Microplastics, Imported Bottles: What Are We Actually Drinking

**Tim Elliott** (0:00)
It's the Morning Drive, something that we all consume every day, but how much do we really know about what's in our water? From growing concerns over microplastics to questions about imported bottled water, and also sustainability, consumers are taking a closer look at what's behind the label. Now, joining us this morning is Mike Hecker, who is the founder of BeWtr, and that's water Wtr.
Hopefully, we can unpack the biggest myths, explain what you need to know before you choose your drinking water, and discuss whether locally produced premium water could well be the future. And I'm thinking, Mike, you're going to argue that locally produced premium water will be the future. Good to meet you.

**Mike Hecker** (0:49)
Good to meet you. Good morning.

**Tim Elliott** (0:51)
It's good to have you here.
I wanted to start off, actually, this is obviously your thing, but microplastics is something that we all hear about, we read about regularly, we're worried about. It's a major global talking point, I suppose, for lots of people. How serious a concern is the microplastics question when it comes to bottled water specifically?

**Mike Hecker** (1:16)
First of all, in general, they're a very important subject, very serious subject in general. Microplastics are everywhere, and they are today in our body, they are in our blood, and unfortunately growing.
When it comes to water, it's a major issue because water is a natural resource. Water depends on the snow, the rain that comes every year. And unfortunately, with climate change, that means that the rain and snow of this year carries more and more microplastics. And so, this snow melts or ends up in natural water resources. And when you look at the water industry, and when you look at bottled water industry, the whole concept was that a mineral water brand is water that is untouched. All the industrial players are doing everything needed and necessary not to touch the water. But today, with climate change affecting so much the water resource, with microplastics being part of the resource, you are in a bind. In order to avoid having microplastics in your mineral water, you need to filter the water. And this is in most countries not allowed. If you look at the traditional mineral water countries like France, Italy, so the European established players, the legislation says if you are a mineral water player, that means you are not touching the water anymore. You are not filtering, you are not treating. And so, this is the real problem today in the water industry.
Brands that have taken years to establish their credentials and have done a tremendous job in it are not allowed to filter the water. And therefore, you are ending with microplastics and other pollutants in the water.

**Tim Elliott** (3:24)
Okay. So, a serious concern would be one way to describe it then.

**Mike Hecker** (3:31)
Very much so and a growing concern.

**Tim Elliott** (3:33)
Okay. So, when you reach for a bottle of water, should we be thinking about water much more carefully? Is that what you are saying?

**Mike Hecker** (3:43)
Education is needed. Awareness is needed. So, you need to think about two things. One is the quality of the water you are drinking, meaning does it have, on one hand, the microplutants that you can get rid of in a different way?
And of course, does it have minerals? Because you drink water to dehydrate yourself, but also have part of your mineral intake. So, you need to think about both. For example, reverse osmosis type of water doesn't bring you any minerality. So, basically, no need to drink such water. Better drink water that brings minerals. But then, if you drink a mineral water brand today, chances are that you're drinking microplastics. The other consideration is transport and the carbon footprint. And imported water, especially if it comes in glass, has the worst carbon footprint of any packaging.

**Tim Elliott** (4:45)
It's heavy.

**Mike Hecker** (4:46)
It's heavy, and it's used single time.
Imagine a glass of water, glass bottled water coming from Italy or France. Just imagine what the steps it takes. Somebody needs to produce the glass, ship it to the bottling facility, then it needs to be bottled, then shipped by container here, or wherever it is consumed, then used once, and then discarded. The energy it takes, the effort it takes is just humongous.

**Tim Elliott** (5:18)
So, the riddle that you're trying to solve, and to get around with BeWtr is exactly that. It's to bottle locally.

**Mike Hecker** (5:27)
Right. It's first of all to provide great tasting water without any micropolitans, without any microplastics, and great tasting, because water is about taste.