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Bottled water sales slump after Standard campaign
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Affairs Editor17.03.08
Sales of bottled water have slumped dramatically since the Standard launched its Water On Tap campaign three weeks ago.
Restaurateurs in the capital said they had seen demand for still and sparkling mineral water fall by up to fifth as diners switched to tap.
It is the biggest change in habits since Perrier and other French bottled varieties first appeared regularly on tables in the early Eighties.
Michael Gottlieb, managing director of Christopher's in Covent Garden, said: "It has affected volumes by about 20 per cent. A lot of people are saying it's all because of the Evening Standard."
D&D London, which owns 22 restaurants, said it had seen a switch of around 10 per cent. Hoxton's Fifteen, founded by Jamie Oliver, said it had experienced a similar move to tap.
Jeremy King, co-owner of the Wolseley, said the effect had been less dramatic there because it had been offering tap water for the past year.
"But other restaurateurs I've spoken to are saying there has definitely been an impact," he added.
At Selfridges, restaurant managers have ordered more jugs and decanters to cope with higher demand for tap water. The trend means that thousands fewer bottles are being drunk each week, resulting in fewer harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Bottled water costs around 500 times more to supply than tap water and generates up to 300 times the carbon dioxide emissions.
About 22 million tonnes of bottles a year are transported between countries. Some sold in London restaurants and hotels have come from as far as Fiji and New Zealand. A number of new restaurants, such as the refurbished Quo Vadis in Soho, have had tap water filtration systems installed and will not offer bottles.
Recent surveys have shown as many as one in five diners is nervous about asking for tap, despite the vast majority feeling it should be readily available.
But bottled water producers say they
are already feeling the effects of changing public attitudes.
In the Commons last week, Gordon Banks, Labour MP for Ochil and South Perthshire, said the new trend was having an impact on companies like Highland Spring in his constituency.
The Government has said drinking bottled water is "bordering on morally unacceptable". It has been banned from Cabinet meetings and Commons committee sessions.
Hundreds of leading London restaurants as well as chains such as Costa Coffee and Starbucks have come out in supporting of the campaign.
We are calling on restaurants and cafés to offer tap water alongside still and fizzy bottled varieties.
Reader views (4)
I have been requesting tap water for many years due to no environmental reasoning but in order to keep what's in my pocket in my pocket.
However; I fully understand the reluctance of some people to join this new eco-fad because of the looks passed on by the distributors in-store; I have had some really dirty looks in the past and many 'baristas' even pretend they have no idea what it is you are asking for... and I am pretty sure my English is of a decent standard!
Maybe our ever-loving, environmentally conscious Mayor will introduce some rules for the newly entitled waterboys/girls of London.
- Hercules, London, England
The fashion for bottled water reminds one of the old saying that "Fools and their money are easily parted"
- James, London UK
Average glass of tap water has been through 4 sets of human kidneys. I'll be sticking to locally sourced spring/mineral water thanks.
- Tony, Manchester, UK
Just thought you'd like to know, I'll be off to Costco again at the beginning of April to by 48 x 1.5 litre and 48 x 0.5litre bottles of Evian.
If you are so concerned about the environmental damage of bottled water, why not look at the even more environmentally damaging beer production industry?
A 10-20% reduction is hardly a slump in sales.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
