The water wars: why bottled isn’t better for you or the planet
Bottlers sprang up in just about every country and the likes of Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo added water to their portfolios, helping boost global revenue in the business to $130bn in 2018
Geneva/Zurich — Over the past four decades, consumers around the world have chugged trillions of bottles of water from brands such as Perrier, Evian, Dasani, and Aquafina. Few realise that most of what they pay for is plastic and time on a truck. Companies typically get the water for free or just a nominal fee, and bottling the stuff and getting it to consumers — as well as advertising it — accounts for the bulk of their costs.
Today, increasing concern about the carbon and plastic waste generated by that process is fueling a backlash that threatens the business. Across the industry, sales are softening and some towns are even banning plastic water bottles — spurring producers to respond with alternatives ranging from canned water to flavour pods for tap water to dispensers that sell sparkling and flavoured mixes...
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