Bottled water: why does Italy hold a record to be proud of?

Summary

This article analyses the Italian paradox of bottled water consumption, which sees our country at the top in Europe despite the availability of safe and controlled mains water. Myths about safety are debunked, showing that tap water is subject to more stringent regulations than bottled water. The economic and environmental costs associated with this habit are explored, from the huge price gap to the impact of single-use plastic. The analysis also touches on critical issues in the national water network, such as leakages, and then presents DKR solutions - from Water Houses to professional dispensers - as the smart, sustainable and cost-effective alternative to rediscovering confidence in zero-mile water.

Try this experiment: blindfold yourself and compare a glass of tap water with one of mineral water, both cold. In all likelihood, you will not notice any difference. The low temperature masks the characteristic tastes of freshly dispensed tap water, such as chlorine. However, it only takes a few seconds in the air or a passage in the refrigerator for the residual chlorine to evaporate and the water will taste and smell exactly like mineral water.

Nevertheless, Italy holds an unenviable European record: we are the largest consumer of bottled water. Every year, billions of litres are bottled, transported and sold, generating profits for a few and a mountain of plastic waste for all.

This phenomenon is based on a paradox: the widespread mistrust of mains water, fuelled by poor information and false myths consolidated by decades of marketing. But the reality of the facts tells a very different story, a story of safety, convenience and sustainability that deserves to be known.

The big misunderstanding: is bottled water really safer?

The main driving force behind the consumption of bottled water is the perception of greater safety and purity. This is, in fact, the most entrenched false myth and the most difficult to eradicate. The truth, supported by legislation, is exactly the opposite: tap water is more controlled.

• Comparing regulations: mains water must comply with the parameters of Legislative Decree 18/2023 (which replaced 31/2001), an extremely strict regulation that sets very restrictive limits for dozens of chemical and microbiological parameters. The mineral waters, Instead, they are subject to different legislation, which in some cases allows higher limits for certain substances due to their “characteristic mineral composition”.
• Frequency of controls: l’water from the aqueduct is subject to continuous and extensive controls, carried out by both the water manager and the local health authorities (ASP) on the entire supply chain, up to the meter. Bottled water is subject to less frequent controls, often focusing on production batches at the source.

The water that comes into our homes is, therefore, one of the safest and most guaranteed resources we have.

The double cost of bottled water: for your wallet and for the planet

If the myth of safety is shattered, the data on economic and environmental costs are irrefutable and alarming.

• The economic cost: the price difference between tap water and the one in the bottle is abysmal. A litre of mains water has a negligible cost, in the order of a fraction of a cent. A litre of the most common mineral water costs hundreds, if not thousands, of times more. This enormous expense for Italian families does not translate into real added value in terms of health or safety, but feeds a multi-billion dollar industry.
• The environmental cost: each plastic bottle requires oil to be produced and energy to be transported, often hundreds of kilometres. Once consumed, it becomes waste which, even when recycled, incurs energy and environmental costs. Choosing zero-km tap water means eliminating a huge carbon footprint at the root and actively contributing to the fight against plastic pollution.

The water network challenge and the solution at hand

The European Directive 2020/2184, transposed in Italy with the legislative decree 18/2023, as already analysed in previous reviews, has appropriately focused attention on the water route from the exit of the distribution plants to the final point of delivery. This increased awareness, together with the PNRR funding allocated to southern regions for the modernisation of water networks, should make it possible to standardise the quality and quantity of water distributed throughout the country.

However, the foundations on which action is being taken are already solid. The quality of the water supplied by Italian aqueducts is in fact of a good standard, as can easily be verified by consulting the websites of local utilities, where there is always a section dedicated to the characteristics of the product distributed. Up-to-date analyses of the water supplied in specific territorial areas, generally at municipal level, are also often available, allowing one to know precisely the characteristics of the water that flows from one's tap.

It therefore emerges how the habit of going to the supermarket to buy packets of water - often without assessing their chemical and physical characteristics but limiting oneself to organoleptic considerations or, even worse, to price alone - is increasingly a useless waste of time and economic resources, as well as contributing to the production of plastic waste that is increasingly problematic from an environmental point of view.

DKR: the smart alternative for rediscovering mains water

At DKR, we believe that trust in mains water must be rebuilt through information and concrete solutions that enhance its quality. Our commitment translates into technologies that provide a viable alternative to bottled water, designed for public, corporate and community settings.

• Water Houses: Installed in collaboration with municipalities and aqueducts, they are a garrison of sustainability in the area. They offer citizens high quality mains water - natural and sparkling, always controlled - at a symbolic cost. They are a powerful tool to raise community awareness, reduce waste and concretely demonstrate the safety of local water.
• Dispensers for the Horeca sector, offices and schools: Our water dispensers are an innovative and sustainable solution for providing unlimited access to excellent water, directly from the mains. Designed for public, corporate and community contexts that choose sustainability, they provide the highest quality water - natural and sparkling, constantly monitored. They are a strategic tool to promote responsible behaviour, significantly reduce plastic waste and provide tangible evidence of the reliability of mains water, eliminating the logistical costs and environmental impact associated with bottles.

Therefore, the choice to reduce consumption of bottled water is not a renunciation, but an act of awareness and responsibility towards multiple, interconnected challenges:

• From an economic point of view, means freeing up significant resources - Italian households spend considerable sums on bottled water compared to the negligible cost of mains water - that could be reinvested in other goods or services.
• From an ecological point of view, means drastically reducing the environmental impact of producing, transporting and disposing of millions of plastic bottles, making a concrete contribution to the fight against pollution and climate change.
• From a health point of view, as European and national regulations show, means relying on water that is subject to strict and continuous controls and is often safer than bottled water.
• From a social point of view, means supporting investments in the public network and promoting fairer access to drinking water, helping to reduce the territorial disparities that still characterise our country.

Choosing tap water is therefore more cost-effective, ecologically more responsible, healthier and socially fairer. It means investing in one's community and one's future, rediscovering the value of a valuable asset we already have at our disposal.