Health and wellness is a key factor driving the bottled water category, with consumers increasingly turning to the beverage for calorie free, pure hydration; while in some markets it offers consumers assured safety and quality.
The category has been growing worldwide in recent years but now Zenith sees it poised to overtake all other soft drink categories this year.
“This is all the more remarkable because other soft drinks include carbonates, juices, energy, sports, concentrates, ready to drink teas and coffees, some of which are also growing strongly,”​ said Richard Hall, chairman, Zenith Global, speaking at the 15th​ Global Bottled Water Congress in Evian, France, this week.
“Bottled water consumption reached 418bn litres in 2017, up 92% since 2007, an average approaching 7% a year and a 10 year increase of 200bn litres.
All other soft drinks totalled 438bn litres in 2017, up 24% since 2007, an average of 2% a year and a 10 year increase of 84bn litres.
​ “We are therefore forecasting 2018 will be the year when bottled water exceeds the total for all other non-alcoholic beverages.”​ The data comes from Zenith Global’s new online globaldrinks.com​ database, launched this week, which covers 24 non-alcoholic beverage categories and segments across 86 countries in both volume and value, with figures going back to 2006 and forecasts up to 2022.
Information from the database compares bottled water prices for five market segments over the past 10 years.
“This shows that the vast majority of bottled water is not only healthy, convenient and local, it is also very affordably priced with virtually no increase in average prices during the past ten years,” ​said Hall.
“The price of bulk water in packs over 10 litres has consistently averaged out at $0.15 or less per litre and the average for smaller packs of still water has not risen above $0.65 per litre.
Nevertheless, there is a strong premium for other waters, with sparkling water averaging up to US$0.97 per litre, flavoured water up to US$1.49 per litre and functional water up to US$1.95 per litre.”​

The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and a group of leading bottled water and soft drink manufacturers have launched a report at the House of Commons, which aims to eliminate plastic packaging waste from the bottled water and soft drinks value chain by 2030.
Developed collaboratively by the industry and its stakeholders, the report, the first of its kind, sets out key actions and aspirations to make eliminating plastic packaging waste a strategic priority.
Points covered include that producers need to commit to all bottled water and soft drinks packaging to be made from 100 per cent recyclable or reusable material and aim for at least 70 per cent recycled material by 2025.
The report also says producers and Government will investigate the optimal material of the future for bottled water and soft drinks that eliminates plastic waste while ensuring the lowest overall environmental impact.
Producers and Government will undertake research into consumer behaviour to support recycling ambitions towards achieving a ‘circular economy’ for bottled water and soft drinks packaging according to the report and the Government will also create a consistent nationwide recycling system.
The report was developed with input from the Future of Plastic Packaging Working Group and members of the Natural Hydration Council.
“Our members, along with Lucozade Ribena Suntory, commissioned CISL to help us create a collaborative roadmap to eliminate plastic packaging waste from the bottled water and soft drinks sectors,” added Kinvara Carey, General Manager at the Natural Hydration Council.
“It will be challenging but it is our duty as responsible organisations to deliver our products to people in the most sustainable way possible.
It needs to be easy for people to dispose of all packaging responsibly, and with the confidence it will not go to landfill waste or worse, escape into the natural environment.”

The City of Hamilton will try to deter people from buying sugary drinks at arenas and rec centres.
Hamilton city council voted 9-6 Wednesday to offer healthier, more eco-friendly options at its facilities.
The goal, they said, is to steer people away from sodas and bottled water, and encourage them to drink tap water instead.
But while Coun.
"I’m not on for that ban," said Jackson.
"Read the language here.
It’s about telling volunteers to do their best to eliminate the sale of bottled water."
It will group food and drink in the categories of green, yellow and red according to Canada’s Food Guide.
"There will also be a continued focus on reducing reliance on bottled water, and ensuring sugary drinks won’t be positioned more prominently than water," the city said.
Matthew Green, Ward 3 councillor, said he was ready to call for an outright ban right now on bottled water and sugary drinks.

Hamilton’s Board of Health will significantly reduce the availability of bottled water and sugary drinks at all recreation facilities and arenas over the next three years.
Aidan Johnson, who initially proposed banning bottled water and sugary drinks from city-owned facilities in 2016.
Hamilton Coun.
Brian McHattie first introduced the idea in 2010.
Hamilton’s plan will exempt Tim Horton’s Field, golf courses and concession operations that are operated by volunteers.
Although volunteers will be “encouraged” to eliminate the sale of bottled water and sugary drinks by city staff.
The Board of Health’s recommendations still have to be voted on at Hamilton council May 23.
A number of people, including students from Allan Greenleaf Elementary School and Westdale Secondary School, urged councillors to ban the sale of bottled water.
Sarah Dickson, a McMaster University professor, said that to manufacture a 1litre bottle of water, requires 27 litres of water.
The association has stated that bottle water “does not compete with tap water” and that “the majority of Canadians drink tap water at home and bottled water on the go.”

Is bottled water the best drink?
Apart from transportation, infrastructure and salaries, “Nestlé pays little for the product it bottles — sometimes a municipal rate and other times just a nominal extraction fee,” the Bloomberg report said.
“This includes the scientists, engineers, biologists and others who work for our company,” it said.
Americans now drink more bottled water than every other soda combined, in an effort to avoid sugar and diet soda.
Bottled-water consumption in the US hit 39.3 gallons per capita last year, while carbonated soft drinks fell to 38.5 gallons, marking the first time that soda was knocked off the top spot, according to recent data from industry tracker Beverage Marketing Corp.
In the four decades since the launch of Perrier water in the US, consumption of bottled water surged 2,700 percent, from 354 million gallons in 1976 to 11.7 billion gallons in 2015, according to the International Bottled Water Association.
(Representatives from the bottled water industry contend that the origin of these EDCs were likely environmental rather than from a packaging material.)
What’s more, polyethylene terephthalate or PET, plastic bottled water bottles already use less plastic than any other packaged beverage, the International Bottled Water Association spokeswoman added.
“When a public water system is used as a source for making purified bottled water, several processes are employed to ensure that it meets comprehensive US Food and Drug Administration regulations,” she says.
The American Beverage Association also rejects those studies, highlighting the difference between “correlation” and “causation,” and says people who are overweight and already at risk for heart disease may consume more diet drinks in an attempt to control their weight and the Food and Drug Administration has ruled that artificial sweeteners are safe.

Be The First State To Tax Sugary Drinks.
Right now, Massachusetts has the opportunity to become the first state in the nation to pass a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages — sodas, “sports” drinks, fruit drinks and other drinks with added sugar — and get a two-fer: funds to help our struggling budget and a huge boon to public health.
There have been measurable drops in the consumption of sugary drinks, a corresponding increase in water consumption as well as a pool of tax dollars available for further public health measures.
Research shows that over-consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is an overwhelming contributor to costly and preventable health challenges in our state: Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and dental cavities among them.
At the same time, Massachusetts faces a massive shortfall in funding needed for our drinking water infrastructure.
We have let our drinking water infrastructure deteriorate and made it more difficult for people to make the healthiest choice — drinking water.
The tiered structure of the tax will discourage beverages with the massive amounts of added sugar we see today.
Every school, park and municipal building in Massachusetts should have drinkable water and modern water filing stations where kids and adults can have access to clean drinking water.
A well-structured state tax on sugary beverages with funds devoted to the state’s water infrastructure and better access to exercise and recreation will create an environment where health thrives and health care costs are lower for everyone.
Why shouldn’t Massachusetts be the first state in the nation to pass a state-wide sugary drink tax?

Would you buy Coca-Cola bottled water costing US$9?.
“Turn it into a social currency.” That’s the advice being given by one China marketing expert to Coca-Cola, as the US drinks giant launches what it is being billed as an ultra-luxurious Swiss sparkling water brand, a bottle of which costs double what a Starbucks venti cappuccino might cost.
In China there are people who will pay for Starbucks coffee even they don’t like coffee that much.” Traditionally a nation of tea drinkers, China has become the growth engine for the world’s largest coffee-chain, as the booming Chinese middle classes adopt a cup of coffee as an everyday indulgence, emblematic of their growing social status.
Last year, then Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz projected that the China market may one day overtake the US, which has dominated the brand’s sales for nearly five decades.
Its white paper cups bearing the green logo of a twin-tailed mermaid carry not only the caffeinated liquid infusion, but also just the type of Western imagery aspired to by growing numbers of Chinese.
But when it comes to a bottle of plain water, it’s a different story, however, said Veronica Wang, associate partner with OC&C Strategy Consultants.
“The key here is how Coca-Cola justifies its price, by underlining its origin, functions or packaging.” China’s bottled water market has long been dominated by low- to mid-end domestic players such as Nongfu Spring and Hangzhou Wahaha, which typically charge less than three yuan per bottle, a fraction of the cost of a bottle of Coke’s Valser water.
But with China’s water pollution deteriorating, pipelines decaying, and sources of groundwater drying up, many have started shunning domestically-sourced products, fearing their quality, and that many might be contaminated.
“This new generation is trying to quench its thirst for premium goods, while caring about their health and wellness,”Wang said.
Yet still the price of a 500ml bottle of the Fiji branded water, sells on the shelves for only about 10 yuan.

Just who might buy a bottle of Coca-Cola bottled sparkling water costing US$9?.
“Turn it into a social currency.” That’s the advice being given by one China marketing expert to Coca-Cola, as the US drinks giant launches what it is being billed as an ultra-luxurious Swiss sparkling water brand, a bottle of which costs double what a Starbucks venti cappuccino might cost.
In China there are people who will pay for Starbucks coffee even they don’t like coffee that much.” Traditionally a nation of tea drinkers, China has become the growth engine for the world’s largest coffee-chain, as the booming Chinese middle classes adopt a cup of coffee as an everyday indulgence, emblematic of their growing social status.
Last year, then Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz projected that the China market may one day overtake the US, which has dominated the brand’s sales for nearly five decades.
Its white paper cups bearing the green logo of a twin-tailed mermaid carry not only the caffeinated liquid infusion, but also just the type of Western imagery aspired to by growing numbers of Chinese.
But when it comes to a bottle of plain water, it’s a different story, however, said Veronica Wang, associate partner with OC&C Strategy Consultants.
“The key here is how Coca-Cola justifies its price, by underlining its origin, functions or packaging.” China’s bottled water market has long been dominated by low- to mid-end domestic players such as Nongfu Spring and Hangzhou Wahaha, which typically charge less than three yuan per bottle, a fraction of the cost of a bottle of Coke’s Valser water.
But with China’s water pollution deteriorating, pipelines decaying, and sources of groundwater drying up, many have started shunning domestically-sourced products, fearing their quality, and that many might be contaminated.
“This new generation is trying to quench its thirst for premium goods, while caring about their health and wellness,”Wang said.
Yet still the price of a 500ml bottle of the Fiji branded water, sells on the shelves for only about 10 yuan.

Indian activists wage water war with soft drink companies.
PepsiCo, a U.S. food and drinks group, was forced to shutter a bottling plant in the state of Kerala in February after a court directed industries to reduce water usage by 75% because of a drought.
The plant, officially closed for maintenance, is not expected to resume production until at least May 31.
The plant expects to employ more than 500 people.
In February, however, local activists started a petition calling for construction to stop, claiming it would cause pollution and water scarcity.
"We are in the process of collecting documents and data to show loss of water resources if the plant comes up," said Akshay Hunkar, a social activist who is spearheading the movement.
Coca-Cola India plans to draw water from the Narmada River, one of India’s largest waterways.
The river irrigates half a million hectares of land and provides potable water to 16 districts in the state.
Activists claim that the water level has been declining over the past two decades.
Droughts over the last two years have also hit farmers in the region.

Coca-Cola launches US$9 bottled water in China, but will it sell?.
Coca-Cola has quietly launched its super-luxurious Swiss sparkling water – at twice the cost of a venti cappuccino from a well-known coffee chain – in China, but the question is will consumers from the world’s second largest economy fall for it.
Called Valser, the water appeared in the US soft drinks giant’s store on Chinese online marketplace Tmall two weeks ago, with an advertisement highlighting its source: “Switzerland.” The price for its 750ml Classic bottle is 64 yuan (US$9.29), which will get you two Starbucks cappuccinos in Beijing’s Wangfujing shopping strip or three McDonald’s burger meals.
The soft-drinks titan acquired Valser in 2002 for US$2.6 billion, though the Swiss water brand is little known outside its home, mostly available in upmarket retail outlets in cities such as Zurich and Geneva.
With consumer demand for sugary drinks sinking, Coca-Cola and its rival Pepsi have struggled to shore up sales of carbonated soft drinks by cutting the amount of sugar, while building up their bottled water businesses.
James Quincy, the company’s new chief executive, stressed in February that water and still drinks would be the focus of the Atlanta-based company.
“The underlying trend [of stills] is even better than what we jumped at in volume,” he said.
“The strategy is to participate in the categories of highest value in revenue and profitability.” In 2013, China overtook the United States to become the world’s biggest bottled water market by volume, growing from 19 billion litres annually to 37 billion litres from 2010 to 2015.
It is only in the past few years that Evian, Fiji and Perrier, two brands from France and one from Fiji, have gained a foothold in China, where the urban middle classes are in a race to upgrade everything they eat, drink and use.
The price of a 500ml bottle of Fiji is about 10 yuan, still way below Valser.