Go Fizz Free This February

February 2, 2021 12:47 pm Published by

This February, we’re joining Sugar Smart UK to encourage you to go Fizz Free for the month! Make the pledge to go Fizz Free for your health and for the planet by tagging @SugarSmartUK on twitter and using #FizzFreeFeb.

Fizzy drinks are one of the largest sources of sugar for children aged 11-18, with most containing 6 or more teaspoons of sugar per can. By cutting out fizzy drinks this February you can reduce your sugar intake, and have a positive impact on your health.

We know that fizzy drinks are bad for our health, but did you know they also harm the environment too…

Fizzy drinks have a heavy carbon footprint – with a standard can of cola (330ml) having the equivalent of 170g of CO2. Although a can of diet-cola contains less sugar, it has a similar carbon footprint at 150g of CO2. This compares to a glass of tap water which only uses a tiny 0.03g CO2 (and is much better for your teeth too!)

Growing the sugar beet, and sugarcane (which are both used in fizzy drinks) takes up a lot of land. In the UK, more land is used for sugar beet than all other vegetable crops combined. Sugarcane is also a major contributor to deforestation around the world.

Almost half the fizzy drink bottles in the UK, are not recycled after they’ve been used, and they take around 400 years to decompose! By recycling your plastic bottles you’re preventing them going to landfill, and instead they can be used to make new plastic products.

It takes up to 310 litres of water to produce just one 500ml fizzy drink bottle. Hydrate yourself more sustainably by choosing to drink water, you can also try adding a couple of slices of fresh fruit for extra flavour.

Let us know if you’ve made the pledge to go Fizz Free this February!

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This post was written by Coordinator