The bottled water industry and its effects Essay

The bottled water industry and its effects - Essay Example Another is by strengthening the practices of water conservation. By the year 2012, consumption of bottled water in the United States had risen to almost ten billion gallons representing 5.3% per capita consumption. It was estimated that every individual drank about thirty gallons yearly. Packaged water saw an upsurge in real volume more than any other category of beverage in the country. Sales had increased by 6.7 per cent totaling about eleven billion dollars (Eshleman, 7). The reasons provided for the monumental consumption of this water are that most consumers pay close attention to healthy choices for themselves as well as their families and are assured that a refreshing, safe and convenient bottle of water contains no calories, making it the most suitable choice on the menu. Many also appreciate the reliability and consistency of its quality. Both federal and state governments comprehensively regulate bottled water. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) regulates it in the food product category, with guidelines that govern its quality as well as its safety, which are as rigorous as those of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) of tap water (Andrews et al., 174). In spite of this, the bottled water industry has been facing a few challenges with regard to the field of sustainability. In the recent past, colossal opposition against bottled water has developed among an eclectic assortment of such advocates as restaurateurs, activists and even religious leaders. The propositions of the sector’s operations have evoked vocal protestation from local communities. Their rationale is that the production of bottled water requires a lot of energy and generates large amounts of waste that could have long-term environmental effects. Various cities like Chicago have begun taking up action in this respect by taxing bottled water. Others, such as San Francisco have completely banned bottled water from official functions. Toronto has not only banned the