International Bottled Water Association | Immediate Release | October 1, 2010
Victory for IBWA in Litigation against Eco Canteen Advertisements
ALEXANDRIA, VA— On September 17, 2010, Judge Robert Conrad of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina granted the International Bottled Water Association’s request for a permanent injunction against the false and misleading advertising of Eco Canteen, Inc., a distributor of reusable stainless steel canteens.
IBWA initiated the lawsuit against Eco Canteen because it felt that Eco Canteen was engaged in a deliberate scare campaign to mislead consumers into believing that steel containers are safer than PET plastic bottles.
The Court entered a broad permanent injunction prohibiting Eco Canteen from continuing to make false or misleading claims in ads or on its website, including:
- that plastic bottled water containers contain “phthalates” and/or that plastic bottled
- water containers leach “phthalates” into water;
- that PET single-serve bottled water containers contain BPA;
- that BPA is dangerous or threatening to public health; and
- that the act of recycling PET plastic releases deleterious substances
- contained in plastic bottled water products.
Judge Conrad also prohibited Eco Canteen from engaging in other acts or practices which tend unfairly or deceptively to compete with or injure the business reputation and goodwill of water bottlers or IBWA.
“IBWA is pleased that the Court has ordered Eco Canteen to stop making false and misleading claims about bottled water,” said Joe Doss, President and CEO of IBWA. “This should send a signal to bottled water critics that making false and misleading advertising claims about bottled water products is not permissible. The truth about safe, healthy, convenient bottled water will carry the day as both consumers and the courts examine the facts.”
Eco Canteen has been ordered by the Court to immediately halt and remove all print, internet, television and any other media advertisement campaigns or commercial communications containing any false and/or misleading statements regarding plastic bottled water products.
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CONTACT:
Tom Lauria
703-647-4609 or 703-887-4056 (cell)
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.
