…that was the consistent and clear message resounding from last week’s 12th Global Bottled Water Congress, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Hosted by Zenith International, the congress brought together bottlers, distributors, customers and analysts from all over the world to hear about and discuss the latest trends within the water industry.

Speakers resided from far and wide, including our very own Duncan Goose, who had been asked to speak about premiumisation within the water category and our Hawksmoor glass bottle design. Duncan also spoke about the Global Fund For Water (GFFW), Duncan’s very own initiative designed to work in conjunction with Goal 6 of the UN’s Global Goals, to ensure clean water and sanitation for everyone on the planet.

Duncan Global Bottled Water Congress

Duncan presents to the congress

Listening to some of the statistics, our affinity and basic need for water became staggeringly clear: the total beverage business is worth 1,884 billion litres per year, with the bottled water category making up 17% of this total or 320 billion litres. As with many industries, China has fast become the lead market, growing its share from 15% to 22% in the last 5 years. Future predictions are equally as strong, with China accounting for an astonishing 89% of the overall growth through until 2020!

Perhaps surprisingly, the majority of bottled water consumption takes place at home (72%) with females slightly more likely to purchase it (54%).
Within the category: still, sparkling, functional and flavoured waters are all experiencing strong growth, which is great news for our entire range at One!

With so many varied speakers and topics, it is hard to single out all the perspectives upon leaving Lisbon, but the key take outs for me are clear:
– Water is in strong growth
– The combined focus on hydration and the anti-sugar debate will only serve to fuel this demand
– As an industry and with ideas like the Global Fund For Water, we have the opportunity to leave a legacy and provide water to every human on the planet…. and I for one feel very proud to be playing a part of this.