Providing clean drinking water at your business is likely a priority, but it’s easy to underestimate the environmental impact of the water options you choose to offer. With sustainability at the forefront of many companies’ initiatives, it might be a great time to consider the switch to a more eco-friendly option.
This corporate social responsibility is not only valuable for your organization’s environmental footprint but it’s also highly sought after by employees and consumers. In fact, a report from Views For Change found that 67% of employees prefer to work for socially inclined companies and 72% of consumers believe that companies have a responsibility to people and the planet.
With that in mind, we’re taking a closer look at the impact of different drinking water options and why you should consider sustainability in the process.
The Environmental Impact of Bottled Water in the Workplace
Traditional water options in the workplace typically entailed single-use plastic bottles or consistent delivery of large gallon jugs. While a sufficient way to provide water to your business, there are significant associated costs and environmental repercussions that are critical to consider.
The cost of plastic water bottles and gallon jugs can quickly add up depending on the size of your business and how often you require delivery. To put this in perspective, a Quench study found that a bottled water delivery service that serves 50 people costs over $4,200 a year, on average, and a 5-gallon water delivery service that serves the same amount of people costs over $3,400 annually.
More than monthly expenses, the consistent use of plastic bottles can do significant environmental damage. These environmental ramifications include:
- High amounts of plastic waste: This is typically the most recognized issue associated with single-use plastic water bottles. Whether your employees drink from a water bottle or water from a gallon jug at work, this plastic inevitably ends up in a landfill. According to a report from Reuters, 54.9 million bottles are used per hour and 40 million bottles are used per month.
- Wasted water during production: A lesser-known environmental repercussion of these options is the excess water that is wasted throughout the production process. Wasting water is equally as important of a concern as the plastic waste that follows.
- Large use of oil: To meet the demand for U.S. water bottle manufacturing, a significant amount of oil is needed. This can result in oil pollution, which has a devastating effect on the water environment, as well as harming animals and insects in the process.
- High carbon emissions: The culmination of production and delivery leads to substantial CO₂ emissions. Producing and manufacturing bottled water emits greenhouse gasses at every stage of its lifecycle, and the ensuing deliveries to organizations only expedite this issue — which is a detriment to your carbon footprint.
- Less energy efficiency: Plastic water dispensers may also be using more energy than necessary. Businesses can benefit from an alternative that is more energy-efficient than these options.
Reducing your environmental footprint is a growing organizational concern. If you currently employ plastic bottles as your drinking water solution, you’ll be glad to know there are better, more sustainable and cost-efficient options available to you. Read on to explore eco-friendly alternatives for providing your workplace with a great-tasting water supply.
Considering an Eco-friendly Alternative for Your Business
Luckily, there are a number of water options that are more environmentally friendly than plastic drinking bottles to keep in mind. Trying to find a sufficient substitute can quickly feel overwhelming, but understanding the options available to you can help you find what will work for your business moving forward. More sustainable options you might consider when making your decision include:
Boxed water
Boxed water is exactly what it sounds like — water that comes in a box instead of a plastic container. This alternative was created with the objective of sustainability in mind. Not only is this option renewable and recyclable but it also results in a smaller carbon footprint than single-use bottled water. However, this may not be the most cost-efficient alternative at your disposal.
Glass bottles
You might also consider introducing glass bottles at your workplace to benefit the environment and your carbon footprint. This option is intended to be reused for a long period of time with the added benefit of being easy to clean. They are an effective way to keep filtered water fresh without the risk of harmful chemicals contaminating the water.
Reusable water bottles
While glass bottles are a reusable option to consider, keep in mind that a reusable water bottle, in general, might also do the trick. This typically involves stainless steel options. Encouraging your employees to utilize reusable alternatives, whether that be glass or stainless steel water bottles, is an advantageous way to promote sustainability in your workplace. Some companies even give their workforce a reusable bottle to get them started.
Water installation systems
State-of-the-art technology and advanced solutions are quickly paving the way for the future of workplace drinking water — and water filtration and installation systems are at the forefront of this transformation. Bottleless water coolers from vendors like Quench are connected directly to your water line to ensure your employees, guests, and customers have access to an endless supply of clean drinking water. Moreover, with a 5-filter setup filtration system, which includes a filter that adds minerals and electrolytes back into your water, you can rest assured your drinking water will taste great too. With a bottleless water dispenser, your business can:
- Eliminate the costs of bottles and jugs.
- Save money in the long run.
- Eliminate the cost of regular delivery.
- Use less energy.
- Save valuable space at your workplace.
- Free up time for your employees who manage water delivery.
Perhaps most importantly, a bottleless water cooler is significantly better for the environment than traditional options — as a result of eliminating bottled water and frequent delivery.
With these options in mind, your business is on the right track to creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly culture at work. But, why exactly is this so important? To answer that, let’s take a look at the impact of eco-friendly water alternatives in the workplace.
The Impact of More Sustainable Water Options
There are a number of ways to make your business more sustainable, and introducing eco-friendly water options is no exception. The overall impact of implementing more sustainable drinking water alternatives includes:
- Reducing carbon emissions: Because carbon emissions from production and delivery are so high, employing a more eco-friendly approach can quickly reduce these numbers. These emissions are typically associated with rising sea levels, disturbing natural habitats, extreme weather events, and more. Simply transforming your water procurement can go a long way toward reducing these detrimental impacts.
- Preserving water long-term: As the production and manufacturing of plastic bottles go down, so does the water waste that results. Ditching the traditional bottled water dispenser is an effective way to preserve essential drinking water for the future.
- Decreasing energy consumption: The use of more sustainable options is also advantageous for your company’s energy consumption. Energy production and consumption are directly related to air pollution, climate change, water pollution, and more, which means a more energy-efficient option can be extremely beneficial to reducing these issues.
- Significantly reducing plastic waste: The importance of this impact can’t be understated. According to ClinMed International Library, the indiscriminate disposal of plastics on land and open burning can lead to the release of toxic chemicals into the air — which can cause significant public health hazards. Considering how many plastic bottles end up in a landfill each year, your organization can make a difference by simply decreasing these numbers.
The Benefits For Your Company
While the environmental advantages of sustainability are worthwhile in themselves, it may also be helpful to consider the impact on your organization as a whole. While reducing your carbon footprint, your company is likely to see happier employees who value your dedication to corporate social responsibility. Moreover, alternatives to bottled water might be the solution you need to drive hydration in your workplace. This leads to increased engagement, boosted morale, higher energy levels, and increased productivity from the entirety of your team members who are properly hydrated.
Overall, more sustainable options are a boon to your efficiency, productivity and expenses — which is powerful for keeping your team members at peak performance and inevitably driving better business outcomes.
Start Your Eco-Friendly Water Journey With Quench
Making the switch to eco-friendly drinking water options is highly valuable for your business, and if you’re looking to procure your water with ease, look no further than Quench. With high-quality products and reliable service coast-to-coast, Quench is a vendor you can depend on. Explore a broad range of bottleless water dispensers that provides an endless supply of clean water to your employees, guests, and customers.
In terms of sustainability, a bottleless water cooler:
- Is the greenhouse equivalent of planting up to 120 trees a year.
- Can keep over 7,000 single-use bottles out of the environment every year.
- Can keep over 150 5-gallon water bottles out of the environment each year.
If you’re ready to provide your business with more eco-friendly water options, try our product finder to get matched with the bottleless water cooler that’s right for your business. Or, get a free quote to get started on your journey to great-tasting water and improved sustainability today.
