Dasani facts for kids
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| Type | Water beverage |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | February 1999 |
Dasani is a popular brand of bottled water made by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first launched in 1999 in the United States. Dasani is one of many bottled water brands sold by Coca-Cola around the world. The water is carefully filtered and then put into bottles.
Contents
How Dasani is Marketed
In the United States
Coca-Cola gets the water for Dasani from local city water supplies. They then clean it using a special process called reverse osmosis. This process helps to filter out impurities. After cleaning, they add tiny amounts of minerals. These minerals include magnesium sulfate (which is like Epsom salt), potassium chloride, and sodium chloride (which is like table salt).
Coca-Cola has also started using new bottles for Dasani. These bottles are made with about 30 percent plant-based plastics. This means they are more eco-friendly. These special bottles can be recycled just like regular plastic bottles. They also help to reduce carbon emissions by up to 25 percent compared to normal water bottles.
In Canada
Dasani was introduced in most parts of Canada in 2000. It came to Quebec a little later, in April 2001.
You can find Dasani in Canada in several bottle sizes. Common sizes include 355 mL, 500 mL, 591 mL, 710 mL, 1 L, and 1.5 L. You can buy them one by one or in packs of 6, 12, or 24 bottles.
The first Dasani bottling factory in Canada was in Calgary, Alberta. Another factory later opened in Brampton, Ontario. These factories make both Dasani water and other Coca-Cola soft drinks.
Dasani water in Canada has less than 35 ppm of dissolved minerals. This means it has very few minerals dissolved in it.
In Latin America
Dasani arrived in Brazil in 2003, but it was called Aquarius there. In 2005, it was introduced in Chile, with regular, lemon, and tangerine flavors. It also came to Colombia in late 2005 with three regular flavors. In Argentina, Dasani was launched in 2005 with flavors like peach, lemon, citrus, and regular.
In Mexico, it was sold as Ciel Dasani with unique flavors like lemon-cucumber and papaya-carrot, but it was later stopped in 2006. Dasani was also released in Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Honduras.
In the United Kingdom
Dasani was launched in the UK in February 2004. However, its launch faced many problems.
Before Dasani was released, a magazine reported that the water came from treated tap water in Sidcup, a town near London. By March 2004, news spread that Dasani in the UK was just processed tap water. Coca-Cola had marketed the water as being very "pure." This led to an investigation to check if this claim was true.
On March 18, 2004, authorities found that some Dasani bottles had a small amount of a substance called bromate. The amount was above the safe limit for sale. While health officials said there was "no immediate risk to public health," Coca-Cola quickly took half a million bottles off the shelves. They then stopped selling Dasani in the UK entirely.
This situation was even compared to an episode of a TV show called Only Fools and Horses. In that episode, a character sells bottled tap water from his home. Because of these issues, Coca-Cola decided not to expand Dasani to other parts of Europe.
For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Coca-Cola was an official sponsor. Instead of bringing Dasani back, they bought a different water company called Abbey Well in 2008. This allowed them to provide local water for the event.
In Africa
Dasani has partnered with a group called Hyper Psaro to bottle and sell its water in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The logo and packaging look a bit different there, but it is still a Coca-Cola product.
Water Sources and Cleaning Process
Where Dasani Gets Its Water
Dasani mostly gets its water from city water supplies. This water is then cleaned at special bottling plants before it goes into bottles. Some places Dasani gets its water from in the United States include California, Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan. Dasani also bottles water in other countries, like in Kent in the United Kingdom and Malaysia.
How Dasani Water Is Cleaned
The water goes through a multi-step cleaning system. This includes reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. These processes help to remove impurities from the water. Coca-Cola says this cleaning process makes sure the water always tastes the same. However, the exact content of the water might be a little different depending on where it comes from. This is because water sources vary around the world.
Environmental Concerns
Dasani sometimes uses water from city supplies in California, even during dry years. Coca-Cola does not have to report how much water it uses at these plants. Making bottled water also uses a lot of energy. This energy is needed for filtering the water, making the plastic bottles, and transporting the bottles.
Making Dasani More Sustainable
Aluminum Bottles and Cans
In 2019, Coca-Cola announced that Dasani would also be sold in aluminum cans. This started in the Northeast US and spread across the country in 2020. This won't completely replace plastic bottles.
Aluminum cans are often recycled more easily than plastic bottles. However, making one aluminum can uses more energy and creates more carbon dioxide than making a plastic bottle of the same size. But, it takes less energy to transport and keep canned drinks cold. Also, a higher percentage of aluminum cans are recycled worldwide compared to plastic bottles.
PureFill Program
In 2019, Coca-Cola also announced Dasani PureFill. This program lets customers refill their own bottles with filtered water for free. If they want to add flavors or bubbles (carbonation), it costs a little extra. This program is expected to help reduce the number of new plastic bottles used.
PlantBottle
Coca-Cola has released a Dasani bottle made from both plants and recycled plastic. They believe this "PlantBottle" will help reduce their use of new plastic by 1 billion bottles over five years. This PlantBottle can still be recycled like regular plastic. It is made of up to 50% recycled plastic, up to 30% plants, and some new plastic. Coca-Cola is now the biggest user of plant-based plastics in the world. They plan to eventually make bottles from 100% plant-based plastic.
Carbon Footprint
Having many bottling factories around the world helps to reduce the energy needed for transporting the water. However, aluminum cans generally have a larger carbon footprint than plastic bottles. So, the switch to aluminum cans might actually increase Dasani's overall carbon footprint.
"How2Recycle" Labels
In 2020, Dasani started putting new labels on its bottles called "How2Recycle" labels. These labels give clear instructions on how to recycle the bottles. The "How2Recycle" label was created by a group called the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and GreenBlue. You can find these labels on many other products too.
Health and Water Quality
Dasani water has been found to contain tiny pieces of plastic called microplastics. Scientists are still studying how microplastics might affect our health.
Public Litter Issues
Grand Canyon
Plastic bottles make up about 30% of the trash found in the Grand Canyon. Dasani water was the brand sold in the park. The National Park Service thought about banning plastic bottles in the park. The Grand Canyon officially banned bottled water in 2012 to help reduce waste.
See also
In Spanish: Dasani para niños
- Deep River Rock – another brand of bottled water made by Coca-Cola, sold in Ireland
