The Intersection of Sustainability and Fashion in Reusable Water Bottles

Reusable bottles are everywhere – on your desk at work, at the gym, on a day out, doing a job in the fight against single-use plastic. But if we have multiple versions of refillable water bottles, are they just becoming fast fashion?

The global, refillable water bottle industry is worth $10 billion and it is growing at a rate of about 5% a year. Several brands have become household names with international offices across continents.

But these types of bottles are energy-intensive. Research suggests manufacturing a single reusable bottle can produce more emissions than producing a single-use plastic version, but that it works out better for the environment once it has been used multiple times. We look at the enormous growth in refillable bottles, and how celebrities and influencers have driven sales.

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Producer/presenter: Rick Kelsey

(Photo: A young woman drinks from a water bottle in Central Park, NYC. Credit: Getty Images)