The best brands of sustainable sparkling waters

Although it’s good to just drink filtered tap water, many people like the taste of sparkling water. If you drink it, here are some better brands.

re:water (sparkling water in recycled metal bottles)

re:water offers still and sparkling water sourced from Herefordshire springs, which are packed in beautiful bottles, made from 100% recycled aluminium. When empty, you can rinse and reuse, and easily recycle at end of life.

Never give sparkling water to pets, it could cause bloat.

To avoid wildlife getting trapped in cans, before recycling pop ring-pulls back over holes, then step on upper can to pinch rims together.

How much water should we drink?

The average adult needs around 1.2 litres per day (more in hot weather or after vomiting or diarrhoea). That’s around six 200ml glasses. So drink two glasses when you wake up, have two more before lunch, and two more before dinner. Add more per glass of wine or beer, or per tea, coffee or cola.

Wash and rinse pet bowls daily. Avoid fizzy water or guzzling water after runs or car trips (to prevent bloat). Don’t let pets drink from puddles (due to bacteria, oil, antifreeze). For outdoor pets, ensure drip-feed bottles are not blocked or frozen.

DASH Water (sparkling waters with wonky fruits)

DASH Sparkling Water is sold in many stores, but you’ll get huge discounts if you order online (you can also buy mixed flavour pick-and-mix packs). You’ll save 20% on each order with just 99p per shipping. For delivery every 30 days, and you can cancel orders anytime. Or just purchase one time.

Plain filtered water is of course fine. But this drink is more to replace fizzy sodas, many people prefer fizzy or flavoured waters. This is made from natural spring water and wonky fruit that would otherwise have gone to landfills. Packed in zero waste cans that are easy to recycle.

Check medication before drinking grapefruit.

This brand offers refreshing fruity sparkling water, in this case using discarded cucumbers (one of England’s most refreshing tastes). That have for whatever reason been rejected by industry for sale. You can use them as a clean swap for sugary fizzy drinks, or even use them in homemade mocktails (no-alcohol cocktails).

DASH delivers (within a few days) to England, Wales, Scotland (including the Highlands and Islands), the Isle of Mand and the Channel Islands.

Discounts galore for DASH drinks!

DASH has many good discount offers, if you’re on a budget but want to join the movement, by switching from sugary sodas to DASH sparkling waters made from wonky fruits!

• Order bundles of different flavours in packs of 48 or 96, for big savings. Ideal if you drink a lot of fizzy water, have a large family or office, or if you’re planning a celebration. Or order a trial pack (of the four most popular flavours).
• Earn rewards to redeem against future orders. You also get more points if you follow DASH on Instagram, refer a friend and even tell them when it’s your birthday!
• Student discounts (just verify your status for big discounts on first and further orders)

Key workers (just verify employment to get 40% off your first order). Key workers include:

• NHS, police and fire staff
• Charity, care and social workers
• Teachers and military staff
• Delivery and transport staff
• Supermarket staff

40% of all food in England goes to waste. This brand is helping to use it up. Which not only stops fruits going to landfill, but also helps our farmers. As Wonky HQ buys up the fruit, so the farmers get some income from fruit that is rejected by supermarkets and big industry.

On top of that, food waste on landfills release greenhouse gases, which contributes to climate change. So by supporting this brand, you can be a real gamechanger in reducing food waste, helping farmers and saving the planet. All while drinking tasty fruity fizzy water!

Project Drawdown says that ‘fighting food waste is one of the most effective ways to fight global warming’. Yet worldwide, over 1 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year. When there is enough food thrown away to feed ever single hungry person on earth. 

In the UK alone, over 9.5 million tonnes of food is thrown away each year (with around 40% of fresh fruits and vegetables going in bins). And unlike in France, food waste in supermarkets is not illegal – over there, they get fined if they don’t recycle it on).

The company is also part of Feedback’s gleaning network (volunteering to collect surplus produce from farmers’ fields after commercial harvests, to save fruit and veg from going to landfill).

The cans are also sent in cardboard boxes (not plastic packaging).

Who founded DASH sparkling waters?

DASH was founded by two friends, who both grew up on farms. They saw firsthand how ‘wonky fruit’ was often discarded, so decided to do something about it. They also wanted to help farmers, who often see their income plummet, if big supermarkets decide their fruits are too wonky, or the wrong size, shape or colour.

England’s big supermarkets now control around 85% of the food market, which leaves farmers often at their mercy. So DASH do things differently – purchasing farmers’ fruits before the harvest, so they know they have income coming in, even if the harvest is ‘not perfect’.

Cans (Austrian sodas, not too sweet)

Cans is an Austrian brand that decided to create a nice soft drink that was not saturated with sugars or artificial sweeteners. Instead, these contain just 3 ingredients:

• Alpine water
• Fruits from orchards
• Natural flavourings

Sold in easy-to-recycle cans, they are available in three flavours. You can buy in one-flavour or mixed cans of 24::

• Apple (with lemon & elderflower)
• Cherry (with lemon)
• Lemon (with lime)

The brand is already very successful, having sold over 1 million cans worldwide, realising that there is a huge market for people who want a fizzy soda, that is not overloaded with sweet sugar.

Cans balance and performance drinks

Cans has recently launched two extra drinks (check medication due to herbs and avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing). Balance contains ginger for gut health and Performance contains the same caffeine as an espresso coffee).

Aqua Libra (sparkling waters infused with fruits)

Aqua Libra used to be on sale in indie health shops when we still had some. It offers cans of sparkling water (you can add still water cans too if wished) plus flavoured options like:

• Cucumber lime mint
• Blueberry pomegranate
• Raspberry blackcurrant
• Watermelon strawberry
• Blood orange mango