Poland Springs "eco-shape": What a Joke!

The environmental movement has come up with a new word for companies that use fake green credentials to deceive consumers into believing their products help the natural world: greenwashing. Poland Springs has come out with a new "eco-shape" bottle that uses 30% less plastic then other bottled water companies. The label on the bottle neglects to mention that the water bottles are one of the most detrimental products for the world, even if they have less plastic than their competitors. Look at it this way, a gas guzzling SUV that gets 10 mpg is bad for the environment. If the same gas guzzling SUV got 30% better mileage (13mpg) it would still be ecologically detrimental, and could not be considered eco-friendly in any sense.

People naively assume that since something is marketed as eco-friendly, it is friendly for the environment. The Poland Spring Eco-Friendly water bottle does have 30% less plastic than an average water bottle, however, though that is a nice baby step in the right direction, it doesn't change the reality. What happens to a Poland Springs Eco-Friendly water bottle after it is used? About 80% of them are thrown away after a single use. According to the Container Recycling Institute, Americans threw out about 50 billion recyclable water bottles so far this year. Water bottles are a growing industry, and as the industry grows, so does its carbon footprint.

The bottom line is that you can get the same clean, great tasting water right from your tap. All you need is a Brita Water Pitcher and a reuseable bottle.