I’m on a mission and this time it’s not about mobile apps or technology. My mission is to half the consumption of bottled water waste in the home in 10 years. This means a reduction of over 4 billion plastic bottle waste per year and about €1.2Bn in money saved in Spain alone.
Every mission has a story and mine begins in beautiful Barcelona where I moved 10 years ago. A couple of years ago I started questioning why I and so many people buy bottled water in Spain and other Mediterranean countries. I’m from Sweden where we are used to drinking tap water and I was tired of carrying home the bottles and seeing the plastic waste build up every day. I had tried out the Brita carafe but didn’t think the taste was good enough and thought the filtering process took too long. There must be a better solution. As an entrepreneur I see opportunities with every problem and here was a huge problem to solve.
So I started researching and realised three important things:
1. The tap water in Spain is generally of very high quality but simply just tastes bad due to chlorine
2. There is great existing technology in the form of granular activated carbon to filter out chlorine from tap water
3. Plastic bottles are a huge burden on the environment and completely unnecessary for most homes
So why should you switch to tap water?
It’s healthier for you
Don’t take my word for this. The World Health Organization, water institutes around the world and doctors frequently publish reports stating that tap water is safer or as safe as bottled water for your health. Read more about the facts of tap water in my next blog..
Better for the environment
It takes about 2-3 liters of water to produce every liter of bottled water. Although PET is an improvement from previous plastics, most bottles never get recycled and end up in landfills or the oceans. Add to that transportation and it gets even worse.
Taste
Yes, the tap water in large parts of Spain and other Mediterranean countries tastes bad. However, the bad taste can easily be removed through several methods including filters, tablets and adding citrus fruits. According to several blind tests 9 out of 10 people cannot taste the difference between filtered and bottled water. And if you prefer sparkling water just buy a soda streamer or similar product.
Convenience
Unlimited fresh water from the tap whenever you need it for drinking, cooking, coffee, tea or watering of sensitive plants. With Tapp Water you get reminded whenever you need to replace the filter. And just buy a nice refillable bottle and you will have tap water with you anywhere.
Save money
The cost of tap water is usually less than 1/300 of bottled water. The cost of filtered water when taking into account the cost of the filter and replacements throughout the year is less than 1/20 of bottled water depending on the volume of consumption.
What kind of filter should I get?
The Brita carafe is the most popular water filter in Spain followed by reverse osmosis filters installed under the sink. We wanted to see if there was a simpler alternative though and after 4 years of testing and product development we launched TAPP 2 in the fall of 2018 as the first home filter focused on taste and convenience. It’s not the only product on the market but we think it’s one of the best based on cost and water quality. The filter uses the latest activated carbon block technology, works on at least 90% of all faucets and is replaced every 2-3 months. Find out more and buy from http://tappwater.co
Now the next big challenge is convincing other people to shift from bottles to tap water. This won't be easy but few missions are. I need your help. Whether you use TAPP or another filter, help reduce plastic waste and save money.
Fore more facts about drinking water see Facts and insights about tap water.
