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By: Ireland Betzold Summary. The bottled water market is a global industry that sells water mainly in the form of plastic bottles. This industry is growing very rapidly and has been since the 1970’s. Most forms of bottled water are distributed for the purpose of drinking water. However, this is not always the case. Distilled water can also be used for things such as scientific use or car batteries. Although water is a necessity, buying drinking water from large global bottled water markets is extremely unsustainable. The reason that the market is so popular, even though many are aware of its faults, is due to one main thing: convenience. It is much more convenient to purchase a $1 bottle of water from the store than it is to locate a drinking water source and provide your own cup or glass. It is also a very common fact that bottled water is safer/ healthier than tap water. However, this is a myth. This topic is very relevant in today’s news because of COVID-19 and its effect on the industry. During quarantine when everybody was locked up inside their houses, large amounts of bottled drinking water were being consumed. Many people even took this further and hoarded mass amounts of bottled water, much of which they did not need. As stated before, the consumption of these plastic drinking water options is extremely unsustainable. The production of the plastic bottles is a huge contribution to the release of fossil fuels and global warming itself. In addition to this, the industry seems to have no intention of slowing down, as it has been growing steadily. Why we should care? The main reason we should care about the global bottled water market is because of its immense contribution to global warming.  Photo Credit: https://www.phoxwater.com/blogs/water/the-global-bottled-water-market Example Article. https://www.reportsgo.com/bottled-water-testing-equipment-market-177848 This article was incredibly interesting because it did a very good job at explaining the intense growth of the bottled water industry. The study covers the growth over a certain period of time, 2021-2026. Not only does it discuss the reason for the incline, but it also lists multiple insights that help us understand the pattern of the growth. This article was extremely helpful in understanding why the growth rate of these companies is flourishing and will continue to in the upcoming years. I also chose this article because of its relevance. The author mentions how COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the market, and how the pandemic has and will continue to cause growth of the global bottled water industry. However, COVID-19 is not the only pushing factor. There are multiple other factors that contribute to the growing industry of bottled water. Science in Action.
Dr. Subhash C. Jain is a professor Emeritus at University of Connecticut. Dr. Jain specializes in understanding marketing strategy and multinational marketing. In addition to this, he is also the author of over 100 publications including 12 books containing various marketing information. Although he resides in the United States, Jain holds many presentations and seminars all across the globe. Some of these seminars include the topics of marketing and export strategy, and global branding. I feel as though this is crucial to his credibility, as it proves he has had much experience in analyzing larger scale markets, such as the global bottled water industry. He also works as a consultant to many organizations such as United Technologies and General Motors. Jain is very passionate about the global bottled water market, hence why he performed a case study assessing global competitiveness within the bottled water industry.
13 Comments
10/28/2021 12:16:21
This article is very eye-opening on the fact of bottled water consumption in the world is exponentially growing. The materials that we use to create the bottles of water are going to eventually kill the planet through waste. We need to stop the usage of bottle water in our households. Reusable thermoses cut down on the downstream of plastic products into our environment and landfills. 10/28/2021 13:36:39
I found it interesting that the amounts of water purchased increased with more people staying at home due to COVID. It was amusing to learn in class how bottled water companies really marketed their water to appear safer than tape water, because it's something I never thought of. I've always drank tap water and used a reusable bottle. I think making such a minor change like buying a reusable bottle will go such a long way for climate change, it's too bad that more people won't do this.
Lindsey Wheaton
10/28/2021 19:51:07
It's weird to me that the purchasing of bottled water increased during the pandemic because you would think at the beginning when we were all in our homes it would be more convenient to get a glass and drink from the tap. But i guess it makes sense because of how people were panic buying and getting more than what they needed.
Nicholas Hill
10/31/2021 18:54:27
Its interesting to me because before taking this class I had no idea there was a large portion of the population that did not drink tap water and felt that tap water was unsafe. I have always had the opposite belief where myself and my family believe that bottled water is more likely to be contaminated or unsafe rather than tap water. I can understand that bottled water is a large part of peoples lives in third world countries or during times of crisis like hurricanes or the contaminated water in Flint Michigan, but it is still odd that there is a stigma against tap water.
Jackson Gifford
10/31/2021 23:59:09
I find this topic extremely interesting because you illustrate how a huge industry that doesn't have the need to exist causes such environmental harm. The treated water that people drink from these bottles is negatively impacting so many aspects of the environment, and in a way is creating its own need to fulfill, as many bottled water companies have been known to pollute freshwater sources.
Abby Plonka
11/1/2021 14:19:15
I had no idea that the consumption of bottled water increased so much during the pandemic. It doesn’t really make sense as to why it did because most people have access to drinkable water from their tap. I think there should be much more of an incentive to use reusable water bottles instead of bottled water. If more people were aware that bottled water isn’t better quality than tap water, then maybe fewer people would purchase it.
Grace
11/1/2021 19:52:28
I thought it was very interesting to learn about how covid-19 effected the water bottle industry, especially how they saw a rise in bottled water consumption due to people during the pandemic hoarding cases of water bottles in fear of not having a clean supply of water and since products were leaving the shelves so quickly in stores. I think we need to really think about the sustainability of these bottled water companies for the sake of a better future for our planet, especially since science has proved that bottled water is not all that healthy for you in comparison to tap water.
riley stledger
11/1/2021 20:49:57
I hadn't previously known how bad bottled water actually was way worse than tap water, because that's not what companies are saying obviously. But if you actually do your research, bottled water is not only unsustainable but unhealthy. I also didn't realize that people were actually drinking more bottled water during the pandemic, because you would think they'd choose to drink the water available in their homes.
Loren Solomon
11/1/2021 23:14:18
Hey Ireland, I really enjoyed your discussion! I found the article very interesting. I've drank bottled water most of my life, and it's a real eye opener realizing bottled water is no better than tap. In regard to the pandemic, I think it's fascinating how much plastic water bottle consumption increased because of COVID. On one hand, I understand it, but at the same time, it's illogical. I feel if more people were aware that bottled water is less sustainable and can be harmful, we would see a decrease in plastic water bottle consumption.
Alexis Potoff
11/1/2021 23:31:49
It is not surprising to hear about how popular bottled water is despite it seeming unnecessary and having a poor impact on the environment. It is also strange to hear that people think it is safer or cleaner to drink out of water bottles. I wonder where the association comes from of tap water being less clean/dirty.
Jenin Kaddoura
11/2/2021 01:12:50
I was not surprised by the fact that people hoarded big amounts of water bottles in quarantine, since they already did the same thing with other products as well. However, what startled me the most was the fact that tap water is actually safer than bottled water. I believe that the bottled water industry helped spread this myth for financial gains. Sadly, this is another situation that exemplifies the manipulation of civilians for personal gains. Moreover, our health and nature are not being prioritized enough, due to the fact that it would cost the industry much more if they actually acted upon these concerns. We are also contributing to the growth of the industry as we consume bottled water, and like you said, convenience is the main reason behind the market’s popularity and success. Unfortunately, this is taken advantage of and no plans on having sustainable approaches are addressed. Like many argue, water should be free as it is a fundamental human need, this can greatly influence the market by reducing the incentive to produce more bottled water. Ideally, if this were to happen, it would significantly lessen plastic pollution which not only has impacts on nature, but on other animals and creatures as well.
Michelle Kim
11/4/2021 10:45:52
Its so crazy how some people are dependable on water bottles, but it makes sense just cause its so convenient. Its sad to hear that the use of water bottles have significantly increased, especially during COVID because people thought that COVID would go through their water sources at home.
Briana Carlton
12/17/2021 18:21:47
Any solution to the challenges society currently faces first requires an understanding of the connection between the problems. In this case, a clear relationship is observed between bottled drinking water and climate conditions. But is the evidence enough to change our behaviors? While I am also guilty of using bottled water out of convenience, I have recently made the switch to reusable bottles and filtered water where I can – but it wasn’t because I was concerned about the climate. In fact, my understanding of the relationship between the two is moderate at best. In addition to raising awareness (like Ireland did with this article), I do believe that incentives would help to change our bottled water consuming behavior, though. Thanks for posting, Ireland. Leave a Reply. |
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December 2021
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