Maude Barlow has stated, “Droughts, climate change and over-extraction continue to impact our finite groundwater sources. We need to move to a bottled water free future to protect aquifers that communities rely on for drinking water.”
Will the upcoming G7 summit in La Malbaie, Quebec discuss a plan to move us toward a bottled water free future?
The Canadian Press reports, “Doubt is percolating about Canada’s ability to deliver on its two biggest environment commitments at this week’s G7, with no agreement yet on a plastics waste charter and Canada’s recent pipeline purchase casting a pall over its commitment to climate change.”
The article explains, “Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Tuesday it is still uncertain whether Canada will get its proposed zero plastics waste plan signed at this week’s G7 leaders summit. …The wording of such a charter has been in the works for months — one goal is to set a target date for eliminating plastics from landfills, as well as commitments from each country on how to get there. …While the U.K., France and Italy all appear to be on board, the positions of Germany, Japan and the United States are less clear. …Last August, [US president Donald Trump] overturned a six-year regulation allowing national parks to ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles.”
Does a “zero plastics waste plan” mean the elimination of bottled water?
No, not even close.
It just means a multi-year target to make packaging recyclable or reusable.
Another Canadian Press article notes, “[The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association have] set 2030 as the deadline for ensuring all plastics produced in Canada can be recycled into new products, or recovered. …By 2040, they want all plastics reusable, recyclable or recoverable. …Most single-use plastic bottles cannot now be reused because they break down or degrade easily and bacteria can’t be properly cleaned from them.”
In April, the Swiss transnational Nestlé announced its “ambition” to make 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025.
But here are some key facts to keep in mind:
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In Ontario alone, one billion plastic water bottles are sent to landfill every year. -
50 million barrels of oil are dumped into the creation of a year’s worth of plastic water bottles. -
It takes three times the water to make the bottle as it does to fill it.
To join with the 63,968 people who have already pledged to boycott Nestle bottled water, please click here.
#BoycottNestle #G7Charlevoix
