According to Linda Uddman, development manager of the sustainability unit, Västerås city is taking a stand for a sustainable future by promoting tap water as a locally produced, fresh, and climate-smart food that beats bottled water in both taste and environmental benefits. ' Being tap-certified means that operations do not purchase or use bottled water, such as mineral water, spring water, or table water. This policy applies to workplaces, meetings, conferences, and training sessions.
Bottled water will no longer be available as an option in the city's framework agreements with, for example, food suppliers or conference facilities. Tap water is a significantly more sustainable choice than bottled water because packaged water requires manufacturing of packaging and transportation that causes emissions and waste. The transportation of one liter of packaged water produces more than a thousand times greater carbon dioxide emissions than the same amount of tap water.
By tap-certifying Västerås, the city is taking a stand for a sustainable future and celebrating its own good water – a locally produced, fresh, and climate-smart food that beats bottled water in both taste and environmental benefits.
Additionally, bottled water costs at least 250 times more than tap water. Exceptions can be made in certain operations. In Västerås city, exceptions apply to Vichy water used in elderly care against oral thrush.
Cafés targeting children and young people can also continue to sell bottled water, with the exception intended to help more people choose water instead of soda. The specific criteria or certification process defining 'tap-certified' for operations has not been detailed, and it is unclear how many operations or facilities in Västerås are currently affected by this policy. The city's move aligns with broader environmental goals to reduce waste and emissions.