Water Labels

Still drinking bottled water or maybe you have some sitting in the pantry? EWG needs your labels!

They are doing some people-powered research on bottled water labels this month. The goal is to see how good (or bad) bottled water manufacturers are at sharing important water quality information with consumers.

When you buy water to drink, you should know where it comes from, how it's purified and what's left in it. But too often, bottled water labels have more silly (and misleading) sales lingo than useful information -- which is exactly why we like to look closely at bottled water labels.

Send EWG your labels. EWG wants to see if bottled water companies have improved since we first assessed them in 2009. But first, they need some labels. And that's where you come in.

Prizes for all and a Klean Kanteen for sending the most
Whoever sends the most labels (duplicates not counting) by Friday, April 30th will win a stainless steel water bottle with the EWG logo and a jumbo-sized, reusable grocery tote printed with EWG's pollution solutions tips. Plus, everyone who participates will get a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides magnet!

Here's how to get involved -- it's easy:

1. The next time you buy a bottle of water in the U.S., choose a non-sparkling, unflavored water bottled in glass or clear plastic.

2. Carefully remove the entire label from the bottle. We need all the information from the label, so if necessary, cut the plastic around the label to get it all off.

3. Write down:
* Name and location of the store where you purchased the water
* Date you purchased the water
* Your name, email and mailing address

4. Let us know you're sending us labels -- it'll help us plan. Click here to send a note to EWG researchers.

5. Mail your labels and other information to:
Environmental Working Group
Attn: Nneka Leiba
1436 U St. NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20009

What we learned from your labels in 2009
When we examined the bottled water labels sent in by supporters like you last year, we found that only two of 188 bottled waters surveyed make public basic information routinely disclosed by municipal water utilities: the water's source, purification methods, and chemical pollutants remaining after treatment. Click here to see the 2009 Bottled Water Label report.

The reason: Bottled water companies enjoy a regulatory holiday under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which grants them complete latitude to decide what, if any, information about their water is divulged to customers. ("Environmental Working Group")