A Life-Cycle Assessment Of Dasani-Brand Bottled Water vs. Brita- Brand Water Filters

Dasani® bottled-water and a popular home water filter kit (Brita® Water Filtration Pitcher) were analyzed using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This research concentrates on the complete life-cycle of each product including aspects such as production, price, convenience, disposal or recycling, and the resource inputs and emission outputs. In the end the two products were compared in a summary report card and recommendations for improvement were given. The Coca-Cola Company, who owns Dasani®, uses reverse osmosis filters to purify local water and deposits the purified water in plastic bottles, whereas the Brita® Water Filtration Pitcher uses an activated carbon/ion exchange filter. Dasani®’s water is packaged into a recyclable 20 oz. bottle that is composed of polyethylene terephthalate, like most other plastic bottles. The Brita® Water Filtration Pitcher is for home use and features few high-density polyethlene components. Three cycles of the Brita® Water Filters (120 gallons) and the equivalent number of Dasani® bottled waters (768, 20 oz. bottles) were analyzed. The cost of the Dasani®bottled waters to the customer was calculated to be around 17.5 times more than the three cycles of Brita® Water Filters. In the initial stages of production the Brita® and Water Filters consume more natural resources, however, the Dasani® product requires far more natural resources and emits far more pollutants into the environment after repeated cycles of use. Recommendations to make the Dasani® bottled water follow a better design for the environment include using a type of container that can more effectively biodegrade or be reused, and for the company to organize a better recycling system. The Brita® Water Filtration Pitcher could be improved by including a recycling system or a way to re-use the used parts instead of just replacing them