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For the past ten years or so, sales of bottled water have been steadily growing by 7 – 8% per annum. The level of consumption globally is estimated to have more than doubled between 1997 and 2005.

Around about 200 billion bottles of water are consumed worldwide annually. The US market is the biggest by far, making up 25% of total sales.

However, there has been a backlash against the use of bottled water. One of the main points of contention is the environmental impact of bottled water. The bottles themselves are typically made from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a recyclable material – but the actual level of recycling is believed to be less than 25%.

The energy needed for production, transportation and disposal of the bottles is also a source for concern among environmentalists. In comparison with tap water, bottled water generates carbon emissions which are 5,000 times larger per litre.

Despite the very effective marketing of the bottled water suppliers, there seems to be little evidence that bottled water is, in developed countries at least, more beneficial for your health than plain old tap water. Some bottled waters have been found to contain estrogenic chemicals and even uranium. Most bottled waters have some level of salt present – which is not good for your blood pressure.

In terms of taste there is little firm evidence that bottled water is an improvement on tap water. In a blind tasting in the UK, London tap water came in third place from a selection of 24 different water varieties. In the USA, a 2007 episode of Penn and Teller (which may have been more entertaining than scientific – but still merits a mention) demonstrated that diners could not distinguish between bottled water and water drawn from a garden hose.

In terms of cost to the customer the precise ratio will vary according to the brand of water under consideration, but generally speaking bottled water costs several hundred times more per litre than tap water.

So, considering environmental impact, health, taste and cost, bottled water really doesn’t have a lot in its favour. If you really don’t like the taste of the water that comes out of your tap then you might be better advised to look at some type of home filtration system. The cost will be higher than tap water, but much lower than bottled water. If you opt for a solution such as the Brita water filter jug then you can be certain that it’s better for the environment as all parts of the filters are recyclable.

Of course, home filtration systems are a good solution for when you’re at home – but if you like to carry water with you when you’re out and about then you could use and reuse a bottle which you fill at home, or the office, before you leave. Again, Brita water are a fine example having combined with international designer Orla Kelly to produce the Wottle – which claims to be the world’s first designer reusable bottle and is manufactured from 100% recycled material. Or you could just try a bit of recycling of your own and use an old soda bottle.