PRIO’s project in the Algarve reuses 100% of the water during the washing cycle
28/02/2024
Prio has opened a new washing center in Lagoa, Algarve, which reuses 100% of the water used in car washing. A project to reuse water
Tap water is perfectly safe to drink, but that doesn’t stop each Portuguese person from consuming 140 liters of bottled water a year. Italy tops the list of Europe’s biggest consumers.
Italy is the largest consumer of bottled water in Europe and the second largest worldwide, after Mexico, where tap water is not so safe to drink. The conclusion comes from a study by CSA Research which revealed that almost half of Italians (43.3%) drink only bottled water, while 29.2% of those surveyed drink tap water every day.
Despite having the fifth best tap water in Europe in terms of overall quality (after Austria, Sweden, Ireland and Hungary), each Italian consumes an average of 208 liters of bottled water a year.
According to the research, the reasons for this exclusive consumption center on the fact that they don’t like the taste of tap water (29%) and don’t “trust” tap water (four out of ten people), with three out of ten people considering bottled water to be safer.
Italy is followed by Germany, with 167 liters per capita per year, Portugal (140 liters), Hungary (138.8) and Spain (135.4), according to another GlobalData market study, with data for 2022.
In mainland Portugal, 99% of tap water is safe to drink, with the same quality as bottled water, according to data from EPAL – Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres.
The website aguadatorneira.pt, created in partnership with the company, states that “from price to quality, there are many reasons for choosing to drink tap water, however, myths associated with tap water consumption mean that a significant part of the population chooses to consume bottled water on a regular basis (…). Tap water is rigorously controlled, the results obtained are monitored in good time by the health authorities and the Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority (ERSAR) and made publicly available. Tap water is fit for human consumption, it doesn’t need to be filtered or use domestic water treatment equipment.”
In recent times, Italy has been striving to change people’s perceptions of tap water. According to Euronews, the National Water Safety Center conducted more than 2.5 million chemical and microbial analyses in 18 different regions, covering 90% of the population, between 2020 and 2022. The results showed that 99.1% of the samples complied with water standards and 98.4% complied with other factors that don’t affect health but can alter the taste, smell or color of the water.
The publication of these figures is a first step towards the creation of a “water register”, which will make data on the quality of tap water publicly available.
In 2024, it is estimated that 550 million households will consume bottled water worldwide, which equates to more than 446 billion liters of water per year or around 1 million bottles per minute, in addition to the millions of tons of waste generated.
In Europe, there are an estimated 75 million consumers of bottled water, with 80% of consumers in the north preferring sparkling water.
She might have chosen to study Meteorology and Oceanography, but ultimately pursued Communication. And that's fine because if they don't get their weather predictions right, she wouldn't be the one to change that. She started by looking for sustainable ideas and projects for the university, and since then, she has never stopped (who stops, really?). She loves to watch tv shows, but she watches few because she is demanding. You don't need much to convince her to embrace new, "greener" habits and challenges.
Related articles
UN Water Conference. The promises, the commitments, and the new agenda
26/03/2023
The United Nations Water Conference has not been held since the 1970s. It ended this Friday in New York with commitments from the 149 participants
The whys and wherefores. Know all about the great Water Conference
22/03/2023
The Water Conference at the UN is the most important event on the topic so far. In this article you will learn the most important
Sustainable Development Goals
This article addresses an action that promotes the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers, and lakes.
To discover businesses that are actively working to contribute to this Sustainable Development Goal, click here.
To read news, interviews or tips related to this Goal, click here.
➡️ Want to know more about the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals? Click here
Esta publicação também está disponível em:
Português (Portuguese (Portugal))
