Top Ethical Soft Drinks To Quench Your Thirst Sustainably

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Whether you are taking part in Dry January, are alcohol-free, or are just looking for a tasty way to quench your thirst then try these five ethical soft drinks for size – republished and updated for 2023 from its original 2017 publication date.

Have you ever considered just how ethical your favourite soft drinks are? I’m not a big soft drinks drinker – give me tea any day, so I have to say I haven’t. Luckily, Georgina Rawes from Ethical Consumer has put together a post for Moral Fibres readers.

Here Georgina sheds light on the three issues plaguing the soft drinks industry. Mainly, sugar, plastic, and workers’ rights – and shares Ethical Consumer’s top five ethical soft drinks alternatives.

An Unquenchable Thirst

We simply can’t get enough of our conveniently packaged, sweet soft drinks. In 2016, in the UK alone, we spent over £17.4 billion on soft drinks, juices, and bottled water. Although soft drinks are the seemingly innocent alternative to alcoholic beverages, there is a lot more going on in the bottle than you might realise.

Despite the elaborate advertising campaigns, soft drinks are simple products. Essentially, they consist of water, sugar or sweeteners, and some fruit extracts. Often there are additives such as flavour enhancers, caffeine, and preservatives.

There are many issues associated with soft drinks. From sugar production, packaging, and workers’ rights. We’ll explore these issues in detail. Then we’ll reveal our best ethical soft drink brands, including the Fairtrade and organic drinks.

best ethical soft drinks

Floating Islands Of Plastic Waste

No one can have missed the most recent environmental concern to hit the headlines. Another island of plastic waste was discovered in 2017 that was the size of Mexico floating in the Pacific Ocean.

A recent Greenpeace report states that plastic bottles and bottle tops are the most common plastic packaging washed up on shorelines. With only 57% of plastic bottles recycled in the UK, you can bet that landfill sites are being overloaded. These bottles are only going to continue to get back into our oceans.

As plastics are churned up and broken down in the ocean they former small pieces. These are known as microplastics. Microplastics can enter the food chains causing catastrophic issues. This ‘invisible’ plastic is also making its way into drinking water.

With no clear policies from major soft drinks companies on how they are planning to tackle the plastic problem, it makes sense to look for ethical soft drinks that offer alternative packaging.

Glass bottle production requires half the minerals and fossil fuels needed to make plastic. It also requires 17 times less water. And it creates five times fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Glass can be endlessly recycled. In fact, we’re hitting rates of 68% here in the UK. 

Aluminium cans are also a more appealing alternative to plastic. Recycling an aluminium can only requires 8% of the energy to produce a new one. In comparison, plastic recycling uses 70%.

Sugar – A Sticky Problem

Sugar is quickly becoming public health enemy number one. It is being blamed for the increase in type 2 diabetes and heart disease. What’s more, it’s linked to tooth decay and obesity in children. In fact, soft drinks have been labelled as the single biggest source of added sugar in children’s diets.

In an attempt to reduce our intake of sugary drinks, the government is planning to introduce a sugar tax of up to 24p/litre on drinks that contain over 8g sugar/100 ml. It sounds like a solid plan. These public health issues cost the NHS billions each year and it’s clear that sugar is harming our health. 

However, Coca-Cola doesn’t agree. As such, it has been working against the sugar tax since its conception. This is as well as lobbying against EU regulations restricting the advertising of sugary foods to children.

Making Soft Drinks Is Thirsty Work

But it’s not just the health issues that should concern us. It takes between 170 and 310 litres of water to make your average 500ml bottle of fizzy pop. Alarmingly, only 5% is used in drink manufacturing. The remaining 95% is used to grow ingredients, the largest of which is sugar. This goes for sweeteners too. This is because sugar is often used in the production of these additives.

European sugar beet uses less water in production than sugar cane grown further afield, often in water-stressed communities. It takes companies with robust supply chain management and environmental policies, as we see in ethical soft drinks brands, to reduce their impact on the grower communities. 

Sadly, many of the supermarket’s own brands and large brands such as PepsiCo, Nestlé SA, and Coca-Cola have inadequate policies to address and manage these issues. The very brands that control the vast majority of the soft drink market.

Where Does Your Money Go?

coca cola unethical

If the plastic problem isn’t enough to turn you away from the big brands, then supply chain issues will surely sway you towards more ethical soft drinks. Consistently, we see big brands such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé SA, and the supermarkets demonstrating a lack of control within their supply chains.

Unfair working conditions in developing countries. A lack of robust environmental reporting. Weak targets to address sustainability issues. These are just some of the issues that result from this. As these companies increase their profits, we see further injustice, and farmers paid poor wages. We also see water-stressed communities put under more pressure.

Isn’t it time to support the companies that put ethics before profits?

The Best Ethical Soft Drinks Brands

Check out our top five ethical soft drinks brands, full of fizz and fairness:

Lemonaid

Lemon-aid soft drinks uk

With a range of juicy flavours, this twist on a traditional drink is made with good intentions. Fairtrade and organic, Lemonaid* is produced with sound ethical and environmental principles. Even better, 5p from every sale of their ethical soft drinks goes towards their foundation to fund social projects in growing communities. So far they’ve donated €2 Million and counting.

ChariTea

charitea ethical soft drinks

The sister brand to Lemonaid, ChariTea* produces a range of tea-inspired and infused ethical soft drinks in a range of exciting flavours. 

Like LemonAid, the products are Fairtrade and organic and are only available in glass bottles. Sales also fund the foundation to enable social change in grower communities. 

Both Lemonaid and ChariTea products are available to purchase online at Ethical Superstore*. Here you can also find tools to upcycle your bottles. These include pumps to turn the empty bottles into hand soap dispensers, and oil pourers to turn them into olive oil dispensers. Clever!

Gingerella Ginger Ale

gingerella ginger beer uk

‘Taste the justice’ is the mantra and we certainly think that organic Gingerella* delivers on that promise. Produced by Karma Cola, Gingerella packs a punch for a clean, crisp taste with a kick. 

Available only in glass bottles or aluminium cans, Gingerella is Fairtrade, delivering a fair wage and working conditions for Sri Lankan farmers. Gingerella and sister brands Lemony Lemonade and Karma Cola are available online at Waitrose or Ethical Superstore*.

Luscombe Soft Drinks

ethical soft drinks uk

With a range of 26 ethical soft drinks, juices, and mixers, Luscombe offers great organic variety. Their ingredients even include wild elderflowers. And don’t worry, all their beverages are packaged in glass bottles.

Whole Earth Ethical Soft Drinks

whole earth organic juice in cans

For a widely available can of pop, Whole Earth* offers a range of thirst-quenching options from orange and lemon to apple, elderflower, and cranberry. What’s more, all their ethical soft drinks are certified organic and are competitively priced.

Of course, for an option that’s friendliest on your wallet, and the environment, we’d always recommend a reusable bottle filled with good old tap water for instant refreshment on the go. But for that January pick-me-up and alcohol-free substitute you can’t beat a bit of fizz with added kindness.

With so many options available, let’s raise a recycled glass to these sustainable soft drinks!

PS: you might also be interested in my guide to the best oat milk, and plastic-free instant coffee.

Image of some juice and some fruit on a white background with a blue text box that says guide to the best ethical soft drinks for sustainable sipping

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