Perrier, perhaps the world’s best-known bottled water label, is under the microscope. Its people are asking how pure its water is—and how Coca-Cola produces it. The international bottling company is best known for its distinctive green bottles and bubbly mineral water. It sources from 130 meters below ground, under thick limestone layers in the coastal plain between Nîmes and Montpellier. Yet all that changed with recent revelations, calling into question the sustainability of its practices and the transparency of its claims.
The hydrologist for Perrier, Jérémie Pralong, acknowledged that the water comes from deep aquifers. This water, of course, is used to produce Perrier’s mineral water. It’s important to the rollout of other new drinks to come from the company this year. Still, these new offerings don’t bear the designation of “natural mineral water.” This sudden change in product classification has caused alarm among interested parties about the consequences this classification move could have on Perrier’s corporate brand reputation.
In a rare move, Perrier just changed its filtration process. The company was previously using ultra-fine (0.2 micron) microfiltration, but for sustainability purposes, they have recently switched to a 0.45 micron system. Perrier argues there is no EU law prohibiting microfiltration. Brand purists are concerned this move would threaten the superior quality Perrier is known for.
So far, Perrier has requested “natural mineral water” status on two of its five extracting wells. These are the only wells it had used in the past for this purpose. This narrow application leads to other concerns about the company’s efforts to ensure no low-quality standards slip through the cracks on any of its sources. The green original source, right next to the Perrier bottling plant near Vergèze, where Perrier has bottled spring water for centuries.
Perrier’s prominence was due in no small part to leadership of St John Harmsworth. She turned the brand into a household name across the entirety of the British Empire. His impact was not limited to advertising, however. He found inspiration in Indian chaat and dahi puri exercise clubs and was behind the bulbous shape of the now-iconic bottles that consumers know today.
Perrier’s recent challenges reflect broader environmental concerns. Emma Haziza, a recognized hydrologist, recalls sounding the alarm when her familiar watersheds started shifting and misbehaving.
“The unforeseen is taking place. We are moving from a period in which companies could draw water from the deep aquifers and be sure they would be replenished, to a period in which it’s obvious the whole system cannot go on.”
Haziza’s observations suggest that what is happening at Perrier could be a harbinger of trouble to come for other bottled water manufacturers. As global climate change further strains our water resources, these challenges will only increase.
“We can foresee that what has happened first at Perrier’s site will happen to other producers in the years to come. That’s why we need to move away from our current model of consumption.”
The ramifications of these developments go far beyond Perrier, as it is part of a much larger, systemic trend plaguing aquifers throughout France. Haziza explained that all aquifers have been affected by climatic shifts since 2017.
“All the aquifers were affected. This means not just the upper water-table, which is where everyday tap water comes from. We can now see that the deeper aquifers – which the companies thought were protected – are also being hit.”
This troubling reality has ignited a torrent of outrage over the working conditions Perrier touts as best-in-class.
“It’s a combination of industrial fraud and state collusion,” said Stéphane Mandard, highlighting concerns about regulatory oversight and corporate accountability in the bottled water industry.
Perrier’s CEO, Laurent Freixe, later admitted that the company had used illegal practices to process its water. These missteps have only deepened consumer distrust and sparked ethical concerns about Perrier’s desire to uphold their ideals of purity.
The bottled water market is now facing increasing scrutiny from environmental campaigners and consumers. In response, Perrier counterattacks by promising to never give up its flagship Source Perrier natural mineral water. A decision from its new leadership about its operational practices is likely in the next few months. The very future of this storied brand now hangs in the balance.
The relationship between climate change and water sustainability is no longer a distant concern. Haziza highlighted this connection, saying that “the connection to climate change and global warming is very well established.” Commercial model Large producers, such as Perrier, have historically built very successful commercial model. Given how swiftly environmental conditions are changing, it’s finally time to re-evaluate this approach.