The convenience of bottled water is unmatched, easy to stow in your gym bag, helping people stay hydrated throughout the day even when they are on the go. According to My Own Water, bottled water all began when the Romans devised a way of piping water from its source to places where it was needed. Since then, bottled water has gone on to originate from different levels of production and places, coming from natural sources such as springs and man-made ones like water plants and purifying stations. The Romans were aware of the therapeutic properties of mineral water springs and frequented thermal baths. They were the first to carry water in amphorae, the precursors of the bottles we use today. Following the invasions and epidemics of the Middle Ages, spa resorts and mineral waters lost their appeal in Europe. They became fashionable once again in the 14th Century through the Arabic influence in Spain. In the 19th Century, major European cities introduced sanitation and running water became more widespread. Concurrently, the discovery of polluted water, believed to cause typhoid and cholera, led to the development of trade in bottled mineral water at the end of the century. Bottled mineral water was synonymous with purity. After the Second World War, mineral water sales were boosted by advertising and benefited from growth in income. Nestlé became the world’s leading bottled water producer in 2008. In 2015, the firm owned 52 different water brands such as Contrex, Vittel and Perrier. According My Own Water, although piping water was revolutionary, there were some limitations. For instance, it didn’t address the need to transport water for personal use or the need to collect and save rainwater. This led to the invention of small and large water vessels which later evolved into bottled water. The introduction of plastic bottles in 1968 made the packaging of larger water volume possible, including 1.5-liter bottles, the most popular size today in many countries. In the late 1960s, Perrier, with its signature small green bottle, further transformed the industry through the use of mass advertising. The success of Perrier sparked imitation. This is according to BBC Research. However, the meteoric rise of bottled water since the 1970s has had a negative impact on the environment, and the battle between bottling brands is hiking up the cost of our planet’s most important, precious resource. Environmentalists have been calling for the ban of single use plastics like small water bottles to save the planet.
