Can Hong Kong shake its bottled water habit?

I.Introduction: Problem and its Background

In today’s fast paced environment, convenience and accessibility amounts to what consumers consider as among the more important items in their list of priorities. Commodities nowadays tend to be either instant or may be ready just by a push of a button. This is similarly true with something as mundane as drinking water. Studies have recognised the juggernaut that is the bottled water industry. (ABCNews 2008) However, as this industry gives promise of wealth and a source of living for a few, a greater consequence has become apparent especially in the Hong Kong setting. In a case study, the emergence of a culture of bottled water consuming public has initiated a brewing environmental pandemic. 

In Hong Kong, millions of dollars worth of bottled water is being imported to meet the demands of the locals. This is troubling because it implies that the demand for bottled water is so high that the local companies could not satisfy it, hence the requirement of import initiatives. The problem in this phenomenon is that the public is relatively unaware of the dangers provided for by this inclination towards consuming bottled water. With the assumption that they are drinking something that is better and much healthier than regular tap, the consumers are led to believe that such mass consumption of bottled water serves a much better purpose. The price paid is manifested in the mountains of un-recycled plastic bottles in landfills in Hong Kong. To trigger change in this respect, information must be given to the public regarding the adverse effects of bottled water consumption.    

 

II.Description, Identification and Analysis of Problems

The rise of the bottled water industry is responsible for the dramatic increase in the production of plastic containers in the whole world. (Dickson 2007) As it is a multi-billion dollar industry, the cost of production is not mainly limited to the “purification” of the water; a bulk of the cost is in the creation of these plastic containers. Much more funds are placed into the marketing processes of these products. ABCNews (2008) mentioned in their report that hundreds of millions of dollars are placed to marketing campaigns of companies who informs people of the natural and healthy benefits of drinking their bottled products. The use of models and celebrities employs cues that imply health and wellness.

In the overall picture, the article of Baskind (2008) expressly negates what bottled water companies have been telling the public with reference to their products. His recent article clearly presents what these companies failed to say. For instance, the value of bottled water compared to the price of gasoline is relatively higher. This is true in the case of the United States where bottled water goes head to head with the price per ounce of gas. Baskind (2008) similarly mentioned that the most touted element of bottled water is nothing more as a farce as it no less healthy than tap water. In the same manner, it also increases the percentage of garbage as empty bottles are hardly ever recycled. Moreover, those that fail to reach landfills tend to hamper the natural order of ecology. It could harm both marine and land life.