This year the water bottle market is estimated to be worth a staggering US$8.8 billion. The use of reusable water bottles is expected to rise at a rate of 2.8% over the next ten years, by which point it would have passed the US11 billion mark. Escalating environmental concerns and a move towards sustainable living are the main driving forces behind this rapid growth in the market.
This is a trend we can all get behind. Back in 2016 480 billion plastic bottles were sold, while in 2004 this was 300 billion. Nowadays one million plastic bottles are sold every single minute and the number of bottles sold in the year of 2021 totalled 583 billion bottles.
What happens to these bottles?
The majority of them find their way into the environment, into the oceans, into landfills, into rivers, some are burnt (causing further air pollution) a fraction are recycled, with the majority polluting the world we are living in and leaving for future generations.
Nicknamed the Eighth Continent, between California and Hawaii, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and is the world’s biggest ocean waste repository, with 1.8 billion pieces of floating plastic which kill thousands of marine animals each year.
The plastic pollution problem is one of the most pressing problems in today’s global society.
With increasing awareness of the destruction single-use plastics are causing, consumers are shifting towards alternative solutions. While some countries are regulating the use of single-use of plastics it is ultimately the consumer who needs to make the decision to stop buying products wrapped, cased, or bottled in plastic. Thankfully a rise in the desirability of owning a reusable water bottle has risen with branded products such as Frank Green leading the game. Branded reusable water bottles are desirable items among environmentally-conscious consumers.
Consumers are moving towards reusable alternatives, which is a benefit for a healthier environment but also a move towards a healthier body. Water from plastic water bottles will undoubtedly contain micro-plastics – research is still being undertaken to ascertain the health impacts of absorbing micro-plastic into the body but the early indications are not promising. Water filtered from a home system and poured into a reusable water bottle is a much healthier option. In addition, using a personal water bottle reduces the likelihood of consumers reaching for cans of soda that have been proven to contain levels of sugar linked to rises in insulin-induced body fat and diabetes.
As the rise of the popularity of reusable water bottles increases innovations have evolved. Smart water bottles with hydration tracking reminders have gained some traction with health-conscious consumers wishing to monitor their water intake. Customization is becoming more popular with printing services individualising water bottles with colours, styles, brands and names. Reuseable water bottles make perfect gifts being both functional and adaptable with personalised inscriptions.
