Water struggles: why tap water wins
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Amsterdam, March 22, 2024 - For World Water Day 2024, Zereau Drinks | KRNWTR+ once again conducted a thorough water analysis. With 400 million liters of bottled mineral and spring water and 6.5 billion liters of tap water consumed annually, the question is: what is the best choice for health, environment and taste? The conclusion points to a clear winner.
On the 16th World Water Day, the Zereau Drinks | KRNWTR+ Water Award will once again be presented. This taste test searches for "The tastiest water in the Netherlands. An independent jury of taste experts blindly tasted and judged tap water from different cities all over the Netherlands, along with well-known bottled waters. "Today we want to draw more attention to water, because everyone can make a difference by the way you drink and consume water!" said Babs van de Voort, CEO Zereau Drinks | KRNWTR+.
Tap waterfrom Nijmegen wins Water Awards 2024
At the Water Awards 2024, first place was awarded to tap water from Nijmegen, while bottled water Cristaline, which is sold at the Jumbo store, among others, took last place. Nijmegen's tap water was praised for its "pleasantly neutral, refined composition."
The Water Awards were also organized previously. In previous editions, the jury, each led by a water sommelier, awarded tap water from Haarlem (2014), Tilburg (2019) and Utrecht (2023) as the tastiest water in the Netherlands, respectively.
The risks of plastic and safety
Dutch tap water is known for its good quality, both biological and chemical. While tap water is checked for more than 60 substances, bottled water is checked for only 15 substances (Source: Warenwetbesluit Verpakte Waters). Research by Columbia University recently revealed that a liter bottle of mineral water can contain up to 240,000 microplastic particles (Source: Columbia University, 2024).
Is deposit or bottle recycling the solution?
Deposits on water bottles are good, but not a solution. Because a deposit bottle is reused only about 20 times (Source: Sustainable Packaging Knowledge Institute). On average, bottled water has 150 times more CO2 emissions than tap water. Transport is particularly responsible for this: packaged water bottles travel hundreds of kilometers from source to bottling plant, through distribution center to point of sale. Tap water is transported much more efficiently via water pipes.
Tap water celebrates its 4th win!
Tap water wins over bottled water in terms of health, environment and taste. Its quality is more strictly monitored, it is at least as healthy, the environmental impact is 150 times less and in taste tests it scores well.
