With a consumption of 141 liters of bottled water per capita per year, Portugal is among the countries that consume the most bottled water.
According to Eurostat figures, only 35% of all bottles used are recycled while the rest remain unrecycled.
What is more serious, according to the Zero Environmental Association, is that Portugal only recycles 12% of the plastic used in urban contexts.
The average amount of bottled water consumed in each Portuguese household is almost 1000 bottles per year which generates around 250kg of carbon footprint (CO2), 50kg of plastic waste and 2000 litres of wasted water. These numbers are crazy considering that 99.5% of tap water is considered potable according to EU standards. The main reasons given by consumers for choosing bottled water are taste and concerns about the quality of tap water.
TAPP Water was founded in Barcelona and has spent the last 7 years working on better alternatives to bottled water in Southern Europe. The main focus is to provide water that tastes good to improve perception and ensure that contaminants present in old pipes are filtered out. TAPP 2 Twist is an easy-to-install water filter that attaches directly to the tap to make water clean and tasty all year round. As an added bonus, it also prevents limescale from forming in coffee machines, kettles and kitchen appliances.
This week El Corte Inglés made TAPP 2 Twist filters available to all Portuguese consumers as part of its Social Responsibility effort to reduce plastic waste and the impact of climate change. With its two major stores in Portugal (Lisbon and Porto) and through its website, El Corte Inglés will reach thousands of consumers.
Sources:
1 DGEG / DSRHG at https://www.dgeg.gov.pt/
2 Portuguese Agency of the Environment
3 250 g of CO2 per bottle weighing approximately 50g and 3 liters of water used per bottle produce d