We are Dopper and we are here to help end packaged water.
We’re heading to COP29 in Baku to push for systemic change: making tap water and refilling the global standard.
We’re confident that as a company we can drive this change. Just like individuals can, by choosing tap water over packaged water. But we need global leaders to step up and accelerate the transformation.
Why? Because it’s absurd that drinking water is still extracted, packaged and sold for profit.
The stakes are high
Packaged water has profound implications for public health, the environment, and access to affordable water.
It’s threatening our health. Microplastics from single-use bottles are infiltrating our water sources and food supply. A 2022 study by VU Amsterdam and UMC Amsterdam found plastic particles in human blood, posing health risks like diseases and organ dysfunction.(1) This growing health threat cannot be ignored any longer.
It’s polluting our world. Bottled water generates over 25 million tonnes of plastic waste each year ending up in for landfills or unregulated dumps. Not to mention, the CO2 emissions of packaged water are 300 times higher than tap water.(2) The environmental toll is massive.
It’s expensive and deepens economic inequality. Packaged water is 300 times more expensive than tap water, placing an unnecessary financial burden on consumers.(3) The production, transport, and disposal of bottled water drive up costs, while harming the environment. It’s time to cut these unnecessary expenses and start levelling the playing field.
It’s depleting our resources. Producing one litre of bottled water consumes two to four litres of water, a waste we can’t afford as global water scarcity looms.(4) By 2025, half of the world’s population —four billion people—could face severe water shortages. Wasting precious water to create bottled water must be halted.
We must act now
Our work in places like Nepal shows the real human cost of inaction. In Changunarayan, a municipality of almost 60,000 people, 67% of households only have water for 1 to 2 hours a day, and more than half of the water supply systems exceed safe E. coli levels. Over 30,000 people are at serious risk of waterborne illnesses.
Floods and landslides, worsened by climate change, have only made the situation more dire, contaminating water sources and raising the demand for bottled water, which perpetuates the problem.
We must act now, before the cost to people and planet becomes too great.
Time for tap water policy
In Europe, where 95% can safely drink tap water,(5) we have the unique opportunity to make a swift and substantial impact. Introducing laws and regulations that promote tap water as the norm is the first step toward protecting both the planet and public health.
To world leaders, the international community and you:
Let's take a stand and deliver real, tangible results on water policy and water security. By banning packaged water and promoting tap water and reusable bottles, we can reduce plastic pollution, protect public health, and ensure access to affordable water for future generations.
It’s not just important. It’s essential.
⎯⎯⎯
(1) Leslie, H. A., J. M. van Velzen, M., Brandsma, S. H., Vethaak, D., Garcia-Vallejo, J. J., & Lamoree, M. H. (2022). Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environment International, 163(107199), 107199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199
(2) Botto, Stefano. (2009). Tap Water vs. Bottled Water in a Footprint Integrated Approach. Nature Precedings. 10.1038/npre.2009.3407.
(3) Calculation based on average price for Dutch tap water including taxes: €2,39 per m3 (1000L) in 2024 and popular mineral water brand €1,09 per 1.5l.
(4) Botto, Stefano. (2009). Tap Water vs. Bottled Water in a Footprint Integrated Approach. Nature Precedings. 10.1038/npre.2009.3407.
(5) WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) –Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000 –2020, https://washdata.org/data