Bottled water became the largest ever American beverage category by volume in 2021, according to new data by the Beverage Marketing Corporation. The product’s total volume of 15.7 billion gallons exceeded carbonated soft drinks’ 2004 peak of 15.3 billion gallons.
Consumers have been gradually choosing bottled water over their flavored and carbonated counterparts, as noted in a statement by the International Bottled Water Association. Since 2016, water has consistently outsold soft drinks annually.
The data indicates that, on average, each American drank 47 gallons of bottled water in 2021, up 3.9 percent from 2020, leading to retail profit growth of 11.2 percent.
“Upward movement in per capita consumption indicates clear, persisting demand for a product that consumers see as a healthy alternative to other beverages,” said BMC Chairman and CEO Michael C. Bellas, in a statement.
A possible explanation for this growth comes from consumers’ desire to both switch from less-healthy alternatives, and have the product within easy reach—91 percent of Americans want bottled water to be available wherever other drinks are sold, according to an IBWA survey.
“People are choosing to drink fewer calories and making that healthy choice of bottled water has the added benefit of helping the environment. Not only are bottled water containers 100 percent recyclable (including the cap) but they also use much less plastic than soda and other packaged beverages,” says Jill Culora, IBWA’s vice president of communications, in a statement.
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