So the plastic lining inside the can (1) uses as much plastic as a plastic bottle and (2) is as damaging to the environment?

Since the answer to both of those questions is no, it's more than a PR move.

It's super thin layer of plastic Likely dramatically less plastic compared to a plastic bottle

It's less plastic but it still emits BPAs into your drink.

That's a separate issue though

Of course it is!

Just like the water in the “milk” cartons.

They might as well just sell water like Canadians sell milk —in simple plastic bags and then you put the bag in your favorite mug or whatever.

Selling water in plastic bags is actually a common practice in India. This happens in bars and when you order to-go (or parcel as it's called there)

Also in the Philippines.

Like PV panels mounded on cars, its the first impression of uneducated masses that counts.

Also packaged water is so incredibly wasteful, pointless, and foul tasting that I can’t see it as anything but a PR move.

Careful having extreme stances on things. Packaged water keeps many people alive during times of natural disasters or crises. Volunteers flock in and one of the first items brought in is bottled water. It was a lifeline for many people during the Flint water crisis. Finally it serves an overall utility of giving people another choice at the vending machine. It sounds silly to you and me as well, but it has a real impact on public health.

It’s a fine choice if your local water source is truly not potable, but for the vast majority of the western world that’s not the case. On the contrary, the majority of tap water that people can drink for effectively free is of higher quality and testing standards than most bottled water.

The FDA website says the exact opposite. The standards for bottled water are much higher than municipal tap.

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/bottled-water...

Not quite. From that link:

> Each time EPA establishes a standard for a contaminant, FDA either adopts it for bottled water or finds that the standard isn’t necessary for bottled water.

> In some cases, standards for bottled water and tap water differ. For example, because lead can leach from pipes as water travels from water utilities to home faucets, EPA has set its limit for lead in tap water at 15 parts per billion (ppb). For bottled water, for which lead pipes aren’t used, the lead limit is set at 5 ppb.

So it could go in either direction though leans toward tight coordination. Enlightening to know there is more scrutiny there.

That aside, the horrible taste alone should be enough to dissuade people with a known safe alternative from drinking bottled water.