Whether you are a soda-sipper, energy-drink enjoyer, or sports-drink enthusiast, the research team at Greenopia has checked out your fave thirst-quencher's green score.
While drinking a home-made lemonade, tea, or even soda and toting it in your own reusable container will save you (lots) of money and has a (much) lower impact, sometimes it's not possible. So what to do? Check out our complete guide to see which of your fave beverages have the lowest impact.
This was an independent study conducted by Greenopia's Research Staff using an extensive list of test criteria including beverage container, ingredient analysis including product toxicity, supply chain, sustainability reporting, green building design initiatives, and history of environmental violations. The criteria data were gathered, calculated and analyzed using Greenopia's proprietary lifecycle eco-cost methodology. Each beverage tested earned a leaf rating from 1 (some green characteristics) to 4 leaves (pretty darn sustainable).
The most eco-friendly beverages widely available to Americans are varieties bottled by Honest Tea of Bethesda, MD. Honest Tea was the only mass-distributed, retail beverage to earn the coveted Greenopia 4-Leaf Rating, out of twenty-three tested drinks. The rest of the lineup includes:
Steaz (which makes black tea, green tea and energy drinks) also did well, with a rating of three leaves which it earned by including organic and fair-trade ingredients, offsetting production, and having an efficient supply chain. Santa Cruz Organic Sodas also earned a three-leaf rating: USDA Organic ingredients all-around and they also offset the energy used to produce its beverages and has an efficient production system (ways to cut energy, chemical and/or water use to reduce footprint). Steaz edged out Santa Cruz by a tiny margin due to ethical sourcing for their ingredients.
Tazo (organic ingredients but they use heavy, energy-expensive glass bottles), Blue Sky Organic (natural and organic ingredients) and Izze (natural ingredients and wind-powered production) came in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
Sales leaders Coca-Cola and Pepsi each earned a Greenopia 1-Leaf Rating, but for different reasons. Pepsi engages in one of the world's largest carbon offset investment programs, which makes it one of the largest offset buyers in the US, and they also has green offices (LEED Gold) and has made some of their production processes more efficient. Coke makes extensive use of deliveries via hybrids and has reduced water and energy use in its production facilities. However, both Coke and Pepsi have been accused of overdrawing and polluting local water supplies in countries where they run bottling plants. By contrast Dr. Pepper scored a zero Greenopia Leaf Rating.
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Whether you are a soda-sipper, energy-drink enjoyer, or sports-drink enthusiast, the research team at Greenopia has checked out your fave thirst-quencher's green score.
