Illinois Drops Bottled Water Contracts - Group lauds state's effort to Think Outside the Bottle, encourages Chicago to follow suit - Corporate Accountability International - Challenging Abuse, Protecting People - Think Outside the Bottle


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Illinois Drops Bottled Water Contracts
Group lauds state's effort to Think Outside the Bottle, encourages Chicago to follow suit

Contact: Nick Guroff, Corporate Accountability International (617) 695-2525

For Immediate Release: October 30, 2007

CHICAGO, IL -- On Monday the state of Illinois moved to drop its bottled water contracts by mid-November. Think Outside the Bottle, an effort lead by the watchdog group Corporate Accountability International is asking the city of Chicago to follow suit.

"We commend the state for taking quick and deliberate action to cancel bottled water contracts," says Elizabeth Martin-Craig, Chicago organizer for Corporate Accountability International. "It sends the message that the state is committed to cutting wasteful spending and has confidence in the water being provided by its public water systems. Now is the time, with leadership from the state, for Chicago to lead other cities nationwide by cancelling their own bottled water contracts."

Major cities including Minneapolis and Salt Lake City have already signed the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge, which encourages consumers to choose tap over bottled water. San Francisco, Los Angeles and cities across the country have also cancelled bottled water contracts in the last year. These actions are part of what NBC National News has called "a growing movement" to think outside the bottle, which is aimed at countering more than a decade's worth of misleading bottled water industry advertising.

"Chicago can join other cities in sending a strong message that our city water is safe, reliable and more highly regulated then what you're getting in the bottle," says Martin-Craig. "It is time to take the product out of the packaging."

Up to 40 percent of bottled water comes from the same source as tap water, though it can cost more per gallon than gasoline. Maureen O'Donnell, chief procurement officer for the State of Illinois, sited reduced expenditures as the state's reason for cutting contracts.

O'Donnell's memo to state agencies can be viewed at http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/Watermemo.pdf.

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Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 30 years, we’ve forced corporations—like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria—to stop abusive actions. For more information visit www.stopcorporateabuse.org