by Dan Knupp Bottle of water or billion dollar bully? here’s a billion dollar bully Accountability International (CAI), negative healthcare disclosures on doing business here in a non-profit organization that helps smoking were made during the Kansas armed with a Madison protect consumers from corporate 1950s. The ads are trying to deflect Avenue marketing shtick that has abuse. They forced the company to criticism and recast the debate. attacked Kansas’s tax payer come clean. The summer’s first salvo was supported water systems. This “The industry is coming under full-page ads in the New York Times Tcorporate, bare-knuckled bully is pressure,” said Gigi Kellett, director and San Francisco Chronicle. The the bottled water industry. For decades, water bottlers and their hired gun ad agency hucksters have Despite industry high priced talk, bottled water just doesn’t spun a seductive web that has convinced an entire population that walk the walk. It’s not healthier, safer or anything but a their “one-of-a-kind” water sources handy, expensive indulgence over tap water. provide a healthier drink, and hipper image. And, they have promoted the idea that bottled of a campaign to educate the public ads, explained by Joe Doss, chief water products aren’t just good, but on the problems with the bottled executive of the IBWA, “No one are the moral equivalent of Mt. water industry by CAI. “People are should dissuade consumers from Everest. The bottled water industry asking questions, and the bottled drinking water in a country where attack dog, the International Bottled water association is rolling out a diabetes, obesity and heart disease Water Association (IBWA), takes campaign to polish their image.” are threatening public health. It’s no prisoners in a relentless public not a bottled water vs. tap water relations effort to issue; water is a very healthy drink protect the billions that shouldn’t be discouraged.” of dollars flowing The ads also tell into member consumers that coffers. drinking out of The conflict plastic bottles has become the Despite American norm industry high in this go-go priced talk, bottled society, and isn’t water just doesn’t There’s limited to water. walk the walk. It’s since been a not healthier, safer perfect storm of Skeptics Dan Knupp criticism and haven’t been Communications or anything but a handy, expensive actions taken convinced of the indulgence over tap water. And, against the industry’s ad like a leaked White House memo, industry. The claims calling there was a national “ah ha” IBWA has rallied them just another moment this summer when an the troops to attempt by the industry biggie was forced to spend corporations plainly state on bottle labels that whatever to shine their their water source was of all things, amount of image and the local tap water! The pressure money is needed to pay for a advertise a product that isn’t was applied to PepsiCo to tell the comprehensive advertising and necessary. It is a bottled water vs. truth, in writing, on Aquafina bottle public relations campaign. This tap water issue. We don’t argue labels. The consumer campaign campaign is reminiscent of with the IBWA’s claim that people was orchestrated by Corporate cigarette industry efforts after should hydrate with healthy water – 54 THE KANSAS LIFELINE November 2007 we just think that it should be American Dental Association is Pott County #1 and we were glad healthy tap water we hydrate with, essential for young children. The to have a sip at a movie where the not bottled water. new PR campaign from the IBWA choices were $4 bottled water or a counters conventional wisdom with $5 soft drink. Designer, stainless What’s been said and done press releases saying that steel ‘Get Your Fill’ bottles are now This summer, upscale restaurant fluoridation is harmful to children, on the market for that ‘upscale’ owners nationwide took note of the touting their many famous Berkeley eatery, Chez ‘experts.’ The Panisse, when owner Patty Waters ‘discount-the- decided to deep six bottled water at science,’ take-no- the Chez. Several other upscale Bay prisoners approach Area restaurants quickly booted to the industry PR bottled water in the name of campaign matches conservation, prompting restaurants the aggressiveness of from coast to coast to do the same. its paid advertising. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Many consumers Newson became the first to outlaw nationally have been city-funded bottled water. Soon simply skipping the after, New York City initiated its bottled water new ad campaign, “Get Your Fill,” purchase. It’s just as marketing New York’s extra fine easy for many to fill tap water over the bottle. Salt Lake a dish-washer-safe City Mayor Rocky Anderson had ‘Nalgene’ bottle a similar message for his city with locally employees – use tap water, don’t produced and EPA buy bottled! The U.S. Conference protected tap water of Mayors made a proclamation to for the trip to the bring attention to the importance of ball game. My wife It’s easy to fill a Nalgene bottle and keep it refrigerated for when public water systems and how and I usually carry a you’re heading out the door. These plastic bottles have been the vulnerable they are to bottled water. bottle of great tasting standard for bicyclers and backpackers for several years. Other cities coast to coast have since banned city-funded purchases of bottled water. As reported in August by the Chicago Sun Times, Chicago might have a unique approach to relieving a $217.7 million budget gap for the upcoming year. The idea came from Alderman George Cárdenas who proposed taxing bottled water with a 10 to 25 cent per bottle tax to reduce landfill costs and close a nearly $40 million shortfall in the city’s water and wastewater funds, in part because of a slow down in water usage. This idea will be explored by a supporting Mayor Daly in future budget talks. We can hope other cities will consider such a tax to protect city infrastructure from corporations that abuse the public trust. Many critics point out that bottled water has another downside. It generally does not have fluoridation, which according to the November 2007 THE KANSAS LIFELINE 55 Bottle of water or . market niche – if one can’t live wealthy opt out of drinking tap Kansas companies in the mix without extravagance. If away from water, the less political support there There are a multitude of private home I’ll buy a bottle of water, but will be for investing in maintaining label water bottlers in the state really, tap water tastes great, is so America’s public water supply.” If selling product to retailers and much less expensive and filling a enough of us regular people feel we organizations alike. Two rural bottle hasn’t put a strain on a have to drink only bottled water, newcomers to the industry in Kansas normally lazy guy like me! there would be much less political are Caldwell Bottling Company and What’s the fuss about? Bottled water rethinking is awash with environmental As a country we could be paying a second time for this bottled concern over energy wasted in water extravagance. The nation’s water infrastructure is showing transportation, production and recycling of bottled water products’ its age with many a community’s water infrastructure a century plastic containers. In the U.S. alone, old or older. In 2003, the EPA estimated a cost of $277 billion a billion bottles of water are moved every week in boats, planes, ships, to keep America’s water distribution systems safe and efficient trains and trucks. That volume would fill a 573 mile long line of over the next 20 years. semi-trucks and trailers. Parked end- to-end on I-70 that line would run support for infrastructure spending. Longford Water Company. Caldwell from near Limon, Colo., clear across The last thing this nation needs is Bottling, located south of Wichita Kansas, almost to Columbia, Mo. dual water sources – one for the rich was expanded by a recent purchase. That’s a huge energy foot print in and another for the rest. Company CEO Max McDermott of diesel fuel, C0 emissions and 2 Alva, Okla. explained, “Our particulate belched into our air. The payoff for corporations investors purchased the company Producing the yearly supply of oil Tried and true corporate mainly to be able to bottle a great based plastic water bottles, slurps 50 marketing efforts have paid off tasting artesian water from our million barrels of imported oil and handsomely for the industry since Oklahoma well, located just off the guess is that only 10 percent of 1977 when the French spring water, Hwy. 11, adjacent to the Great Salt empties are recycled. And, as we Perrier, debuted in America with Plains. The Caldwell facility used to ‘keep on trucking’ designer waters $20 million in first year sales, buy raw water from the City of from around the world, one out of tripling to $60 million the next; Caldwell but now we primarily six people in the world has no safe, industry revenues took off from bottle the artesian water. We filter, dependable drinking water – that’s a there. Today over 300 major brands use UV and ozonation treatments billion people who couldn’t get a and a multitude of low volume on the water.” clean drink of water even if we producers and distributors sold $15 halted that convoy today! billion worth of product last year Caldwell bottling provides private label bottling for local As a country we could be paying and will gross $16 billion this year.