Should you be buying bottled water for the office?
FRIDAY 27th SEPTEMBER 2024
Tap vs. bottled water is a long-standing debate, but what’s the right choice?
Doctors recommend we drink eight large glasses of water per day, so it’s commendable to see anybody making the effort to stay hydrated. In an office environment, employees should always be encouraged to top up their water, but where that water comes from is a more contentious topic.
While some are quite happy drinking from the tap, others feel that offices should provide bottled water – so much so that this has become the go-to solution in many workplaces. But is it the right one?
We’re going to take a closer look at the pros and cons of buying bottled water for the office, analysing whether it’s a necessary or needless expense.
The pros of buying bottled water
As well as being perceived as the premium option by many, bottled water is extremely convenient and easy to stock. In fact, the bottled water market in the UK was valued at around £3 billion last year, according to the British Soft Drinks Association.
In an office environmental, bottled water can be seen as a quick fix, especially when employees are coming and going, or attending regular meetings. Bottled water is portable, can be easily stored, and doesn’t require any installation or maintenance. It is also available in a variety of sizes, from small personal bottles to large dispensers, meaning that there is a bottled water solution for every office size and need.
The environmental impact of bottled water
While bottled water might seem like the simplest solution, it comes with complex issues attached, namely the environmental implications.
UK businesses have long been pressured to reduce their plastic creation and consumption, in an effort to be more sustainable and protect the planet. The production and disposal of plastic bottles has a considerable environmental footprint, with around 13 billion plastic bottles generated in the UK per year according to Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Of these, only about 7.5 billion are recycled. The rest end up in landfills or as litter.
This contributes to devastating environmental damage like pollution and wildlife endangerment. Businesses aiming to improve their sustainability credentials need to think carefully about reducing their reliance on single-use plastics.
The financial cost of bottled water
Not only is bottled water harmful to planet, but it can also put a dent in business profits. The cost of bottled water might seem inconsequential in the short term, but it can quickly add up. Spending hundreds, if not thousands of pounds annually on bottled water is fairly standard for an office, especially when you take delivery charges and environmental tax implications into account.
Over time, these costs can become far higher than the short-term payments associated with investing in more sustainable alternatives.
Alternatives to bottled water
Many people prefer bottled water because they see it as purer, or more hygienic. That’s why filtered water coolers are a popular alternative to buying bottled water in bulk. These units filter and chill tap water, offering all the benefits of bottled water without the plastic.
Mains-fed water dispensers are another option, and these are connected directly to the building’s water supply to ensure an unlimited supply of filtered water. According to Energy Saving Trust, switching to a mains-fed dispenser can reduce a company’s water costs by up to 50% over the course of five years.
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