Boxed Water Is Better can’t top greener source: tap water

Michigan-based company Boxed Water Is Better is a vast improvement over plastic bottles, which take more water to produce than they actually hold.

But putting water in a paper box is still a poor environmental choice compared to a washable water bottle full of tap water.

The regional company, which is working to distribute nationally and internationally, has “Boxed water is better for the earth” written on the packaging. The words “than bottled water” should be added to put it in proper context.

The company gets some credit for taking on this issue directly. Its Web site, http://boxedwaterisbetter.com, asks the question: “Did you know tap water is better for the earth when compared to your packaged water?”

But the company’s answer leaves a lot to be desired: “Yes. Our goal has two parts: First, create a product for a growing market (bottled water) that lessens the environmental impact and gives back a bit – which simply makes us ‘better’ as we say, and step in the right direction. Second, Boxed Water Is Better is an ever growing and adapting project.”

Why take a step in the right direction instead of a leap? Companies that promote the use of tap water or in-home filters are great examples of leaps toward sustainable drinking water.

Although the company is donating 20 percent of profits to water and forestation foundations, it doesn’t seem to be making up for their transportation costs. Bottled Water Is Better is currently moving water from Minnesota to its Michigan distributers, but if the company goes global, the fuel footprint will quickly multiply.

The real answer to cutting down the impact of the bottled water industry has to come from our lawmakers. Some places are already taxing bottled water. At some point the industry will hopefully be viewed more like big tobacco, and it will be heavily taxed to compensate for the negative impact of their product.