All Articles
2012 Articles
- An Improving Environmental Footprint for the Bottled Water Industry
- Strong Performance for UK Bottled Water in 2011
- Venezuela’s President Announces Price Caps on Bottled Water
- Polyethylene terephthalate
- Marathon Rehydration
- Taking Water into the Exam Hall Improves Grades
- Two Thirds of French Children Dehydrated when they get to School
- Marvellous Minerals
- Defining Water: Minerals vs Hydration
- International World Water Day 2012
- Water Quality – The Issue of our Age
- BWCA Golf Day, Conference and Trade Show 2012
- Bottled Water Sales Banned at the Grand Canyon
- New Study into Perceptions amongst Health Professionals of Hydration and its Importance
- New Year’s Greetings
- Smart Water
- Classy Water
- Olympics a Welcome boost to Bottled Water Industry in 2012
- Water Cooler Cannon
- Dehydration in the Elderly
- 60% of Europe’s Spring Water is Found in Romania
- How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 1 – Bacterial Concerns
- How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 2 – Chemical Concerns
- The Water Cycle
- Algae
- How Filters Work Pt 1 - Granular Activated Carbon Filtration
- How Filters Work – Pt 2 – Ultraviolet Treatment and Ion Exchange
- How Filters Work. Pt 3 - Microporous Filtration and Reverse Osmosis
2011 Articles
- World Health Organisation Drinking Water Guidelines
- European Commision Drinking Water Directive
- And Finally for Today
- Water Cooler Test for Giant Octopus
- Yate Water Cooler Company Welcomes Local MP in Bid For the UK to Stay Cooler!
- Where’s Cooler? – British Water Cooler Association Competition Aims to Raise Public Awareness
- Introducing the Everest Office Water Cooler
- A Call to Improve Kerbside Plastic Bottle Collection
- The Flavia Creation 400 Brewer – Bringing Café Culture into the Office
- Why it's so important to keep our children hydrated?
- Why Do Ice Cubes Float in Water
- Keep It Light
- Plumbed In Vs Bottled Water coolers (Part 1: Cost and Convenience)
- Plumbed In Vs Bottled Water Coolers (Part 2: Water Quality and Environmental Impact)
- FoodBev.com Awards 2011
- Swindon Named Most ‘Water Conscious’ Town in the UK by Thames Water
- Drinking Water Helps Prevent Diabetes
- Bottled Water Industry denies EFSA hydration claims will affect them
- Top Tips for A Hygienic Water cooler – Pt 1
- Top Tips for A Hygienic Water Cooler – Pt 2
- BWCA Recruits ‘Hydration Heroes’ as part of its Stay Cooler Campaign
- What’s Coming Out of Your Tap
- Water Coolers for the Education System - Free Trial On Water Coolers To Keep Your Pupils Healthy
- Curing the New Year's Party Hangover Pt 1 – Water the Ultimate Elixir
- What’s the Difference Between Spring Water and Mineral Water
2010 Articles
- Pow wow administration
- The official Powwow Rescue Package
- Office Watercoolers are now live on Twitter
- Scientists Create Dry Water!
- Water is Weird!
- Autumn Promotion
- Essential Care of Your Water Cooler
- Essential Care of a Plumbed-in Water Cooler
- How to Choose a Water Cooler Supplier
- How to Choose a Water Cooler
- Fancy a Coffee?
- What are the Different Types of Water
- Why Choose a Member of the British Water Cooler Association
- Our Staff Are Now Criminal Record Bureau Checked
- Office Water Coolers and the Save A Cup Scheme
- Office Water Coolers Waste Policy
- Water Coolers in Schools Evaluation
- The Office Group Expands its Product Range
- Office Water Coolers and the AWS Group
- Drinking Water and Perpetual Youth!
- Bottled Water Vs Tap Water
- How Does a Water Cooler Work?
- How Much Does a Water Cooler Cost
- Water and the Environment - The Industry Speaks
- Getting a Water Cooler is Easy
- Customer Testimonials Mars Flavia
- Water Coolers and Purification
- Do Bottled Water, and Water Coolers, Contribute to Global Warming?
- Bottled vs Plumbed-in Water Coolers - Carbon Footprint Compared
- Which Water Cooler is Best to Install - Bottled or Plumbed-in (POU)?
- Get a Free Flavia Coffee Machine!
- Bottled Water vs Tap Water - Carbon Footprint Compared
- Does the bottled water cooler industry recycle its water bottles?
- Website Improvements
- Case Study: Beverage Service Station
- Introducing the Coolcask
- Introducing the Elite Water Cooler
- Introducing the Blizzard Fountain
- The Supreme Stylish Water Cooler
- Low Cost Water Coolers
- Environmental and sustainable hot and cold beverage supply
- Dealing With Algae in Your Water Cooler
- Hydration and Health
- What is the Drinking Water Inspectorate?
2008 Articles
- Well Being Checks, On The Spot
- Campaign for hydrated meetings!
- Water Helps Prevent Cancer
- Workplace wellbeing: a water-based solution?
- Health and Hydration in the work place
- Office Health, Hydration And Now Hot Drinks
- Environmental Initiative 2009
- Office Watercoolers Carbon Offset Program
- The Dangers of Working Up a Sweat
Bottled vs Plumbed-in Water Coolers - Carbon Footprint Compared
27/02/2012 By British Water Cooler Association
The British Water Cooler Association (BWCA) believes that there is no significant difference between the two types of water cooler. There is still very little credible data available and the subject is far more complex than just stating that a plumbed-in water cooler has a smaller carbon footprint because it does not produce any food miles.
The total carbon footprint of a bottled water cooler is composed of several related energy consuming activities:
a) Bottling the water at the source.
b) The distribution depot and office of the water cooler provider.
c) Delivery to the consumer.
d) Electrical consumption and servicing of the water cooler.
The total carbon footprint of a plumbed-in (POU) water cooler is composed of at least the following carbon emitting activities:
a) Sourcing, purification and pumping of the raw water from reservoirs and boreholes to the treatment plant and then pumping the purified water to the consumer.
b) The wastage of purified tap water (up to 50% losses are claimed) through leaks and breakages in the water distribution system.
c) The repair and maintenance of tens of thousands of miles of the water distribution pipe work including; the digging up of major roads, traffic hold-ups, diversions and disruption, the thousands of maintenance staff employed with thousands of maintenance vehicles generating carbon dioxide exhaust emissions.
d) Electrical consumption and servicing of the plumbed-in water cooler.
e) Preparation of the active charcoal, ceramics etc. required to produce the filters.
f) The regular replacement and disposal of filters used by plumbed-in water coolers.
The BWCA believes that based on these factors the carbon footprint of bottled water coolers and POU water coolers is much the same. It has employed consultants to undertake a study to determine precisely the true environmental impacts of each type of water cooler.
BWCA members offer both bottled water coolers and plumbed-in POU water coolers to consumers who may select the product of their choice, which is usually a mix of both bottled water and plumbed-in water coolers to deliver hydration in the workplace.
© 2012 Office Water Coolers
Recent Articles
An Improving Environmental Footprint for the Bottled Water Industry
Consider this; recycling a single large plastic bottle (made
from PET) conserves enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for 6 hours. The National
Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) reported that in 2010 1.5
billion pounds of PET was recycled in America.
Recycled PET (rPET) can be made into all sorts of things like car parts,
playground equipment, carpet or even clothing.
Now consider this; in America (and I daresay the figures are
not that dissimilar in the UK) plastic bottles ...
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Strong Performance for UK Bottled Water in 2011
Good news for the bottled water industry as it reports a 2.8%
increase in sales in 2011 (1.8 billion litres). As an industry that employs two
thousand people it is good news in these economically trying times as the UK officially
enters a double dip recession. So with unemployment remaining high and when
people are cutting back on so much, saving their pennies, why does the bottled
water industry grow when compared to 2010.
Well it seems there are a lot of other factors at play.
UK households ...
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Venezuela’s President Announces Price Caps on Bottled Water
Flamboyant Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, has started
announcing more price caps as part of his government’s Law of Fair Prices,
passed back in November 2011. The law was designed to limit what is seen as
excessive profiteering on 19 household goods and groceries but is now being
expanded as the government announce new prices for different products and it is
starting with bottled water and deodorant.
The books of over 16,000 companies have been examined by
the Venezuelan government so far ...
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Polyethylene terephthalate
What is polyethylene terephthalate? Well chances are you’ve
encountered it already today if you’ve swigged from a bottle of water or any of
a whole range of bottled drinks. Abbreviated to PET, polyethylene terephthalate
is probably most associated with the packaging for plastic bottles due to its
properties as an excellent and durable barrier material. The thermoplastic
polymer is part of the polyester family and can exist in both amorphous
(transparent) and as a semicrystalline polymer which ...
read more
