Drop in bottled water sales encourages activists

Sales of bottled water are slipping across North American and Europe, giant food company Nestl Waters reported Thursday.

Water sales for the company, part of the Nestl conglomerate, fell1.6 per cent in 2008, the parent company reported. Profit margins in the bottled water business also fell.

The company, which says it is the leading bottled water company in the world with 72 brands, linked the sales drop to"the continued slowdown of the bottled water category," while the profit margin fellbecause of higher costs for plastic anddistribution.

But for the anti-bottled-water activists at the Polaris Institute, the drop is proof that their "Inside the Bottle" campaign is working. The institute says its campaign highlights the environmental, health, social and economic impacts of bottled water and calls for the rebuilding and maintenance of public tap water systems.

The Nestl Waters result shows thatconsumers are rejecting bottled water,Richard Girard, Polaris research co-ordinator, said in a news release.

"Across the country municipalities, universities, churches, restaurants and unions are kicking out the bottled and turning on the tap."

According to Polaris:

• Twenty-four municipalities have restricted sales of bottled water.
• More than40 municipalities are looking into the idea.
• The Association of Municipalities of Ontariorecently encouraged members to contact municipalities that have taken action against bottled water.
• Twenty-oneuniversity and college campuses have established "bottled-water-free" zones.

But Saint John, N.B.,city council last fall defeated a proposal to ban bottled water sales from municipal buildings.