The consumption of bottled water rose by 10% in 2013, according to specialist food and drink industry consultancy Zenith International’s 23rd Annual Report on the UK bottled water market.
Also according to the report, UK citizens are now drinking a whopping 2,770 million litres of bottled water annually. This means that the annual consumption of bottled water in the UK is 50 times higher than it was thirty years ago, and represents around 19% of all soft drinks consumed.
So, with those in the UK consuming nearly 3 million litres of bottled water annually, which translates to around 34 litres per person, we have to ask WHY, when the tap water is excellent quality, according to the official channels.
The answers seem to be:
- Many individuals think that the quality of water in the UK is not as great as it is touted to be
- Drinking bottled water is healthier
- Drinking bottled water is sexy and “in†because that is what all the big stars do
- Bottled water tastes better
- Bottled water is purer than tap water
- Bottled water comes in great flavours, some including vitamins and minerals
On the other side of the coin are those who are vehemently opposed to bottled water, saying that it is bad for the planet, it is way overpriced, and is nothing more than a product of great advertising.
According to the naysayers, the main reason that bottled water is sold so much is that it is marketed as a healthier alternative to tap water, which is not necessarily the truth! It may well be the truth that bottled mineral water is better for you than fizzy drinks, but healthier than tap water? Not necessarily.
According to those who are not in favour of bottled water, there are a myriad of reasons NOT to drink bottled water, including:
- Bottled water is an advertising scam
- Bottled water costs between 300-500 times more than ordinary water
- Bottled water has a HUGE carbon footprint ( around 3 million tons of plastic is used in producing the bottles for bottled water, 80% of which ends up in landfills)
- The Drinking Water Inspectorate states that according to 1.9m tests done across the whole of the UK, tap water showed 99.96% compliance with legal standards
- According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), bottled water is environmentally unfriendly and a waste of consumers money
- Many of the water companies that claim that their bottled water contains vitamins are outright lying
- The “fruit-flavoured†bottled waters have never even smelled a fruit
Well, whether you are for or against bottled water, the fact remains that it is a thriving industry worth around £2bn per year in the UK alone and is the fastest-growing drinks market globally.
Bottled water companies claim that the majority of bottled water is now packaged in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, which can be recycled, so do your duty by nature; protect the ecology by recycling your water bottles so that they do not end up in landfills. Buy bottled water coolers and mains water coolers for your business.
Source:
Environmental Technology Centre
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