Despite Its Bad Environmental Rap, Bottled Water Is More Popular Than Ever In The US, Sales Show

Over the last few years, environmental groups in the United States and across the world have made it their mission to ban bottled water.

At a number of U.S. national parks, colleges, and some state-owned buildings, the sale of bottled water has been eliminated — and yet, in 2015, Americans bought 7.9 percent more bottled water than in 2014.

According to recently released data from Beverage Marketing Inc., people in the U.S. bought 1.7 billion half-liters of bottled water every week in 2015, meaning that every person in the country has consumed more than five bottles of water a week for the last year. Even as sales of soda fell, the popularity of bottled water rose almost three times faster than the entire market for "liquid refreshment." If the trend continues, "bottled water could become the number–one beverage by volume as soon as this year," Beverage Marketing reports.

Among the top-selling beverages in 2015, four were bottled water products: Nestlé Pure Life, Poland Spring, Dasani, and Aquafina.

Though it doesn't spell good news for environmentalists, buying trends prove that bottled water is as popular among consumers as ever, perhaps a side effect of the decline of soda. "Consumers have spoken," said Michael C. Bellas, CEO of Beverage Marketing. "They've made their preferences clear."