Many of you know about the Green Planet water, and have probably tasted their fresh and chemical-free product. Their water is vapor-distilled for purity, and then supplemented with various minerals, for a clean, crisp taste. But what do you really know about the Green Planet bottle? Do you know how it's manufactured? Or why it's considered eco-friendly? Well, here are a few facts about Green Planet bottles.

Brad Schulman, founder and CEO of Green Planet, started his quest in March of 2008. “It began with three dads who have young children and understood that there’s a large problem in the world with petroleum-based bottles,” says Schulman. “We decided to do something about it.”

And they did just that! Most water bottles are made from petroleum or other chemicals that could leach into the water. But Green Planet uses a bottle that is composed of 100 percent plant material, which is reusable, recyclable and compostable within 80 days. It is the company’s mission to eliminate the estimated 40 million plastic bottles that end up in landfills each year by replacing them with bio-plastic, which decomposes at a much faster rate than conventional plastic. The eco-friendly bottles do not contain BPA—a chemical, according to medical experts, that has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans. Therefore, the bottle is safer for you and the environment.

However, there are differences of opinion about the company’s claim. Opponents argue that Green Planet and its “green” bottle are not as environmentally friendly as they would have you believe. One of their claims is that the process in which the bio-plastic is made creates the same carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as conventional plastic bottles.

But the biggest strike against Green Planet is the manufacturer of their bottles, PTT Chemical Public Company Limited—a company known for making environmentally hazardous chemicals. Opponents contend that if a company makes environmentally hazardous chemicals, then they can easily brand their hazardous products as eco-friendly, and people will buy it. However, PTT’s website does list all of their eco-friendly chemicals, which are mostly plants, animal fats and fatty alcohol.

There is no doubt that a biodegradable product is a step in the right direction to alleviate some of the negative impact we have caused to our environment. Green Planet is making an effort to be environmentally-conscience—the company is trying to make a difference. And as consumers, so should we.

Have you gone green yet?