Bottled Water: An Evidence-Based Overview of Economic Viability, Environmental Impact, and Social Equity

Yael Parag (), Efrat Elimelech and Tamar Opher
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Yael Parag: School of Sustainability, Reichman University, 8 University St., Herzliya 4610101, Israel
Efrat Elimelech: Department of Sociology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Tamar Opher: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: This paper considers bottled water with respect to the three pillars of sustainability: economic viability, environmental impacts, and social equity. Per-capita consumption of bottled water has been growing steadily and is the fastest-growing sector of the packaged beverages industry, with expected annual growth of 10% until 2026. Most bottled water is sold in PET containers, and various impacts are evident along all phases of the product lifecycle. This paper reviews market trends and forecasts, lifecycle estimates of energy consumption, associated air pollution and GHG emissions, water footprint, and waste generation. Concerns around human and ecosystem health due to pollution, land use changes, storage conditions, microplastics, and leaching from containers are described, as well as local environmental benefits from companies’ efforts to preserve the quality of their source water. Growing awareness of the cumulative negative impacts of bottled water have pushed the industry to voluntarily improve its performance. Yet, as growth continues, further actions should focus on stricter regulation and on the provision of more sustainable, affordable, available, and trusted alternatives. Gaps remain in knowledge of the effects of bottled water over its full life cycle.

Keywords: bottled water industry; sustainable consumption; health impact; environmental impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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