Aquafina
Aquafina claims that its bottled water is the “The taste of purity”, that it makes for a “happy body” and that it is “so pure we promise nothing.”[1][2]
After much pressure Pepsi Cola announced on July 25 2008 that the labels of Aquafina will be changed to make it clear that Aquafina is simply tap water.[3] Aquafina is taken from municipal water distribution systems and purified. The tap water is run through what Pepsi Co refers to as their “HydRO-7 Purification” treatment. Aquafina suggests, “What could be more perfect than the taste of water? Only one thing, the taste of water after it as gone through out state-of-the-art, seven-step purification process”. Tony Clarke notes, “‘Hyd’ stands for water, RO for reverse osmosis and 7 for the seven steps used to process tap water.”[4]
The Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) owns the production and distribution rights to Aquafina - one of the world’s leading bottled water brands. Non-carbonated beverages is the fastest growing category of PBG’s business, and within this category, bottled water, including the Aquafina brand, is its leading beverage.[5] In 2003, Aquafina generated $8.1 billion, or 30 percent of PepsiCo’s $27 billion annual revenues.[6]
Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) is the world’s largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of PepsiCola beverages. PBG was incorporated in 1999 as a subsidiary of PepsiCo Inc.[7] PBG has approximately 70,000 employees and annual sales of nearly $14 billion. PBG’s 2008 gross profit was $6.2 billion[8] Operations are based in the US, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Greece.[9] PBG reported third quarter 2008 revenue of $3.8 billion – a 2 percent increase over 2007.
References
- ↑ Aquafina, Aquafina, accessed 2 December 2008.
- ↑ Tony Clarke (2005) 'Inside the Bottle: An Expose of the Bottled Water Industry’, Ottawa: The Polaris Institute, p.50.
- ↑ CNNMoney.com, Pepsi says Aquafina is tap water, accessed 2 December 2008.
- ↑ Tony Clarke (2005) 'Inside the Bottle: An Expose of the Bottled Water Industry’, Ottawa: The Polaris Institute, p.40.
- ↑ Pepsi Bottling Group,PBG 2007 Annual Report, accessed 2 December 2008.
- ↑ Tony Clarke (2005) 'Inside the Bottle: An Expose of the Bottled Water Industry’, Ottawa: The Polaris Institute, p.18.
- ↑ Pepsi Bottling Group,PBG 2007 Annual Report, accessed 2 December 2008.
- ↑ Pepsi Bottling Group, PBG 2007 Annual Report, accessed 2 December 2008.
- ↑ Pepsi Bottling Group, Financial Press Releases: The Pepsi Bottling Group Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results, accessed 2 December 2008.
