French investigators have uncovered microplastic contamination in two of Nestlé’s top mineral water brands, sparking a renewed legal battle and fresh calls for tougher environmental regulation.
France’s bottled-water controversy has resurfaced, with new findings linking "exorbitant" levels of microplastic pollution to long-standing illegal waste dumps operated by Nestlé Waters.
According to a joint investigation by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the Central Office for the Fight against Environmental and Public Health Offences (Oclaesp), water from Nestlé’s Contrex and Hépar brands contains microplastic concentrations so extreme that scientists say they shatter environmental baselines.
The findings, revealed by Mediapart, are based on a confidential report submitted to prosecutors in January.
Bottles to blame
Investigators have little doubt about the culprit as they point to four sprawling, unauthorised dumps in the Vosges – in Contrexéville, They-sous-Montfort, Saint-Ouen-les-Parey and Crainvilliers – containing an estimated 473,700 cubic metres of plastic waste, much of it from discarded Nestlé bottles.
That's the equivalent of 126 Olympic swimming pools filled not with water, but plastic detritus.
These sites, some in use for decades, sit alarmingly close to the wells supplying the mineral water sold worldwide under the two luxury-health brands.
Tests carried out on the bottled waters found contamination levels up to 1.3 million times higher than those measured in surface waters such as rivers and lakes, and between five and nearly 3,000 times above the average found in groundwater worldwide.
For Hépar, the OFB detected around 2,096 microplastic particles per litre; for Contrex, about 515 particles per litre.
By comparison, many unpolluted water bodies contain only a handful of particles per cubic metre.
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Health concerns, legal loopholes
While the investigators warn of "harmful effects on human health", Europe has yet to set binding limits for microplastics in drinking water.
Scientists say the tiny particles can enter the bloodstream, organs and even the brain, but the full extent of long-term health risks remains under study.
Nestlé Waters rejects the accusations, insisting that "no pollution has been proven" and that its products remain "safe to drink."
The company points to independent laboratory analyses which, it says, show no contamination, and claims most of the dumps have been cleaned up. Nestlé also argues that some of the illegal sites pre-date its ownership of the land.
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From boardroom to courtroom
The stakes are now more than reputational. Nestlé Waters is due to stand trial in Épinal from 24 to 28 November 2025, facing charges related to illegal waste disposal.
Environmental campaigners hope the case will force stronger French and EU rules on microplastics, particularly in bottled water.
The revelations come amid a wider reckoning for the bottled-water industry, already under fire for over-extraction, packaging waste and carbon emissions.
For many French consumers, Contrex and Hépar have long been marketed as health-boosting mineral waters; the idea that they could be delivering a microplastic cocktail instead is a bitter pill to swallow.
Still, environmentalists say the scandal could have a silver lining. Public outrage may accelerate long-overdue regulation – and encourage consumers to rethink single-use plastic altogether.
