Have consumers bottled it?
Almost half of Brits say they’re buying less bottled water, but why?
Single-use plastic is becoming more and more of a social no-no, with plastic straws, cotton-buds, and stirrers all getting the axe.
Reusable bottles (over single-use) have even become somewhat of a cultural norm, with many brands — big and small — creating their own range of the modern day fashion staple. Even Coca-Cola has pledged to reduce its plastic pollution.
But are people’s attitudes to plastic bottles really changing — and is it influencing how they’re drinking water? Our UK users — or bees — told us their thoughts.
What a difference a year makes…
Our previous research showed that 7 in 10 people who frequently bought bottled water were doing so out of convenience. Since then though, we’ve seen plastic waste become a cultural touch point, so we wanted to know — have the tides turned, or is convenience still a factor in people’s water drinking habits?
Well, our bees are starting to reduce their bottled water usage. Almost half of those surveyed are buying less than they were a year ago.
This trend is present across generations too — it’s not just a youth thing. So if our age isn’t influencing us, what is?
Environmentally motivated or financially frugal?
Three main trends emerged when looking at how our bees overall think about tap water compared to bottled: they think it’s cleaner, more environmentally friendly, and cheaper.
However, bees who are now buying less bottled water are more likely to believe tap water is more environmentally friendly than bees who aren’t (79% vs 68%). Indeed, many of them specifically cited this factor as the reason for their change in behaviour.
So, increased awareness of environmental factors — along, no doubt, with societal pressure — is not only making people more mindful of their plastic use, but also increasing the chances of them actively trying to reduce it:
“I’m trying to be an eco-warrior and not use much plastic,” said a 42-year-old male bee.
“Because I have recently purchased a water bottle that I love and it has made me want to fill up with tap water now!” said a female bee, 40.
The environmental considerations are stronger amongst the young. Over 4 in 5–81% — of under-45s think tap water is more environmentally friendly, compared to 2 in 3 (67%) of over -45s.
We also found a difference between the sexes — in that a higher proportion of women have reduced their bottled water consumption than men (48% vs 36%).
But what do people want to drink?
However, just because people are drinking more tap water, this isn’t necessarily something they actually prefer.
According to our bees, nearly one-third of people would rather drink bottled water over tap, with taste most cited as the reason. True or not, people think bottled water tastes differently to what comes out of the tap.
What’s more, almost twice as many people think bottled water is ‘full of minerals’ than those who think tap water is. A clear win for marketing campaigns?
Is the future bright, still or sparkling?
Will there actually come a day when you can no longer buy single-use plastic water bottles from your corner shop or supermarket? It’s the way the wind is blowing.
Companies who take note of such widespread social concerns, and then actively make changes to their business to improve them, will reap the benefits. Alternative solutions that benefit the person and the planet could be enough to attract both customers and a brand advocates — meaning everybody wins.
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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from Streetbees community members in the UK, carried out in Mar 2019. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
