Bottled Water Reporter Dec09/Jan10 - 6

president’s message Standing Ground Against Untrue Claims By Joseph K. Doss, IBWA President THIS ISSUE OF BOTTLED WATER REPORTER FOCUSES ON THE theme of environmental sustainability. Our industry has continued its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and be good stewards of the environment. We have lightweighted our plastic water bottles, increased use of recycled materials for our containers, explored alternative materials such as polylactic acid (PLA), converted to more fuel-efﬁcient delivery trucks, and, with great stewardship, kept our groundwater withdrawals remarkably low: a mere 0.02 percent of all groundwater withdrawals in the United States are used annually for bottled water products. The environmental efforts of many IBWA members are an extension of who we are: good neighbors, good business people, and good citizens. Unfortunately, our critics do not see it that way. Some anti-bottled water activists continue their assault on the industry without regard to the many ways we work to lighten our environmental load. Those groups have made false claims about bottled water because they believe their untrue statements will inﬂuence the decision-making process of consumers, lawmakers, and the media. Although municipal water systems in the United States and around the world are vast, activists falsely accuse private-sector bottled water companies of trying to privatize the Earth’s fresh water supply. Nearly every aspect of the bottled water business is under ﬁre: the energy costs required to make plastics, the necessity of landﬁlls to hold unrecycled containers, and the carbon emissions required in transportation. Bottled water—like every other product on the market—has energy costs attached to it, requires landﬁlls for products that go unrecycled, and is delivered via some type of vehicle that emits some form of carbon emissions. Our critics employ a kind of tunnel vision to selectively suggest our products—and our products alone—impact the environment. But here’s a little fact for anti-bottled water activists to ponder: Many of the Earth-friendly actions by bottled water companies pre-date the current “green” movement. Home and ofﬁce delivery (HOD) companies take great pride in being “the original recycler.” Some springs and groundwater sources have been in continual operation for more than a century, showing long-term environmental stewardship. It’s safe to say that bottled water was demonstrating environmental sustainability well before it was cool to do so. IBWA INTERNATIONAL BOTTLED WATER ASSOCIATION BOTTLED WATER REPORTER is published for: International Bottled Water Association 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650 Alexandria, VA 22314-2973. Tel: 703.683.5213 Fax: 703.683.4074 www.bottledwater.org ■ I B WA S TA F F President Joseph K. Doss jdoss@bottledwater.org Vice President of Government Relations Patrick B. Donoho pdonoho@bottledwater.org Vice President of Education, Science, and Technical Relations Robert R. Hirst bhirst@bottledwater.org Vice President of Communications Thomas Lauria tlauria@bottledwater.org Chief Financial Officer Michelle S. Tiller mtiller@bottledwater.org Director of Government Relations Daniel Felton dfelton@bottledwater.org Director of Conventions, Trade Shows, and Meetings Michele Campbell mcampbell@bottledwater.org Director of Science and Research Tamika Sims tsims@bottledwater.org Manager of Membership Benita Stocks bstocks@bottledwater.org Manager of Publications and Special Projects Sabrina E. Hicks shicks@bottledwater.org Manager of Communications (vacant) Education and Technical Programs Coordinator Dimeko Shaw dshaw@bottledwater.org Executive Assistant LaKesha Gathers ibwainfo@bottledwater.org Bottled Water Reporter Layout and Design The YGS Group 3650 West Market Street York, PA 17404 Tel: 800.501.9571 Fax: 717.505.9713 www.theygsgroup.com Editor Sabrina E. Hicks shicks@bottledwater.org Graphic Designer Jennifer Tillmann jennifer.tillmann@theygsgroup.com Cover Concept Paris Sims parissims@me.com Advertising Sales Stephanie Bunsick stephanie.bunsick@theygsgroup.com Stephanie Schaefer stephanie.schaefer@theygsgroup.com Bottled Water DECEMBER 2009/JANUARY 2010

Bottled Water Reporter Dec09/Jan10

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bottled Water Reporter Dec09/Jan10