Bottled Water

Bottled water can be defined as drinking water that was packaged in different types of bottles. It is aimed directly towards retail sale and individual consumption. There are three main types of water that are used in producing bottle water: purified water, spring water and glacial water. Keep in mind that countries usually have special regulations that will control the quality of the water that is sold. This is necessary in order to make sure that companies are offering only bottled water that is safe for everybody. The problem is that standards do vary especially when comparing developing countries with developed countries.

When talking about bottled water there is one huge debate going on. According to the World Wildlife Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council we should reduce the amount of bottled water we consume because it is no better than regular tap water. There is also the problem of the plastic bottles in which water comes. Plastic is not biodegradable and it can have a huge negative impact on the environment. Every single year hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles are being thrown away randomly and not recycled. On the other hand, people that support bottled water are looking at this product from a different perspective. They claim that such a product is a lot better than tap water and we are basically looking at a very good alternative that has to be taken into account. Bottled water is healthier than most sports drinks or soft drinks on the market. Also, PET bottles just account for around 0.3% of the waste found in USA. What is interesting is that the manufacturer actually pays more for making the bottle and the tap and not on the actual water. This is why it is always better to buy bottled water in larger bottles as they are a lot cheaper.

Bottled water demand varies on a number of factors but we have to mostly relate to developed countries and developing countries. When talking about developed countries we see that many factors are having an impact on water demand. This includes convenience and a popular belief that it is a safer source of water when compared with tap water. It is needless to say that advertising and packaging also has a huge impact on how we see bottled water. We are thus faced with various brands and all is done in a similar fashion like with soft drinks. In developing countries we are faced with a high demand that is caused by the bad quality of tap water. Poor people end up drinking tap water as bottled water is too expensive. On the other hand people that can afford to purchase bottled water will do so and will see it as a necessity caused by the many impurities found in municipal water.

We must understand the fact that most municipalities out there (especially when talking about developed world) will offer people potable water of the highest quality possible. The problem is that contamination can appear as contaminants can be spilled into water sources. There are many studies that have been performed in order to check the quality of tap water. In most situations impurities were found but not at a level that has to be considered a threat. Unfortunately the influence of media has only aided in making every single incident seem more dangerous than it actually is. This immediately caused bottled water sales to rise. What we need to understand is that bottled water is sometimes necessary. On the other hand, it is very important that we choose the best brands possible as differences in brand quality do exist.