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Message: Water & Pollution = Waterlution The U.S. had this water bottler remove its product from shelves due to choking hazard created by value-added cap design. This months Corporate Knight magazine detailed the coming fresh-water crisis. Scientific American’s December issue offers similar warnings: While oil shortages grab the headlines, water scarcity is creating at least as many headaches around the world. The most dramatic conditions are in Asia, where the world’s two megacountries, China and India, are grappling with deepening and unsolved water challenges. China’s great northern plain, home to more than 200 million people, is generally subhumid or arid and depends on unsustainable pumping of underground aquifers for irrigation. The Yellow River has been diverted to the point that it no longer flows to the sea. Meanwhile the water tables of Beijing and other large northern cities are falling dramatically as a result of the pumping of groundwater. Given the general uncertainty about pure water’s future, is increasingly being packaged as a luxury consumer item. But does bottled water offer us any more than locally available tap water? Here is Corporate Knight’s view on bottled water. Myth: Bottled water comes from a “pure” source, like a bubbling mountain stream. Reality: 40% of all bottled water comes from a municipal source rather than a natural spring, including Coca-Cola’s Dasani and PepsiCo’s Aquafina. Myth: The plastic bottles from bottled water are reused or recycled. Reality: 90% of the bottles from bottled water are thrown out after one use. They take 1,000 years to biodegrade. Myth: Bottled water comes from a fairly local source unless otherwise indicated. Reality: Nearly one quarter of bottled water produced crosses at least one national border to reach consumers. Myth: Bottled water is consumed in place of sugary fruit drinks, pop or juice. Reality: The majority of bottled water is consumed as a substitute for tap water. Myth: Bottled water comes from plentiful sources. Reality: The Coca-Cola water bottling plant in India has been accused of causing water shortages in 50 surrounding villages. www.corporateknightsforum.com