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

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

However, there has been a backlash against the use of bottled water. One of the main worries is the environmental impact of bottled water. The bottles themselves are usually 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 required for production, transportation and disposal of the bottles is also a cause for concern among environmentalists. When compared with tap water, bottled water creates carbon emissions which are 5,000 times greater per litre.

In spite of the extremely effective marketing of the bottled water suppliers, there seems to be little evidence that bottled water is, in developed countries at any rate, 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 concrete evidence that bottled water is an improvement on tap water. In a blind tasting in the UK, London tap water finished in third place out of a selection of 24 different water varieties. In the USA, a 2007 screening of Penn and Teller (which might have been more entertaining than scientific – but still merits a mention) showed that diners could not tell the difference between bottled water and water sourced from a garden hose.

In terms of cost to the end user the exact ratio will vary according to the brand of water under consideration, but generally speaking bottled water is priced at 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 dislike the taste of the water that comes out of your tap then you might be better advised to think about some type of home filtration system. The cost will be higher than tap water, but much less than bottled water. If you go for a solution such as the Brita water filter jug then you will know that it’s better for the environment as all parts of the filters are recyclable.

Of course, home filtration systems are ideal 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 good 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 made from 100% recycled material. Or you could just try a bit of recycling of your own and use an old Coke bottle.