Overview

• Mediapart’s publication of an OFB-Oclaesp investigation revealed Contrex water contains 515 microplastic particles per liter and Hépar 2,096, levels thousands of times above those in natural freshwater sources.
• Judicial authorities have charged Nestlé Waters with maintaining four unauthorized waste dumps in the Vosges since the 1960s, totaling 473,700 cubic meters of pollutants.
• The microplastic contamination is linked to degraded plastic waste seeping into surface and groundwater, creating concentrations that make depollution unfeasible and threaten aquatic ecosystems and human health.
• There are currently no national standards capping microplastic levels in bottled water, spurring regulatory debates on introducing safety thresholds at domestic and international levels.
• Nestlé Waters denies proven pollution in its products and awaits official remediation guidelines as it prepares to face trial in Nancy from November 24 to 28.