Trickle down economics
Can the economy do what environmentalists have been unable to do for the past five years?
The Washington Post reports that sales of bottled water declined last year and Nestle — the largest seller of bottled water in the United States, with Perrier and Poland Spring among its brands — reported a 2.7 percent drop in profits for the first half of the year. Just as people are forgoing their morning cup of coffee, bottled water might be seen as an extra:
“It’s an obvious way to cut back,” said Joan Holleran, director of research for market research firm Mintel. “People might still be buying bottled water, but you can bet that they’re refilling those bottles.”
Bottled water has become a $5 billion-a-year industry, with Americans drinking 28.5 gallons per person in 2008, a slight dip from the 29 gallons the previous year.
U.S. News & World Report notes that analysts believe environmental groups might have had some impact, citing the efforts of Take Back The Tap and Tap It, who promote using tap over bottled water. The New York Times wonders whether a new advertising campaign, Tappening, will successfully vilify the bottled water industry like the Truth ads have done for Big Tobacco.
The New York Times also recently profiled public water fountains in eight cities, painting a picture of the fountain itself and the people who stopped to get a drink. Because even if we no longer have bottled waters to compare, we still need a hierarchy of liquids.
[Image via Flickr: darwin bell]
