- Between 1990 and 1997, U.S. sales of bottled water shot from $115 million to $4 billion. They grew another 170% between 1997 and 2006, from $4 billion to $10.8 billion. Globally, bottled water is a $60-billion-a-year business.
- In 1989, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) was introduced. (Look at the bottom of most any water bottle today and it will have either the letters PET or a number one in a recycling symbol).
- The EPA allows 10 micrograms per liter of arsenic in drinking water. Officials from the city of Cleveland tested their tap water and a bottle of Fiji. Cleveland had zero micrograms, while Fiji’s water had 6.3 micrograms per liter.
- In 2006, 44 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States came from municipal supplies and was labeled either drinking water or purified water.
- In 2005, the bottled-water industry spent $158 million on advertising in the United States. In 2006, Pepsi spent more than $20 million on its “drink more water” campaign. (According to news reports, $20 million is a typical budget for a bottled-water campaign).
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art