The worldwide surge toward protecting the environment and embracing eco-friendly living - the so-called green movement - has taken up the issue of the practicality of using bottled water products versus the impact of bottled water manufacturing on the environment pertaining to sustainability of resources and pollution. While this issue has caused some heated debate between bottled water manufacturers and environmentalists, there are documented studies and verified data which can provide a realistic look at the effects that manufacturing and using bottled water products has on the Earth.

The real history of bottled water goes back many centuries, to the practice of visiting a holy site or a place where so-called miracle water was to be found, and being given a personal container for the purpose of spiritual or physical healing. In the United States, the first bottled water for commercial distribution was found at Jackson's Spa in Boston, Massachusetts around 1767. This was water taken from a mineral water source and then sold for therapeutic uses. In 1854, the first commercially-packaged drinking water in the United States was known as Poland Water, due to its source being in Poland, Maine. Water was sold by the jug for 15 cents.

Most indications of the beginnings of the modern era of bottled water point to the Environmental Protection Agency study in the early 1970's that first reported levels of certain elements, both natural and man-made, found in the nation's water sources that were deemed as unhealthy for human consumption. The political climate of this period was such that environmental issues were fast becoming more important in the public forum, and probably as a result of this EPA study, the first bottled water products were soon introduced.

The sales of bottled water products has risen roughly 12% each year since their introduction to the marketplace. They currently outsell any other bottled potable, including beer, wine, and soft drinks to the tune of approximately $22 billion in sales each year and growing. Surprisingly, the majority of bottled water, around 59%, actually comes from the same sources as tap water. The remainder is derived from either natural springs or mineral water sources. The average per capita consumption of bottled water in the United States alone was about 25 gallons just 10 years ago.

The most common packaging of bottled water throughout the world is the familiar individual-sized bottle, ranging from around 6 ounces to 20 ounces in volume. This is the part of the manufacturing process that has come under the greatest scrutiny and criticism from environmentalists, due to the use of a petroleum-based product such as plastic as a package container. Plastics come from oil and natural gas processes, which are non-renewable resources. Additionally, a large percentage of the empty plastic containers do not end up in waste containment facilities, instead ending up in bodies of water and land areas as pollution. Those that do end up in landfills are also a concern, due to the length of time it takes plastic to decompose.

While the bottled water manufacturing industry is attempting to address these concerns by designing new packaging and contributing to waste clean-up programs, the popularity of bottled water continues to rise each year. Whether this is based on convenience, health concerns, or even fashion trends may not be as important as the debate over the environmental impact that bottled water manufacturing and distribution presents.