For over four decades I have raised the alarm about the bottled water industry, and how it sells little more than filtered tap water wrapped in illusion. Now, even the iconic French brand Perrier — a global symbol of ‘natural mineral water’ — finds itself at the centre of a scandal that finally makes this deception undeniable.
In 2023, investigations by Le Monde and Radio France revealed that at least one-third of bottled waters sold in France had undergone illegal treatment, including ultraviolet sterilisation, carbon filtering, and ultra-fine micro-filtration — all in direct breach of EU legislation on mineral water purity.
The law is explicit: for water to qualify as “natural mineral water,” it must be bottled exactly as it flows from its source — untouched, untreated, and unaltered.
‘Drink Less’ aluminium sculptures made from recycled Coca-Cola cans
But as climate change, agricultural runoff, and years of drought take their toll on the deep aquifers these companies depend upon, maintaining that legal (and marketing) illusion has become impossible. According to French hydrologist Emma Haziza, the quality of once-protected deep aquifers has been compromised — and “the entire model is no longer sustainable.” BBC News, 2024
Even Nestlé, Perrier’s parent company, has admitted to using prohibited micro-filtration methods at its site in Vergèze, near Montpellier. It also quietly applied to downgrade three of its five source wells, seeking mineral certification for just two. Le Monde investigation summary (FR)
More troubling still are allegations of government complicity. France’s Senate accused officials of a “deliberate strategy of dissimulation,” rewriting rules to allow filtration to continue while suppressing reports that could damage the industry. French Senate Report, 2024 (FR)
This is not merely technical misconduct; it is consumer deception on an industrial scale. Bottled water is marketed as pure, untouched, and superior — yet it is often no better than tap water, and far worse once the plastic, energy, and transport footprint is considered. WHO · NRDC
‘Naive Twins’ — parody aluminium sculptures made from recycled Evian cans
Perrier is not an exception; it is the rule. In 2023 alone, the company destroyed three million bottles due to contamination. Its new flavoured line, “Maison Perrier,” avoids the mineral water classification entirely — because it allows treatment. This is not innovation; it is evasion.
We are witnessing the collapse of a business model that promised purity but delivered packaging — a model that pushed consumers to pay up to 2,000 times more than public tap water while degrading shared natural resources. Food & Water Watch
It is time to stop paying for water twice — once through taxes, and again through marketing. Water is a public right, not a luxury commodity. Purity should never come in plastic.
Further reading from the artist’s journal:
- Duped Consumers — 21-10-2024
- The Economics of Water — 06-08-2023
- Ethics of Water — 20-11-2022
- 1.5 Billion Bottles a Day — 13-09-2023
‘Drink Less’ aluminium sculpture photographed on the beach outside the Makers Place recycling studio, Baa Atoll, Maldives
