In 2011, in its three places of work, the Parliament used over a million plastic water bottles and this figure has been growing on an annual basis since 2006.

The production and transport of these bottles result in CO2 emissions of between 130-160 tonnes and create an enormous amount of plastic waste. The economic cost of providing water bottles in each meeting room is also substantial.

An environmental analysis undertaken by the Parliament's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) service has shown that, out of all the possible ways of providing drinking water, the use of plastic water bottles is the least environmentally friendly.

Furthermore, the Parliament has set itself the target of reducing its CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020 (in relation to 2006 emissions). Eliminating plastic water bottles will contribute to this objective.

As Members of the European Parliament we should show that we practice what we preach and find alternatives to wasteful habits.

Therefore, by the end of this mandate, we request that plastic bottles are replaced by a more environmentally friendly alternative following proposals by EMAS.