tech companies? Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition just did a study to create a Solar Scorecard. Pretty neat and interesting way to look at companies we assume would be green and clean. As with the Prius, they found that not everything is the way we expect it to be. Some of the companies rate pretty well while others rank low when it comes to their use of toxic materials and broad environmental practices. Neat, but it triggered something else for me.
What about the social impact and practices of these “green” companies? Do we assume that they are great because of the products they produce? Well, just half of them have analyzed the social and environmental impacts of their supply chains, and half also have worker codes of conduct in place with their suppliers. Not so great. Just half have checked that those products that help nature don’t nail people?
Maybe we are forgetting that nature means nothing to humans if humans don’t exist. Saving the earth only has relevance if people can enjoy what is saved. Maybe we should worry about people as much as we worry about the environment. Sure, go hug a tree but when last did you hug a human?
Maybe the world economy is really going down the tube when an institution like National Geographic sells it’s brand down the river. I’ve always assumed that National Geographic is all about nature - recording it, protecting it and not selling it. But not anymore. The Guardian ran an excellent piece about National Geographic putting its name next to a few air fresheners. Two broad thoughts on this.
First, and one that really hit the spot, was the names that they gave the air fresheners. One was called Alaska’s Glacier Bay (the others were Japan Tatami and Nevada Desert Flower.) Really? Now how do you capture the natural essence of Alaska’s Glacier Bay? A little bit of Ppg-3 Ethyl Ether, a dash of Parfum, a hint of Linalool, a drop or two of Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, a handful of Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, some Hydroxycitronellal, pinch of Geraniol, a little Coumarin, and some Citronellol, Cinnamyl, Alcohol, Limonene and Cinnamal to round it off.
Or as the Guardian puts it, “Mmmmm, I love the smell of Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde in the morning.” Yes… Maybe not so natural.
And it’s a plug-in as well? Pulling electricity from those oil wells in Alaska to power the Alaska’s Glacier Bay? Really silly idea.
But the biggest problem is the National Geographic brand. Who thought this was a good idea? If they tried to sell me a tumbler made from recycled materials or a backpack or some hiking boots then fine. But the Guardian rightly points out that this deal undermines the National Geographic brand and the values people thought it stood for. Really… It smells foul.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the clarification – good to see you and everyone engaging. I’m not a big supporter of the anti-bottled water campaign as I think it is too much of an easy populist target that misses the point of the true impact on the environment. Bottled water is easy because bottles can be seen everywhere. I don’t see the activists targeting the use of plastic elsewhere – food containers, bags, clothing, shoes etc.
And, like you said, plastic is made from oil by-products. If they want real change then they should focus on the oil industry cutting oil and not a by-product. (I should have remembered the by-product argument as I knew about it from a previous life.)
That said, I do think that the bottled water industry need to get stronger on plastic recycling. There is no consistency when it comes to what type of recycling is supported. Some companies like no regulation (self-regulation instead), others like the California model (with changes) etc. I do think that the only way we will address the recycling challenge is on a federal level as each system is different and not offered everywhere. Last time I checked (2 years ago) plastic bottles could only be recycled in about 50% of the US. I know companies like NWNA, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have done some interesting things on recycling and set some solid goals. However, the problem is bigger than a single player and the industry really need to find a common workable solution that makes it simple and easy to recycle.
I think a life-cycle analysis might show that plastic bottles aren’t the worst offenders with the worst impact. However, it’s important from a consumer perspective as this is what they have influence over. They carry that bottle in their hands and feel the guilt. Telling them to not throw it away when they have limited recycling options will only make them feel more guilt – and harm the industry.
And, of course, bottled water still has a worse impact than tap water. Yes there is waste 20-30% because of a ‘broken’ system and inefficient agriculture uses way too much water (compared to bottled water that uses so little compared to othe rusers), but the system is (mostly) pretty good in the US and the impact is limited. Last point on this one – I do think that tap water is too cheap in the US. People waste water and industries such as agriculture waste because they have no incentive to cut their use. People need to realize that it is not a natural resource that they can use and abuse but that they have to show some level of responsibility towards usage and pay for it – and, of course, bottled water companies should pay more for the water they use as well.
I also think that the issue with bottled water are two issues really – the container and the product inside it. Yes the container is made of plastic but it uses less plastic than any other beverage container – like soda. And it people really want to live without plastic they should target the big users and not one that is just a populist target. The product inside is a healthy alternative to soda and the issue is less about health than whether people should pay for what is in the container. If they don’t want to pay for it – use a tumbler.
Last issue. I don’t think that the anti-bottled water activists have come up with really solid alternatives. You can’t remove the water option from people – especially not in a country where so many people drink soda and hello obesity. And drinks like juices are just too expensive compared to soda and water. Public places where people can easily drink water? No thank you. At home or a container please. Yes I carry my reusable bottle with me but when I forget that? I aim for a drink at the shop and sometimes that is bottled water.
The underlying challenges are: Firstly, find an alternative to all beverage containers and target everyone using plastic, not just bottled water. Secondly, let everyone (individuals and companies) pay more for water so that people can realize that water has a social value – the current system just does not reflect this.
Any Tom, I thank you for your time to comment in a constructive way – I appreciate that. I’m not hiding behind the Angry African name, I just have to find a way to split my two blog by name as well.
Henk
Dear Angry African: I must respectfully submit that the IBWA video being vilified by the anti-bottled water lobby was NOT produced to address Annie Leonard’s factually flawed video. Rather, we produced it to address the U.N.’s World Water Day. We are currently working on IBWA’s rebuttal video to “The Story of Bottled Water,” which will specfically point out the many errors in Annie Leonard’s expensive, glossy production.
Now about the UN. Nowhere in its recent report is there factual documentation or even a footnote about their “conclusions” about oil. In a report that documents every detail, the statement about oil made in the summary just sits there, undocumented. Fact is, plastic is made from oil by-products, the gunk leftover after making gasoline. So rather than just disposing of it, the leftover oil is turned into useful plastic, which can in turn be recycled.
By the way, IBWA is working hard to address current recycling rates. We know 30.9% is still too low. We are also light-weighting our plastic bottles and recently confirmed our bottled water products have a very small environmental footprint compared to other packaged beverages.
Hi Sahlah! Nice to ‘see’ you again. I’m slowly but surely getting back into blogging. Millions of stories but have to find the right time to write them… On NatGeo – sometimes the world is so odd we can only laugh at them.
Nice to see you blogging again!
That Nat Geo/Ambi Pur collaboration would be funny if they weren’t serious. Anything for a dollar.