Bottled water sales soared from the early 1980s to 2007. Then sales began to slip. MSNBC reports that bottled water sales slipped in 2008 and are projected to fall gain again in 2009.
After steady expansion that saw U.S. per capita consumption grow from less than two gallons a year to a peak of 29 in 2007, bottled water sales slipped 3.2 percent in 2008 and are projected to dip another 2 percent this year, according to estimates by the Beverage Marketing Corporation, a New York research and consulting firm.
The green movement away from plastic bottles is partly responsible for the reduction in bottled water sales but it doesn't tell the whole story. The recession is also playing a large role. The Beverage Marketing Group says that other bottled drinks, such as soda and energy drinks, have had sales fall more than bottled water. There is also a fierce price war going on between bottled water makers.
