International Bottled Water Association | MEDIA RELEASE | Jun 3, 2015
The nation’s healthiest beverage makers seek support on Capitol Hill
Alexandria, VA – Members of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) are taking to the halls of Capitol Hill today (Wednesday, June 3, 2015) seeking continued support for policies that will promote the growth and consumption of bottled water, the world’s healthiest packaged beverage. Bottled water is also expected to become the No. 1 consumed package beverage in the United States by the end of 2016.
“We hope to educate members of Congress that bottled water companies produce for US consumers the healthiest package beverage on the shelf with the lowest environmental footprint and employ hundreds of thousands of Americans each year,” says Kristin Pearson Wilcox, IBWA’s vice president of Government Relations. “And as Congress works to shape our nation’s public policies and laws, they should support the growth and consumption of bottled water.”
More than three dozen IBWA members—bottlers, suppliers, and distributors from across the country—are participating in the organization’s annual June Hill Day, the fifth and largest Hill Day IBWA members have participated in thus far in 2015.
The IBWA members are briefing members on Congress on industry issues and facts, such as:
- Companies that manufacture, distribute, and sell bottled water products directly employ more than 159,557 Americans and generate an additional 294,749 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries.
- Not only does the manufacture and sale of bottled water create good jobs in the United States, it also contributes to the economy as a whole. In fact, the bottled water industry is responsible for as much as $115.73 billion in economic activity.
- In addition, companies that produce, distribute, and sell bottled water; their employees; and other firms and employees that depend on bottled water for their livelihoods provide the Federal government with more than $5.86 billion in tax revenues. State and local governments benefit from more than $3.96 billion in business and personal taxes paid by these firms and their employees.
- It takes only 1.32 liters of water to make 1 liter of bottled water, including the liter you drink. Bottled water uses less water to make than any other packaged beverage product.
- Did you know that out of all the water used in the United States each year, bottled water accounts for only 0.01 percent? And bottled water uses just 0.02 percent of all water used in California every year.
“We have a great story to tell,” says Ms. Pearson Wilcox. “When people choose bottled water instead of any other canned or bottled beverage, they are choosing no calories, no additives, less packaging, less energy consumption, and less use of natural resources. So we are telling Congress to ‘Drink Up’ –– which is the message communicated by First Lady Michelle Obama when she launched the Partnership for Healthier America’s Drink Up Initiative that encourages Americans to drink more water more often.”
The IBWA members’ visit is timely, as several issues important to the bottled water industry are up for debate in Washington this year, including bottled water sales bans in the National Parks, attempts to impose unwarranted restrictions on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging, FDA’s new vending machine labeling regulations, and drought conditions in some parts of the country that have resulted in false and misleading claims about the bottled water industry, she added.
More information about bottled water can be found at www.bottledwater.org.
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Media Contact:
Jill Culora
jculora@bottledwater.org
703.647.4609
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.
In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.
IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.
