With an ever-increasing consumer focus on health and well-being, the consumption of enriched functional drinking waters is emerging as a significant commercial category. This should come as no surprise, considering that 70% of our bodies, 92% of blood, and 85% of brain tissue consist of water. Consumers strive to keep their bodies optimally hydrated.
Always on the lookout for convenient ways to bolster our health and wellness, fortified brands of drinking water are an appealing option to hydrate the body and supply it with essential nutrients. And just as today's water technology seeks to sustain and boost the body, its cutting-edge eco stewardship is geared toward sustaining the planet's health.
Hydration meets nutrition
Alkaline water is the fastest-growing beverage category globally, expected to reach $4.3 million in sales by 2023. Jamie Douglas Hamilton is a 7-time Guinness World Record long-distance rower. His brand of performance alkaline ionised water ACTIPH has seen a CAGR of 131% as more consumers discover its benefits for themselves.
Fortified waters with a multitude of physical benefits like REFIX water provides more than 70 minerals, is vegan, organic and keto-friendly. Functional water is designed to strengthen the immune and nervous systems and improve muscle function.
Water that prepares and repairs
Today's active consumer wants more from their water to aid their well-being, harnessing the balance of health and hydration. FYX seeks to fulfil that demand. This ready-to-drink formula incorporates antioxidants and hydrolysed fish collagen for maximum performance and health benefits. FYX's collagen boost aids in replenishing the body pre-and-post workout, repairing damage to ligaments, and boosting skin elasticity. FYX is making waves in the field of functional fluids.
Holding the world in our hands
As we become more conscious about our impact on the environment, the use of disposable plastics will continue to decline. This sentiment is particularly so with younger consumers, who increasingly seek ways large and small to safeguard an environment they'll inherit. This decline in plastic packaged water opens up opportunities for innovations, reimagining the trend towards boxed and canned waters.
Zenith Global has forecasted that by 2025 the UK water market will reach £4.3 billion, and brands like NOBL WATR are poised to harness the latest in green technology to build the UK's first lowest carbon footprint drinks brand.
Reimagining the supply-chain system, NOBL WATR has raised the industry sustainability bar by developing its own sustainable eco-system. From carton box packaging made from plant-based materials, building their own fleet of eco 'Volta Zero lorries' – the world's first electric 16-ton lorries expected in 2023, to conscious production of water that'll never travel more than 1000 miles from source.
Danone's portfolio expansion marks the addition of two new product categories for evian – functional and sparkling flavoured. evian+ builds upon the health credentials of the brand whilst meeting another consumer need in providing a source of magnesium and zinc which supports cognitive brain function. evain+ natural mineral water and its naturally occurring minerals champion the transformative feeling of the mind and body. Canned waters are becoming a growing, dynamic market, a trend that is likely to continue to surge with added functional benefits.
Rewriting the future of water
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time; the need for urgent action by all industries is vital. Initiatives like 'Climate Neutrality 2030' will pivot companies towards operating in climate-neutral ways to safeguard the environment.
Envision water vessels of the future woven from organic substitutes like lignin, algae and mycelium - that these biodegradable and renewable materials will replace plastics. It's an ambitious idea whose time has come to continue to work to make it our reality. Through revolutionary innovations, we hope the future of water will be written as a story of a better way forward.
