Amid ongoing concerns that tap water is becoming increasingly polluted by microplastics and PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, the spotlight has temporarily shifted to bottled water in a study by 60 Millions de Consommateurs, which reviewed a range of commonly available brands to identify the safest choices.
The average annual consumption of bottled water in France is 133 litres, equating to around nine billion bottles per year for the total population. Some people choose bottled water over tap for the taste, while others are increasingly turning to this option to limit their exposure to the pollutants found in tap water.
A veritable stream of studies highlighting the extent of tap water pollution has been published in recent years. One found that 340,000 km of French pipelines were contaminated with vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), a carcinogen, while another from 2022 estimated that up to 12 million people in France had consumed tap water with pesticide levels exceeding safe limits.
Another body of research from the University of Toulouse revealed that 98% of microplastics in the city’s tap water are undetectable by current EU safety protocols, while a global study reported that has estimated 171 trillion microplastic particles are polluting waterways.
Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund has warned that the average person now ingests nearly five grams of plastic per week—roughly the equivalent of a credit card—which may lead to a plethora of long-term health risks.
And it is against this worrying backdrop that concerns about pollutants in bottled water are now growing as well.
A 2022 survey conducted by the environmental group Agir pour l’environnement found that 78% of bottled waters analysed contained varying levels of plastic microparticles. Among them, Vittel Kids, a brand marketed specifically for children, exhibited the highest contamination, with an average of 121 microplastic particles per litre.
Other big names have also made headlines for the wrong reasons. Nestlé Waters Group, which owns brands such as Perrier, Contrex, Hépar and Vittel, has faced accusations of failing to meet water quality standards and of employing illegal filtration methods.
In 2024, a report from the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs noted that nearly 30% of bottled water brands available in France, particularly those from Nestlé and Alma, which owns Cristalline, had used strictly prohibited purification treatments, such as activated charcoal filters.
Which brands are safest?
The report put out by 60 Millions de Consommateurs, first published by the magazine and later covered widely by the French press, sought to put a more positive spin on the situation by studying commonly available brands to find out which are the safest for consumption.
It revealed that Volvic is the top-ranking brand for low microplastic content due to its natural mountain filtration process, which significantly reduces contamination.
Montclar, Carrefour’s bottled water, follows in a close second and was praised for its balanced mineral content and similarly low levels of microplastics. Badoit sparkling water also demonstrated low contamination levels, while Evian ranked fourth, with just one microplastic particle detected per litre.
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