Revisiting the Fiji question, calculator in hand

It's the classic question of the 21st-century environmental movement: Why would anyone is his or her right mind by bottled water from Fiji? But of course people do. Lots of them.

Fiji Water is the number two bottled water in America, right behind Evian (which begs the question: Why would anyone buy bottled water from France?). So how much environmental damage is done when empty plastic bottles are flown to Fiji (most likely from China), filled with water, and then shipped here for our consumption?

Environmentalists love to puzzle it out.

The latest attempt is an excellent one. TriplePundit's Pablo Paster has recently updated his 2007 analysis of the question to reflect current prices for fuel and other resources. His figures are fascinating.

Here's just a taste: "The total mass of the empty 1 liter bottle is probably around 0.025kg (25g) and it is made from PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). Plastics of this type use around 6.45kg of oil per kg, 294.2kg of water per kg, and result in 3.723kg of greenhouse gas emissions per kg. So, with a quick check (200kg/kg x 0.025kg = 5kg of water), a bottle that holds 1 liter requires 5 liters of water in its manufacturing process." Wow.

Paster goes on to break down transportation costs in an almost obsessive fashion to calculate the energy used in the supply chain (a lot) and the profits generated. His conclusion: The $1.50 bottle of water costs just 22 cents to manufacture. Gotta love that profit margin.