Our buyer beware project consisted of our group of 4 investigating reusable water bottles. Water bottles are a pretty hot topic among consumers today and many people use them every single day.
We wanted to find out a few things about resusable water bottles:
1)Their impact on the environment
2)Their health issues
3)Their prices
Probably the three biggest things a consumer is looking for in determining which water bottle they would choose.
Our primary research involved a survey which we distributed to about 20-25 Red River College students to test their knowledge of water bottles and the issues associated with them.
Environmental Impacts
It is obvious that using a reusable water bottle is much more environmentally friendly than using a disposable water bottle. According to back2tap.com, only 23 per cent of water bottles are recycled in the US, and it takes up to 700 years for them to decompose in landfills.
The production of plastic bottles is a large drain on resources, without even considering the environmental impact of their shipment and the fact that less than ¼ of these bottles are recycled, even though the plastic they are made (#1) is the easiest to recycle. Disposable plastic bottles are clearly not an environmentally friendly choice.
As for reusable water bottles, stainless steel is generally considered an environmentally friendly product, as it is 100 per cent recyclable. Aluminum is also 100 per cent recyclable. According to Winnipeg’s recycling information line, however, stainless steel, aluminum and number seven plastic bottles can all be recycled in the city. Therefore, there is not much difference in the environmental impact of aluminum, stainless steel or plastic reusable bottles, as long as all three can be recycled in this area. They are all a much more environmentally friendly consumer choice than disposable bottles.
Health Issues
Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is a chemical that is used to make the plastic hard in objects such as children’s toys, food containers, and water bottles. Public concern over BPA has risen since 2008 when Canada became the first country to ban baby bottles containing BPA. Since then, other products that are known to contain BPA have been called into question, specifically water bottles, according to an article on the CBC website. BPA is most prevalent in polycarbonate water bottles.
Polycarbonate water bottles, and any other hard, plastic food container marked with the recycling number seven is said to contain the most BPA. Nalgene, a plastic container company that also produces polycarbonate water bottles, released a statement on their website saying that they are confident that their products are safe. They cite that Health Canada, the first organization to label BPA a dangerous toxin, admitted in a report that the average adult would need to consume at least 1,000 litres of water in a polycarbonate bottle for the BPA amount to be of significant harm. However, presumably to keep up with the competition (stainless steel and aluminum bottles), Nalgene did release a line of BPA-free water bottles.
Stainless steel water bottles, including the original line, Klean Kanteen, have zero BPA in them and as long as they are kept clean, there should be no negative health effects. Aluminum water bottles, such as SIGG, are also considered to be safe, but this reputation has become tarnished as the liner of the water bottles were revealed to contain BPA, according to a story in the Calgary Herald. SIGG corrected this mistake and released new water bottles that are BPA-free. The BPA-free bottles can be identified by their pale yellow coating, as oppose to the old models that had a copper bronze finish.
Price Comparison
Disposable Plastic
To examine the cost of using disposable plastic water bottles, we will use Aquafina. You can purchase a 24-pack of 500 ml bottles for $9.99. But, if you drink 1 bottle a day for two-and-a-half months, you would have already spent as much money as if you were to buy a reusable SIGG bottle. Disposable plastic is not an economical choice.
Non-Disposable Plastic
Moving on to non-disposable plastic water bottles, we will use the popular Nalgene brand as an example. Nalgene-outdoor.com sells 16 ounce bottles for up to $9.50 and 32 ounce bottles for up to $11.50. For the average person who does not care what their water bottle looks like and who is not concerned about BPA, this is probably the best option due to the low price.
Stainless Steel
According to their site, Klean Kanteen sells 18 ounce bottles for $16.45, 27 ounce bottles for $17.95, and a massive 40 ounce bottle for $25.95. Anyone still concerned about BPA should consider these bottles, as it is allegedly a safe choice.
Aluminum
The aluminum SIGG bottle is one of the most popular brands in the world. According to SIGG.com, 20 ounce bottles (.6 litres) are priced at $21.99 and the 33 ounce bottles (1 litre) are cost $24.99.
Conclusions
The results of our study led us to conclude:
1. BPA seems to have a bad reputation. However, BPA appears to only be harmful to infants, fetuses and pregnant women. There are only trace amounts present in some water bottles, we have determined that it should not be a determining factor in choosing a reusable water bottle.
2. Environmentally speaking, in most regions, aluminum, stainless steel and plastic reusable bottles are all recyclable. They are all much more environmentally friendly alternatives to disposable bottles.
3. There are a variety of reusable bottles, all in different price ranges. While more expensive ones, such as SIGG and Klean Kanteen, are often overpriced simply because of good branding and advertising, a better quality bottle may last longer, if one does not intend on replacing it every year or two.
We recommend that consumers do not worry about health issues or environmental concerns when choosing a reusable bottle, but rather choose a bottle based on what they are willing to pay and how important quality and branding are to them.
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