Houston Turns Back to Tap Water

That stuff flowing from the faucet is safe, cheap and environmental

A A A Comments (0) By Chris Vogel and Lee Klein Wednesday, Aug 13 2008

According to Hemphill, this is a departure for the industry.

"One of the things that I think is kind of interesting," he says, "is that the bottled water category has grown to a fairly large-scale size with comparatively minimal marketing in terms of the dollars spent versus some of the other beverage categories. Pepsi and Coke did some limited television advertising, and you might see some print campaigns in magazines or the occasional billboard, but it's pretty much been a consumer phenomenon based on the desire for healthier products and convenience."

Think Outside the Bottle is a national organization trying to get people to kick bottled water and turn on the tap.

Margaret Downing

Wrapped in yards of plastic, this bottled water stands ready for the next natural emergency or sports event.

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Environmentally, more is being done these days than just superimposing eco-evocative words upon images of glistening mountain streams. The big three nowadays all utilize lighter-weight containers that use less plastic — Nestlé claims its Ozarka bottles are 30 percent lighter than the average bottles on the market, and an even lighter container is in the works. Aquafina indicates that its 35 percent slimmer bottle prevents 45 million pounds of plastic from landing in the dump each year. Coca-Cola's newly greened portfolio includes contributions to some 70 public water projects in 40 countries, and construction of the world's largest plastic bottle recycling plant, in Spartanburg, South Carolina (expected to open next year).

In one of its clearest victories to date, Think Outside the Bottle pressured Pepsi-Cola into agreeing to print "Public Water Source" on its Aquafina label.

"If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do," said Michelle Naughton, a Pepsi spokesperson.

Ray Crockett, her counterpart at Coca-Cola, disagrees.

"The FDA's definition of purified water does not require (revealing) the source," he has been quoted as saying. "We believe consumers know what they're buying."

Or at least some do. Probably about the same percentage as those knowing that Evian, spelled backwards, is naive.

chris.vogel@houstonpress.com