by Richard Morrison
February 17, 2009

Washington, D.C., February 17, 2009—Recent activist campaigns against bottled water have been filled with myths and half-truths, and have been motivated more by environmentalist ideology than evidence, according to a new study released today by the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

“Public officials around the nation and in Canada are imposing bans and regulations on bottled water largely because of environmentalist hype,” said CEI Director of Risk & Environmental Policy Angela Logomasini. “But our research shows that the activists’ claims don’t hold water. Taxes, bans, and other regulations on bottled water simply undermine consumer choice and rob consumer pocketbooks promising little in return.”

Organizations and politicians advocating bans on bottled water have questioned everything from the product’s safety and quality to its recycling rate and carbon footprint. Along the way, opponents have tried to foster the impression that bottled water is wasteful, unnecessary, unsafe or all three. Logomasini’s study, Bottled Water and the Overflowing Nanny State: How Misinformation Erodes Consumer Freedom, refutes these claims with clear, persuasive force.

“The public has freely turned to bottled water as an alternative to drinks with calories, for convenience, freshness, and whatever other reasons they themselves find worthy,” wrote Logomasini. “Misinformation spread by activists should not determine who can access this product. People who do not like the product can make their own choices. They should not have any right to make them for the rest of us.” 

>>>Watch the Videos on Bottled Water<<< 

Can’t Trust the NRDC on Bottled Water

What’s Stupid About Bottled Water? 

The Serious Consequences of Banning Bottled Water 

For more information, please visit the campaign website: www.enjoybottledwater.org. 

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit our website at www.cei.org.