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Bottled Water in China - Boom or Bust?

November 2015:China Water Risk (CWR), a "non-profit initiative dedicated to adressing business and environmental risk arising from China's limited water resources" across agriculture, power, mining, food & beverages, textiles and electronics, warns that the bottled water industry in China should not be allowed to continue its "unregulated explosive growth": "It has only taken China two decades to become the world's largest bottled water consumer and a major producer. Concern over drinking water safety is one of the key drivers of the rapid growth. The report seeks to explore the rise of the bottled water industry and its exposure to physical water risks. One of them is that 71 per cent of packed water production lie in water scarce and water stressed regions exposed to physical and regulatory risks. The report also reviews the steps taken by the government to protect water sources and regulate the bottled water industry. The industry has big expansion plans (Siehe 'Industrie will Tibets Gletscher anzapfen' vom 4. November 2015). But key risks are not being addressed, raising concerns for China’s already limited and polluted water resources."

Hongqiao Liu, Bottled Water in China - Boom or Bust? Exposure To Water Risks Point To An Uncertain Future. China Water Risk, September 2015. Download (pdf 6mb)