Every minute, a million plastic bottles are purchased around the world, the equivalent to 20,000 plastic bottles per second. This number is estimated to increase by 20% by 2021, generating an immense amount of plastic waste. Less than half of the bottles purchased in 2016 were collected for recycling and just 7% of those collected were converted into new bottles.

Every year, at least eight million tons of plastics reach the oceans, which is the equivalent of dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. Also, a recent study that investigated the content of plastic microparticles in bottled water found that 93% of the samples contained some type of microplastic, including polypropylene, polystyrene, nylon and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

In terms of cost, one gallon of bottled water costs and requires 2,000 times more energy for production than a gallon of tap water. In addition, tap water is strictly regulated by governments, regions and provinces, while bottled water is not.

It's time to say no to bottled water

These are the reasons that Almar Water Solutions highlights in the video that it created for World Water Day. Not only does bottled water pollute the seas and oceans, it is also an unnecessary expense and in many cases, a lie. Many of the companies that bottle water take it directly from the network, only generating plastic waste that ultimately ends up in a landfill or in the environment.

To fight this invasion, Almar Water Solutions has launched an initiative to do away with plastic bottles in all of its offices around the world. The company has replaced these packages with reusable bottles that are refilled with drinking water from the network, thus helping to fight climate change and mass consumption of bottled water.

This initiative has been extended to the other companies in the Abdul Latif Jameel group, including Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, working together to create a more responsible and sustainable business.