Breaking down the h20…
A few weeks ago, we had the hottest day of the year in London. Over the course of the week, millions of people across the nation were reaching for their water bottles to keep them cool — hydration is key, after all. But water isn’t as transparent as it seems.
Haha — see what we did there. But seriously — I know what you’re thinking… “Oh man, now they’re going to start harping on about something as simple as water”, but stick with us, because with bottled water consumption at an all time high, there is way more to water than meets the eye.
The Lowdown
Across the globe, people are now drinking just as much bottled water as they do milk. That’s over 35 litres per person, per year. Bottled water is the 2nd most popular liquid refreshment at supermarkets, coming in closely after carbonated sugary drinks. These figures are expected to soar even further this year, overtaking it’s sugary counterpart, making bottled water the highest selling soft drink globally.
This global boom can be attributed to many causes. On one hand, it’s arguably being driven by developed world consumers that are switching out their bottle of sugar, with a bottle of water — for obvious health reasons. So, that’s kind of a good thing, right?! It’s probably also being driven by consumers in the developing world who cannot source good quality water from the tap — also a fair argument. Another driving factor of water sales may also be because of — don’t laugh — the rise of smart & artisan waters. Yep — that’s a thing.
Artisan waters are waters that claim to have a number of wonderous benefits — strengthen your bone structure, effective at rehydration, assists in sleeping patterns… You know, all that stuff that water generally just does. But supposedly, better.
But there is cause for serious concern. Global sales were projected to hit 233bn litres last year, and this number is still growing. That’s a huuuuuge amount of bottled water. On top of this, most bottled water that Londoners are drinking isn’t even sourced in the U.K.
We have Evian — French. We have San Pellegrino — Italy. Badoit — French, Volvic — French, Glaceau — American, Fiji Water — Fiji (duh). Over one fifth of the bottled water sold in the UK is sourced from overseas. People are genuinely buying water imported from a place as far away as Fiji, there are water sommeliers now, and reports of a water bar opening in Selfridge’s have recently surfaced… Has the whole world gone completely mad?!
The Catch
Okay, we kind of get that importing bottled water might be somewhat excusable if tap water wasn’t potable in the UK. But it is.
This country has no shortage of clean, fresh water. In fact, you can get it from your tap for the very competitve price of around 1p for 10 litres. So maybe you don’t like the taste of London water? It’s too hard, you say, and there are too many minerals in it. Totally fair enough — we get it. Say hello to your new best friend, the water filter — another thing thats pretty damn accessible in this country. Walk into any Boots chemist and you’ll find one for around 10 quid. Okay, so 10 quid + 1p for 10 litres of tap water. We’re still doing pretty well. And the filter all comes down to personal preference — it’s not a necessity.
However, it seems that most people would rather pay £1 for 500ml for a plastic bottle with a fancy label, despite the huge environmental costs of transferring water into plastic bottles, and then driving or shipping it across the world.
Small changes are being made in London to try and combat the plastic bottle issue, including places like ZSL London Zoo & Selfridges completely eradicating the sale of plastic water bottles within these venues, instead replacing them with boxed water. These are steps towards the #OneLess campaign — a campaign led by ZSL working to make London the first global capital city to stop using single-use plastic bottles.
The Cheat Sheet
If you must drink bottled water, be wise about it.
The UK Ones — Brecon Carreg, Highland, Willow… It’s always better to buy water that has been bottled here instead of overseas, to avoid extra damage caused by shipping large amounts of water across the world.
The Fancy One — San Pellegrino, in a glass bottle
The Environmentally Sustainable One — Water In A Box
The Staple — When you’re faced the the bewildering choice of so many different brands, an energy-efficient way to approach hydration is… to use the tap.
