The Problem:

Nowhere is the corporate water-grab more insidious than in the escalating corporate control of our drinking water. Powerful corporations are not only gaining control of the delivery of public water, but those like Coke, Pepsi and Nestlé are also bottling our water and selling it back to us at prices hundreds, even thousands, of times more than the cost of tap water.

Just three corporations – Coke, Nestlé, Pepsi – make up almost half the U.S. bottled water market. These corporations have turned a common, shared resource into a $100 billion business – and one of the world's fastest-growing branded beverages.

Since 1993, the consumption of bottled water in the United States has more than doubled. Right now, nearly three-quarters of all Americans drink bottled water.  Misleading advertising is fueling this industry:  bottled water corporations spend more than $158 million annually to portray their products as 'pure,' 'safe,' 'clean,' and 'healthy.'

Bottled water corporations use clever marketing and misleading advertising that makes people doubt the safety and quality of their own tap water. In reality, bottled water is less regulated than public water systems, and studies reveal that bottled water can actually contain harmful bacteria and other contaminants.

Public water systems are required to disclose the source and quality of their water and are accountable to the public. Often, water bottlers are not.

Furthermore, water bottlers are taking water from underground springs and municipal sources around the world without regard to water scarcity or human rights. These corporations are taking water from local springs, aquifers and even directly from our public tap water systems – more than one-quarter of bottled water sold comes from municipal supplies.  These corporations use political and economic clout to secure sweetheart deals, block legislative efforts to secure local control, and pursue costly and time-consuming litigation against community organizations and governments.

What you can do:
 
Join people around the world and resist the attempts by corporations to dictate who has water and who doesn't. Corporate Accountability International is helping to build a growing movement toward international protection and preservation of the human right to water. We're bringing 30 years of corporate campaign experience into one of the most pressing issues facing humanity today.

We're building awareness and support for our "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign. We are educating millions of people about the dangers of corporate control of water, revealing the truth about bottled water, and emphasizing the need to protect our public water systems. Take action today and join this growing movement challenging the bottled water industry and its irresponsible and dangerous actions.