WATERWAT ATER


General manager of the BWCA Phillipa Atkinson-Clow says: “People like the fact that they can drink water that tastes good, is chilled and is conveniently placed to nudge them to drink well.


“Increasingly, they like the fact that in the case of most bottled water coolers, the containers are recyclable but only after they’ve been reused between 40-50 times. Coolers are, quite rightly, seen as the sustainable means of providing healthy, calorie-free hydration.”


And the statistics support this. For the first time last year the cooler market exceeded the £130 million barrier, reaching £133


million, according to Zenith Global. The sector has grown


continuously and steadily for the past five years with the total number of water cooler units in the UK last year standing at 663,000.


Building owners and managers are still choosing both plumbed in (POU) and bot


ttlt ed water coolers in roughly


equal measure with an installed base of 349,000 bottled water coolers and 314,000 POU coolers.


Bottled water is popular with each


dispensers offffering tech-savvy customers choice and ease of use. Customers can access still, sparkling and boiling water using Zerica’s Eco Pulse Boiling System, and then pay with the company’s Tivoli Hot payment solution.


WATER COOLERS


In today’s world where the spotlight is on the global impact of plastic pollution, water provision can’t always be seen in isolation of this thorny issue.


The BritishWater Cooler Association (BWCA) believes this exposes a good argument for water coolers, as consumers become more aware of the benefits of drinking water but still want to avoid single-use plastics ending up in the wrong places.


cooler now delivering an average of 900 litres compared with 786 litres in 2012 according to Zenith – a 14.5% increase. In some circumstances, such as major construction sites, bottled water is the only option as, by law, employers must provide potable water.


THE UKMUST CATCH UP


The sustainability battle is also being tackled on other fronts with firms such as HarrogateWater moving to 51% UK post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), a recyclable material used for water bottles.


But Harrogate’s Martin Crowson says: “ with the best countries in Europe to fulfil


ing can be used. This compares of the material in plastic bales s


demand for rPET. There is The UK needs to catch up


only capacity to recycle 41% of plastic bottles in the UK compared with 105% in Spain. Poor sorting of plastic bottles collected means only half for recycl


99% in France.”


the close material,


“The more we recycle, the greater the availability of recycled the more processing facilities can exist to deal with this and r we get to a truly circular economy.”


CONCLUSION


Providing water on site, in the workplace and on the go is important to keep up hydration levels as it improves concentration and healt h and leads to improved productivity – something every UK business, or education institution wants.


These businesses are already persuaded about the benefits of water provision, but vending operators can help them get the best solutions to stay water smart and meet wider demands to embrac e sustainable practices .


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upplied by local authorities to 95% in the USA and


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