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SAMPLE RESOURCE
Level 2 Education for Sustainability
91733 Demonstrate understanding of initiatives that
contribute to a sustainable future
Credits: Four
RESOURCE BOOKLET
Refer to this booklet to answer the question for Education for Sustainability 91733.
Check that this booklet has pages 2–7 in the correct order and that none of these pages is blank.
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority, 2015. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior permission of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
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Resource A: Initiatives for eliminating plastic drinking bottles
What’s the problem with plastic bottles?
You may have read what’s bad about plastic bags and decided to reduce the amount of
disposables you consume, and that’s a great direction to be heading in. But there’s another
problem in the plastic-trash minefield that needs tackling – in the United States, 1 500 plastic water
bottles are consumed every second. That is a major problem for humans, the environment, and the
other animals on our planet.
The human impact
Plastic bottles contain two main chemicals that are hazardous to human health:

Bisphenol A (BPA) (for hardness and clarity) is an endocrine disruptor that can cause cancer,
neurological difficulties, early puberty in girls, reduced female fertility, premature labour, and
defects in newborns. Studies show that 96 per cent of women in the US have BPA in their
bodies.

Phthalates (for flexability) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to adverse developmental
and reproductive effects, including reduced sperm count, testicular abnormality and tumors,
and gender development issues. Phthalate concentration increases with storage and
accelerated leaching occurs when bottles are exposed to heat.
Carcinogens and microbial contaminates can also be found in bottled water.
The impact on animals
Plastic bottle tops are currently not recyclable and often end up in the ocean
and in the stomachs of animals that mistake them for food. One albatross
found dead on a Hawaiian island had a stomach full of 119 bottle tops.
Marine life constantly falls prey to plastic pollution. A sperm whale found
dead on a North American beach had a plastic gallon bottle clogging up its
small intestine and it’s body was full of other assorted plastic material.
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The environmental impact
Plastic bottles are made from the petroleum product polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and require
huge amounts of the world’s limited supply of fossil fuels to both make and transport them.
Production in the US requires millions of barrels of crude oil annually. Each bottle uses 25 per cent
of its volume in oil for the manufacturing process. For a single-use disposable item, that’s a lot.
Bottled water is frequently transported thousands of kilometres all over the world to people who
already have clean tap water available, polluting the atmosphere in the process.
Recyling is not widespread, and most plastic bottles consumed throughout the world are not able
to be recycled because only certain types of plastic can be processed in different areas.
Consumers trash an estimated whopping 24 billion plastic bottles each year in the US alone. These
either end up lying stagnant in landfills for hundreds of years without decomposing and leaching
dangerous chemicals into the ground, or they end up in the environment as litter.
Americans recycle only one out of every six plastic bottles. The growing piles of plastic garbage
threaten our wildlife and natural areas, and make our world a less beautiful and less healthy place.
In addition, cleaning up all the litter costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Why drink bottled?
Bottled water has a reputation for being cleaner than tap water, but the Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC) reports there is no guarantee that it is any better. In fact, the NRDC estimates that
at least one in four bottles of water contains tap water in disguise.
Who’s to blame?
Bottled water companies and beverage producers’ work together to turn huge profits.
Manufacturers of bottled water advertise their products as being of higher quality, purer, and safer
than tap water, despite the fact that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards
than bottled water.
Who’s doing what?
In Germany, bottle recycling is common practice and is an efficient process across the country.
Machines or staff members in stores take used bottles from customers in exchange for cash
payments. Recycling rates are therefore consistently high and companies are encouraged to reuse
the bottles.
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In 2009 in Australia, the New South Wales town of Bundanoon voted to ban bottled water out of
concern for the environment and the health of the local community. Selling or dispensing bottled
water within the town was prohibited, and drinking fountains and filtered water dispensers
became common features of the town instead.
In 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance, with the European
Union closely following by banning BPA from baby bottles in 2011. The United States, France,
Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have all taken some steps to limit the use of BPA in products.
Alternatives
Carry water around with you in metal bottles, which are safer and healthier than plastic according
to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Metal drinking bottles can be filled and refilled
with (filtered) tap water and the metal won't leach chemicals into your water.
What can we do?
Reduce

Avoid the need for bottled drinks altogether. You can save resources by drinking from glasses or
water fountains whenever possible when you are out.

Do the research. Don’t fall for advertising that tells you that bottled water is purer or safer than
tap. If you are concerned about your tap water obtain a water quality report for your area and
buy a water filter if necessary.
Reuse

Invest in a BPA-free reusable bottle. Carry a refillable, BPA-free bottle when you are on the go,
and refill it whenever the option arises.
Recycle

Efficiently. Work out which plastics your local authority recycles and sort them accordingly.
But above all, reduce. Think of the whales and albatrosses and buy fewer plastic products in
general, particularly when you know that you are unable to recycle them. If enough other people
do the same then this will probably have a much larger and more positive impact than you think.
Sources (adapted): (2012) http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/whats-the-problem-with-plastic-bottles
and (2014) http://www.livestrong.com/article/183101-the-negative-effects-of-using-plastic-drinking-bottles
Images: cea/Flickr; jicox40 from Fotolia.com; http://inhabitat.com/is-it-green-fiji-water
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Resource B: Initiatives for promoting the responsible use of plastic
drinking bottles
Sustainable bottled water?
Taking water from the land and sky, putting it into containers made from oil, and shipping it
around the world defies core eco-friendly values in many ways. Yet premium bottled water
producer FIJI Water is aggressively marketing itself as green. You may have seen ads with the
slogan “Our Promise, Our Progress” or “Every drop is green” and images of a bottle of FIJI water
next to a big green earth. On the bottle itself, the iconic hibiscus flower is now joined by a
prominent green water droplet, and the back of the bottle invites you to visit www.fijiwater.com to
find out more about the environmental impact of the water you’re drinking.
FIJI Water became the first bottled water company to publish its carbon footprint in 2007. Since
then, the company has emphasized its commitment to the environment and transparency.
FIJI Water says its product is actually carbon negative, claiming the production of a single one-litre
bottle equals results in the reduction of 115 grams of CO2 equivalent units (eq). The company plans
to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25 per cent over the next three years, convert to 50 per cent
renewable energy by 2010, and is pursuing recycling and reforestation programs on the island of
Fiji.
“We consider our goals, whether they are 50 per cent renewable energy or 20 per cent reduction in
packaging, as the minimum we ought to achieve, not the maximum,” says the company.
“Every FIJI Water bottle helps remove carbon from the atmosphere. For example, our one-litre
bottle results in removal of about 115 grams of CO2 (the same effect as shutting down a laptop
overnight instead of leaving it on). All together, everyone who drinks FIJI Water in 2008 will help
remove more than 20 000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is equivalent to planting over
500 000 trees. We have also become the first privately-held company to join the Carbon Disclosure
Project’s Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration.
“To guarantee that our offset projects generate the desired benefits, we are developing a
reforestation project with Conservation International this year. We are planting native species in
degraded areas that will not only sequester carbon, but also create biodiversity refuges and protect
watersheds,” the company says.
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Interview with FIJI Water about its policies and practices
Question: What will FIJI Water do to keep going green after those benchmarks are attained? For
example, will FIJI Water be satisfied after converting to using renewable sources for 50 per cent of
its energy, or will the company pursue a higher standard after the initial benchmark is achieved?
Answer: Sustainability is a journey rather than a destination, and there is always room for
improvement in how any company does business. We are aiming to achieve the goals to which
you refer by 2010. We will evaluate – not only in 2010, but today and on an ongoing basis – how
we can continue to improve in environmental stewardship. Our carbon negative commitment will
continue beyond 2010.
As for our conservation work, again, we are working to save the Sovi Basin in Fiji in perpetuity.
But we continue to look for other opportunities to do similar work. The technology for
incorporating recycled materials in packaging will continue to improve beyond 2010, and as it
does we’ll be able to increase our usage of recycled materials.
The bottle
Question: FIJI Water has one of the thickest, heaviest
bottles among bottled water brands. After the 20 per
cent reduction in packaging, how will the bottle’s heft
compare to other brands like Nestlé and Poland
Spring?
Answer: FIJI Water declined to answer this question.
Question: If it’s still heavier, is it because FIJI Water
feels that having a heftier bottle is an essential part of
the product?
Answer: We are in the process of determining how much we can continue to lightweight the
bottles, but we will go with the lightest weight possible that still maintains the integrity and
quality of our product.
Question: How could a lighter weight bottle compromise the integrity and quality of the product,
which is water? Is FIJI Water keeping the bottle heftier than other brands for marketing reasons,
for example because it sends a subconscious signal of quality to the consumer, or for whatever
other reason?
Answer: FIJI Water declined to answer this question.
Question: As technology progresses, it’s becoming easier to go green and new alternatives to
traditionally unsustainable practices are becoming available. Is FIJI Water looking into new
technology that will allow new plastic bottles to be made from recycled PET (rPET)?
Answer: Yes, we have already run tests at the plant looking to incorporate rPET into our bottles.
Further performance tests are required to determine the level of rPET that is feasible for us to
implement in the near term.
Getting it around the world
Question: Fast Company reported that half the wholesale cost of FIJI Water is transportation. Has
FIJI considered a reduction of sales or stopping shipments to areas that are especially far away or
difficult to access by container ship?
Answer: The million local Fijians deserve the benefits of economic development, and the way
they’re going to achieve that is through trade with the rest of the world. FIJI Water makes up
3 per cent of Fiji’s GDP, 20 per cent of its exports and hundreds of its best-paid manufacturing jobs.
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Question: Is all FIJI water always shipped by container ship?
Answer: It travels by container ship from Fiji to destination ports around the world. Once on land,
it usually travels by rail or truck.
Healthier equals greener
Question: The bottled water business has an innately negative impact on the environment and this
impact is worsened when the water comes from as far away as Fiji. How do you justify to your
critics shipping water to places like New York City, which has the best-tasting tap water in the US?
Answer: It’s a misconception that bottled water is a substitute for tap water. Bottled water actually
replaces other packaged beverages – the increase in bottled water volume over the past few years
has mirrored the decline in carbonated soft drinks and sugary fruit drinks. There has actually been
no material change in the consumption of tap water during this period of time. In this 24/7, onthe-go society we have few healthy eating habits in this country and bottled water is one of them.
Consumption of bottled water has helped eliminate nearly one trillion calories from our diets
during each of the past two years – a triumph for health and good nutrition.
Source and images (adapted): (2008) http://inhabitat.com/is-it-green-fiji-water