U.S. bottled water demand slowing.

• Author: Block, Ben
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Brief article

While bottled water continues to expand in global popularity, the U.S. market is expected to grow only 6.7 percent this year, the smallest increase this decade, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation.

Following the lead of cities such as San Francisco and Salt Lake City, the majority of the 250 U.S. mayors at an annual conference in June voted to phase out government use of the water when possible. Bans on selling bottled water at city functions are also being considered across Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, according to Deborah Lapidus, national organizer for Corporate Accountability International's Think Outside the Bottle Campaign.

In most industrialized countries, bottled water costs consumers between US$500 and $1,000 per cubic meter, compared to $0.50 for municipal water in states such as California, according to water expert Peter Gleick. Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of water bottled in the United States comes...