Wonderful Water

The British love affair with bottled water shows no signs of abating. According to a report by market analyst Datamonitor, UK consumers have increased their consumption of bottled water at the fastest rate in Europe, with growth predicted to continue at 7% a year. Water is calorie and caffeine free and contains no artificial colours – it is good for you and for the environment. Or is it?

Unfortunately, whilst water is undeniably good for you, plastic water bottles take a tremendous toll on the environment, with each bottle taking up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. According to a report by the Earth Policy Institute, more than 10 million barrels of crude oil are used each year to make plastic water bottles. The American National Resources Defense Council reports that about 9,700 tons of carbon dioxide are emitted annually to transport bottled water overseas to California. Alarmingly the Container Recycling Institute claims that over 86% of water bottles are not recycled.

We at Hotel Rafayel are distressed by such statistics and are determined not to contribute to the plastic mountain. We are therefore delighted to announce the installation of the Vivreau purified water system in our hotel, which will eradicate the need for plastic bottles and water delivery and will result in dramatic energy and cost savings. Based on an average weight of a glass bottle and average consumption, the Vivreau system will enable Hotel Rafayel to eliminate a staggering 432 tonnes of delivered bottled water over 5 years and eliminate 205 tonnes of glass bottled waste for disposal. Vivreau is Europe’s leading developer and manufacturer of purified drinking water systems and we are pleased to bring its quality product to our guests.