Over the last ten years, bottled water sales have been steadily growing at an average rate of 7 – 8% each year. The amount of bottled water consumed globally has doubled in the period from 1997 to 2005.
Around 200 billion bottles of water are consumed every year. The biggest market by far is the USA, which makes up about 25% of worldwide sales.
Recently, there has been quite a backlash against bottled water. The main are of concern is the environmental impact of the bottles themselves. These are manufactured from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Although this is a material which can be recycled, the actual number of bottles which are recycled is estimated to be less than a quarter of the total.
The manufacturing process, shipping and end of life disposal of the bottles also requires energy, another source of concern for environmentalists. The carbon emissions generated by the production and delivery of one litre of bottled water are 5,000 times higher than those produced for the delivery of a litre of ordinary tap water.
In spite of the marketing of bottled water as healthy, there is no evidence to support the assertion that bottled water is, in developed countries, any better for your health than ordinary tap water. In fact, some bottled waters have been found to contain uranium and estrogenic chemicals. Most bottled waters contain sodium – which is not good for your blood pressure.
In terms of taste there is little firm evidence that bottled water is any better than tap water. In a UK blind taste test, London tap water came in third place out of a selection of 24 different varieties of water. In the USA, a Penn and Teller episode screened in 2007 (which may have been more entertaining than scientific – but is still worthy of a mention) demonstrated that diners could not tell the difference between bottled water and water from a garden hose.
Bottled water costs several hundred times more per litre than ordinary tap water. This will vary from brand to brand of course – the ratio could be even higher for some of the luxury brands.
So, in terms of environmental impact, health, taste and cost, bottled water really doesn’t have a lot going for it. If you really dislike the taste of your tap water then you could always try some type of home filtration system. The cost will be greater than for tap water, but very much less than bottled water. If you go for a solution such as the Brita water filter jug then you will know that it’s better for the environment as all parts of the filters are recyclable.
Of course, home filtration systems are great for when you’re at home – but if you like to carry water with you when you’re out and about then you could use and reuse a bottle which you fill at home, or the office, before you leave. Again, Brita Water are a good example having combined with international designer Orla Kiely to produce the Wottle – which claims to be the world’s first designer reusable bottle and is manufactured from 100% recycled material. Or you could do your own recycling and use an old Coke bottle.
Get great tasting water using a Brita jug filter – and you can also economise by getting Brita replacement filters online too.
