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Ethics of Manufacturing and Supplying Bottled Water: A Systematic Review

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  • Jorge Alejandro Silva

    (Escuela Superior de Comercio y Administración Unidad Santo Tomás, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11350, Mexico)

Abstract

Bottled water is one of the most consumed healthy beverages in the world. At a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%, bottled water sales may surpass USD 500 billion by 2030. While this indicates how popular bottled water is among consumers, it does not underscore various ethical concerns raised against the product and its business concept. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the ethics of manufacturing and supplying bottled water. It uses a systematic review of the literature through the PRISMA method to determine the major ethical concerns surrounding these topics. A total of 107 articles were identified, and 31 were subjected to further reviews and analysis. The study found that the manufacturing and supply of bottled water may be unethical if it ends in deliberate pollution and artificial scarcity. Water is an essential product that should be made available and accessible freely to support lives. The use of bottled water has benefits because pollution is removed during processing, which prevents the spread of diseases. In addition, it is practical to transport and consume it. Water bottlers, however, seek to convert water into an exclusive product for profits. This draws attention to the ethics of justice, care, and professionalism which collectively protect consumers against corporate greed and exploitation. Water bottlers contribute to significant environmental pollution and have done little to recycle or reuse plastics to minimize the potential environmental damage. More than 80% of plastic bottles end up in waste and may be washed down into the oceans where they affect the marine ecosystem.

Suggested Citation

  • Jorge Alejandro Silva, 2024. "Ethics of Manufacturing and Supplying Bottled Water: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-27, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:8:p:3488-:d:1380198
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul W. Ballantine & Lucie K. Ozanne & Rachel Bayfield, 2019. "Why Buy Free? Exploring Perceptions of Bottled Water Consumption and Its Environmental Consequences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-11, February.
    2. Berman, E.R. & Johnson, R.K., 2015. "The unintended consequences of changes in beverage options and the removal of bottled water on a university campus," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(7), pages 1404-1408.
    3. Kees Biekart & Erik Swyngedouw, 2013. "UN Water Report 2012: Depoliticizing Water," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 44(3), pages 823-835, May.
    4. Laurent Lebreton & Anthony Andrady, 2019. "Future scenarios of global plastic waste generation and disposal," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Tom Perreault, 2014. "What kind of governance for what kind of equity? Towards a theorization of justice in water governance," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 233-245, March.
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