Bottled Water in Canada
This major company has been at the centre of controversy for groundwater extraction in Ontario and B.C.
What is Nestlé?
Groundwater extraction for bottled water can cause this type of local water depletion.
What are aquifer declines?
This many smartphones were shipped globally in 2016.
What is 1.5 billion?
Many companies now offer these programs to help reduce smartphone waste.
What are recycling initiatives?
Communities often argue that water bottling harms their access to this basic human necessity.
What is clean drinking water?
These two Canadian regions are most affected by large-scale water bottling extraction.
What are southern Ontario and British Columbia?
This environmental issue occurs when ecosystems lose access to reliable groundwater.
What is habitat stress or ecosystem disruption?
This 2023 number shows global smartphone shipments have stayed very high.
What is 1.39 billion?
This metal used in batteries is being replaced with recycled versions in Apple’s sustainability goals.
This group often experiences the greatest impact from water shortages and poor water management.
Who are Indigenous and rural communities?
This Ontario county, including Elora and Guelph, has seen years of protests against water bottling.
What is Wellington County?
Seasonal droughts make this province especially vulnerable to over-extraction.
What is British Columbia?
Rapid technological change leads to this type of waste increasing every year.
What is electronic waste (e-waste)?
Using recycled aluminum and rare metals is an example of this type of manufacturing.
What is energy-efficient or eco-friendly production?
Smartphone demand creates social issues in mining regions, especially for workers extracting these materials.
What are rare metals (like cobalt or lithium)?
This group is often disproportionately affected by limited access to clean water.
Who are Indigenous communities?
The conflict between profit and environmental sustainability is an example of this type of issue.
What is a human-environment interaction?
Smartphone e-waste grew roughly this percentage in five years.
What is 21%?
This global report tracks the rise of electronic waste.
What is the Global E-waste Monitor?
One reason bottled water is controversial is that companies profit while communities face these types of losses.
What are environmental or social losses?
Climate change matters because it makes this natural resource less predictable, increasing conflict over its use.
What is freshwater?
The industry faces criticism for contributing to this global pollution problem linked to plastic.
What is plastic waste?
By 2030, global e-waste is projected to exceed this many metric tons.
What is 74 million?
Apple aims to use 100% recycled cobalt by this year.
What is 2025?
This global issue connects bottled water conflicts, smartphone manufacturing, and rising e-waste.
What is sustainability?