TanyaAlvarado

PerparimGutaj
PoliticalScience1100
December1,2015

PoliticsofBottledWater

Thesellingofbottledwatercanbetracedalltheywaybacktotheearly1800s.
Itwas
firstmarketedasaluxuryitemintheU.S.in1976.LookingatagraphprovidedbytheNatural
ResourceDefenseCouncilonU.S.BottledWaterMarket,19761997Gallonage,wecanseea
clearincreaseintheconsumersdemandforbottledwater.Wecanalsoconcludeandwitness
thatitisonlygrowingintodaysage.Makeonetriptothegrocerystoreandsurelyanentireaisle
isdedicatedtodifferentbrandsofbottledwater/bottledbeverages.Becauseoftheundeniable
reliancewehaveonthisproductweasconsumersshouldstarttoquestionthepoliticsofbottled
waterspecificallytheimplicationsitbringstosell,consume,andmanufacturethiselementthat
weneedtosurvive.Whatmarkhasthesaleofbottledwaterleftonoursocietypolitically?
Sincethereisevidentlyahighdemandforbottledwater.Americabeingthecapitalistic
forcethatitis,hasfoundtheconsumerandtheyarehappytosupply.Therearehundredsof
brandsofbottledwater.Eachcompanyiswellawareofthetacticsthatdrawpeopletowards
them.Becauseofthis,thebottledwaterindustryhasflourishedinthemarket,forcingstatesand
thefederalgovernmenttoregulatetheproductionofbottledwater.TheFoodandDrug
Administration(FDA)istheagencyinchargeofsettingterminology,standards,andrulesforthe

regulationofbottledwater.Therearebasically4typesofbottledwater,
springwater,
groundwater/municipalwaterand,artesianwellwater.Allhavetomeetdifferentcriteriatobe
abletocallthemselvesanyofthe4typeslistedabove.Oneoftheproblemsdealingwiththe
labelsonbottlesisthatmanycompaniesdeceiveconsumersonwherethewaterissourcedfrom.
ThisisabigissuebecausetheFDAisheldresponsible,whichcreatesdistrustbetween
governmentagenciesanditsconstituents.PeterGleick,authorof
BottledandSold:TheStory
BehindOurObsessionwithBottledWater
saysinaninterviewwithNPR,Therulesaren't
workingright,Ithinkthepublicoughttoknowmoreregularly,morefrequently,moreopenly
aboutwhatsinourbottledwater.Helatergoesontosaythatpartofthereasontheindustryis
underregulatedisbecausetheminutewaterisbottleditisconsideredafood,whichfallsunder
rulesoftheFDAwhereastapwaterisregulatedbytheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA).
TheEPAholdsmorefrequenttestingofwaterandstricterregulationsonit.MuchofFDA's
timeandeffortisspentaddressingfoodissueswithabearingonhealthandsafety,suchas
productcontaminationandnotonlabelviolations.Healthandsafetyissuesincludebacterial
contamination,problemsarisingintheprocessingoffood,ingredientstatementsthatdonotlist
knownallergensfoundintheproduct,etc.Therefore,toalargeextent,foodlabels,including
labelingofbottledwaterproductsarelargelyoutofcontrol.Thisisoutlinedinasectionof
Generalinformationonbottledwaterwithinthe
UtahDepartmentofAgricultureandFood.
However,thoughitistrueeconomicsofbottledwaterforcompaniessellingarelooking
bright,theoutcomesofproductionfromcompanieslikeNestle,Aquafina,Dasani,etc.is
becomingdetrimentaltoourenvironment.TheSierraCluborganizationstatesIntheU.S.,
morethan30billionplasticwaterbottlesendupasgarbageorlittereachyear.Thisissueis

receivingmoreattentionnowthatthepublicisbecomingmoreawareofthefactthatalmostall
plasticwasteendsupintheocean.Itishurtingoceanwildlifeandplantslikecoralreefsanditis
costingstateslikeCaliforniaAsrevealedinanewreportproducedonbehalfoftheNatural
ResourcesDefenseCouncilbyKierAssociates,Californiacities,towns,andtaxpayers,are
shouldering$428millionperyearincoststostoplitterfrombecomingpollutionthatharmsthe
environment,tourismandothereconomicactivity.Thoughalargepartoftheplasticinthe
oceanisplasticbottles,plasticbagsarealsoamainwastefoundandaccordingtoa2013
documentarycalledPlasticParadiseAngelaSuninforms,over70U.S.citiesand44
communitieshavebannedsingleuseplasticbagsand/oradoptedlegislationchargingforuseof
singleusebags.
Manypeoplethinktheproblemismerelysolvedifwewouldallrecycle.Throughmy
researchIhavediscoveredmostofourrecycledplasticbottlesarenotturnedbackintonew
bottles.MostallbottledwaterplasticismadeofPETE(polyethyleneterephthalate)whichindeed
canberecycledbutisactuallycollectedandshippedtochina.Chinathenmakesrugs,toys,and
othercommodities(notbottlesofplastic)outofthisrecycledPETE.Thebottledwaterindustry
thenofcourse,usesnewrawpetroleumtomakemoreplasticbottlesfortheirwater.Asweall
mayknowplasticisamaterialthatisnearlyimpossibletodecomposetherefore,onceitsmadeit
stays.Thatiswhyplasticisabigproblemforourenvironment.
Theamountofplasticneededtomanufactureandthewasteitcreatesisabigissuebut
thewateritcontainsisanother,onethathasmadeitswayintopoliticsmoreeasilythanthe
plasticholdingit.SmalltownsthroughouttheU.S.havebeenselectedbybignamecompanies
likeNestleforpumpingoutwater.Apopularstoryonthissubjectwasreleasedin2009inthe

townofFryeburgMaine.PolandSpringsabrandofbottledwaterownedbyNestlewasfighting
fortheirwaterrights.Nestlewaspumpingoutwaterfromtheirmunicipalwatersourceand
bottlingitupandthensellingbacktothesamecitizensitwastakingitawayfrom.Onecitizen
fromFryeburgonadocumentarycalledTappedsaid,Peoplearepayingforsomethingthey
cangohomeandgetforfreebyjustturningontheirfaucet.Accordingtothisdocumentaryand
awebsitecreatedbywaterwarriorscalled
http://stopnestlewaters.org
,Nestleputsupagood
fightbecausetheyareoneofthemostpowerfulcompaniesintheworld.Itwashardworkforthe
citizensinvolvedtoconvincetheirselectedmemberstopasstheconstitutionalrightsbased
ordinancethatallowsthemtohaverightstotheirwater.Withmanyyearsofstrugglingtofight
lobbyistsofNestle,theywereabletoconvincethemtotaketheirwellsoutoftheirnationalparks
andwildlifepreserveareas.Hereiswhattheydecided,Thisrevolutionaryordinancegiveits
citizenstherighttolocalselfgovernanceandgivesrightstoecosystemsbutdeniestherightsof
personhoodtocorporations.Thisordinanceallowsthecitizenstoprotecttheirgroundwater
resources,puttingitinacommontrusttobeusedforthebenefitofitsresidents.This
Informationisfoundinthewebsitewarisacrime.org
NestleseemstobegettingawaywithmuchinotherpartsoftheworldnotjustU.S.In
anotherdocumentarycalledbottledlifeproducedby
SwissjournalistResGehringer.Res
GehringervisitsPakistanwherewatersanitationisnotinthebestconditions,manypakistanians
tellhimtheirwaterisnotconsumableanditmakesthemsickeverytimetheydrinkit.Nestle
sawanopportunitytogrowtheirmarketthereandtheydid.Withtheirinvestmentsinadvertising
sureenoughtheybegantosellbottledwatertopakistanians,focusingonconveyingamessage
thattheirwaterispure,clean,safe,andalwaysthehealthiestbeveragetoquenchtheirthirst.But

asaresultofNestledrawingoutwaterfrompakistansruralareas,theseareashaveashortageof
thecountrysfreewellwater.Bottledwateristargetedtomiddleclassoruppermiddleclass.The
ruralareasofPakistanobviouslyarepopulatedbypoorpeople.TheycantaffordtobuyThe
productNestlemakesandcantaffordtoboilwaterallthetimeeither.Nestlehastakenmostof
thegroundwaterthatis
deepenoughforsafedrinking.Ithaslefttheruralareastodrinksurface
waterthatcontainstracesofHepatitis.PoorPakistaniansalsocantaffordtopayformedicineto
curetheeffectsthiswateriscausing.Althoughthefactoryhasbroughtemploymenttocitizensof
ruralPakistan,intheenditisstealingtheirlocalwatersupply.LikeIdiscussedearlierwith
FryeburgMaine,itishardtofightgroundwaterpoliciesbecauseitsveryunclearwhoisthe
ownerofitandthepoorhavenochanceagainstanindustryaslargeasNestle.
ImsurprisedIwasabletofindsomuchinformationonbottledwaterbecauseitsnot
discussedfrequentlyonthenewsbutmaybethere'sareason.IsaythatbecauseIdidntfind
anythingthattrulyconvincedmebottledwaterisbetterforhumanity.Thereismuchtobe
discussedonbottledwaterbutifoneiswillingtolookforanswershewillfindthem.Bottled
waterisanecessitythathasbeenbrilliantlyportrayedasacommoditybycompanieswhohave
realizeditstheoneproductwewillneverstopneeding.Afterfindingallthisresearchonbottled
water,Ihaveonlysolidifiedmyopiniononit.Thatitswrong.It'sliketakingsomethingfrom
someonethatwasalreadytheirstobeginwithandthenputtingapriceonit,forcingthemtopay
forsomethingnoonereallyhasownershipof.
Theindustryofbottledwaterdefinitelyhasanidentify,aninterest,andastatedynamic.
Tomyreliefitischangingslowlyandmorecompaniesaresubjectedtoalternatetheirpolicies
becausepeoplearebringingmoreattentiontoit.Morethaneverbeforegroupsandorganizations

arededicatedtohelptheenvironmentandprotectourrighttoknowwhataffectsproductslike
bottledwaterhaveonourplanet.Thereismuchtobedonestillbutitsimportanttorecognize
thosewhohavealreadyfighting.IllsummarizeastatementmadebyPeterGlickduringhis
interviewwithNPRwhenhesaysthesolutiontosaferdrinkingwaterbeingmadeaccessible
isntbottledwater,itsinvestingtimeandmoneyintoourtapwatersystemsaroundtheworld.
AccordingtotheUnitedNations,900millionpeoplehavenoaccesstocleanwatersoitisnot
onecountry'sproblemoveranother,weasmankindareallintertwinedwiththedutytodeliver
safewaterforeveryone.

Citations

Sincebottledwaterhappenstobearelativelynewproductallmysourceswerefound
onlineandondocumentariesbutIassureyou,Imadesuretouselegitimateonlinesourcesthat
actuallyhavecredibilityandwithinthewebsiteswerelistsofothersourcestheyusedtogettheir
information.HerearemostoftheURLsIused.

http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/chap2.asp
http://www.ecfr.gov
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu
http://www.bbc.com
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=126833795&m
=126883835
http://www.ourbetternature.org/bottledwater.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisakaasboyle/10reasonstobootnestle_b_7347358.html
http://www.sierraclub.org/washington/waterandsalmoncommittee
http://www.ag.utah.gov/conservationenvironmental.html
http://www.containerrecycling.org
http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/capollutioninwaterways.asp
http://www.recycleutah.org/plasticbagspart2/
http://stopnestlewaters.org/tag/maine
Documentaries:Bottledlife,PlasticParadise,Tapped.