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My closing statement read: "There is only one real effective and incentive method to encourage environmentally sound collecting of beverage one-way containers and it is deposit in combination with High-Tech R&D resulted Reverse Vending Machines!

The media, various lobby groups and even a Government Minister have filled the airwaves and dozens of column inches with the biggest attack ever seen on the UK bottled water industry. Sensational headlines have appeared ahead of the broadcast of a BBC Panorama programme "Bottled water: who needs it?’"

Bottled Water Information Office Director General Jill Ardagh led the industry’s response, saying: "Mr Woolas is clearly ill-informed about bottled water and the role it has to play in this country or other parts of the world."

Zenith International Chairman Richard Hall (www.bevblog.net) commented: "Stop bottled water in its tracks and people will become less well hydrated and less healthy, because 50% of bottled water is drunk on the move and they will drink less liquid. They will also become fatter when obesity is already a major social concern, because most of bottled water's recent growth has been as a replacement of calorie containing drinks. Should we be made to feel guilty for these entirely reasonable and informed healthy choices?

"Ah, but switching from bottle to tap will save the environment. Well, no actually. Bottled water uses less water and packaging than any other ready to drink beverage. Only a tiny proportion comes from outside Europe.

"Two action points would be good though. Government should encourage local authorities to recycle more plastic. Levels could be doubled if all areas followed best practice. And public water supply companies could do more to reduce leakage. At present leakage is over 1,000 times the level of bottled water consumption.

"So how should one respond to a Minister who says bottled water is morally unacceptable? First, he should retract it because he is wrong. Second, he should concentrate more on real answers to public health, climate change and world poverty. Bottled water's carbon footprint is just 0.1% of the UK total. What about the other 99.9%?  If that's not tackled, then bottled water will be needed for more flood relief emergencies, not less."

Zenith International Publishing Group Managing Editor Bill Bruce observed: "This is what most journalists would call a ‘silly season’ story based on misconceptions, misinformation and prejudice. Bottled water is not positioned as an alternative to tap water, rather as an alternative to other packaged drinks. Consumers love the portability and guaranteed purity of bottled water. Those are the main reasons for its success. In terms of the so called environmental impact, bottled water is simply the wrong target. Finally, it is consumers who have made bottled water such a success and they will not appreciate a government Minister calling them ‘daft’. We will continue following the debate until the hysteria dies down."

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