Bottled Water Industry Responds to College Student Activists Seeking Ban

With places like the Grand Canyon National Park banning sale of plastic water bottles, environmental activists on college campuses are seeking to do the same. But the bottled water industry isn't taking this affront lightly.

It has a message for activists turning their own arguments against them.

NPR reports that the International Bottled Water Association launched a video against the "misinformation" presented by the activists. Some of the messages include that bottled water has "less of a carbon footprint", the lowest "water footprint" and less plastic compared to other packaged drinks.

Watch the video:

Taking the stance of promoting freedom of choice, the IBWA president Joe Doss says that it's not an issue of whether bottled or tap is better but that both options should be available, NPR reports:

[...] the IBWA video suggests the cause is unworthy of students' energy – instead, perhaps they could focus on genocide in Darfur. It claims bottled water is a good alternative to sugary beverages and easier to recycle than other packaged drinks. The IBWA also argues bottled water is safer than tap water.

Still activists argue that the choice for bottled water would still be available: off campus.

According to NPR, through the "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign, more than 20 schools nationwide have instituted either a whole or partial ban on water bottle sales.