bottled water

Bottled water is drinking water packaged in bottles for individual consumption and retail sale. The water can be glacial water, spring water, purified water. ^[1] Many countries, particularly developed countries, regulate the quality of bottled water through government standards, typically used to ensure that water quality is safe and labels accurately reflect bottle contents. In many developing countries, however, such standards are variable and are often less stringent than those of developed nations.^{[citation needed]}

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund have all urged their supporters to consume less bottled water, and various campaigns against bottled water are starting to appear. Many of these campaigns claim that bottled water is no better than tap water. Organizations such as Corporate Accountability International say that millions of plastic bottles end up in landfills.

Supporters of bottled water view the product not just as an alternative for municipal water, but as a healthy choice instead of soft drinks or sport drinks that can be purchased in restaurants, convenience stores or vending machines. The bottled water industry points out that PET bottles make up only one-third of 1 percent of the waste stream in the United States.^[2]