Under a new environmental marketing law, the state of California filed a lawsuit this week against two bottled water companies and a plastic bottle supplier for false environmental claims, something known as "greenwashing." Bottled water companies Aquamantra and Balance Water and bottle supplier ENSO Plastics have been marketing their water bottles as "100 percent biodegradable and recyclable," but California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris says they are neither. "Plastic takes thousands of years to biodegrade and may never do so in a landfill," explains Harris's press release about the lawsuit. "Californians are committed to recycling and protecting the environment, but these efforts are undermined by the false and misleading claims these companies make when they wrongly advertise their products as 'biodegradable,'" charges Harris. The lawsuit aims to remove thousands of bottles of Aquamantra and Balance Water from store shelves immediately because of the potential for litter and for contamination problems for plastic recycling programs around the state.

Aquamantra Water Bottle

Plastic water bottles are not biodegradable

Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste explained to the Silicone Valley Mercury News why the attorney general is right that ENSO Plastics don't really decompose the way natural materials do and, therefore, are not truly biodegradable. "We are not adding nutrients to the soil when these things break down," Murray said. "We are simply breaking the plastic into smaller and smaller pieces so it can't be seen."

Plastic water bottles with biodegradable additives cause problems for plastic recycling programs

Microbial additives, such as those in ENSO Plastics, can wreck havoc on plastic recycling, which is why NAPCOR, the National Association of PET Container Resources, opposes their use completely. "Even in small percentages, like one-tenth of one percent, these are just catastrophic for us," Ed Byrne, CEO of Peninsula Packaging in Visalia told the Mercury News. "They melt at different temperatures. They ruin our products."

Balance Water Bottle

Plastic water bottles falsely advertised as biodegradable could cause more litter

If Aquamantra and Balance Water customers believe the advertising claims made by the companies, they may think that the bottles will break down in the environment. But these are not banana peels or corncobs, natural materials that are truly biodegradable. Plastic litter is a significant threat to marine animals and the environment and these bottles, if disposed of improperly, could make those problems worse.

If plastic isn't a good choice, what's the eco-conscious water drinker to do?

The truly eco-friendly way to ensure pure water on the go is to filter your own. We recommend a Berkey water filter and then carrying it in your own BPA free reusable bottle. We've recently discussed how consumers of commercial bottled water have no assurance that they are getting the purity they are paying for anyway. Greenwashing by companies is just one more reason to avoid buying bottled water. Check out our post on choosing the right Berkey water filter for you.