Multinational companies make a killing with bottled water in Mexico
In Mexico the real cost of a one-liter water bottle is 10 cents, but it is sold almost 1,000% more expensive, according to a study conducted by the CIDE.
Mexico's Constitution enshrines the right to clean water. However, multinational companies such as Danone, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Dr. Pepper Snapple profit from the country's poor water infrastructure and the low quality of the resource.
In Mexico the real cost of a one-liter water bottle is 10 cents, but it is sold almost 1,000% more expensive, according to a study conducted by the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE).
"When you buy a bottle of water you contribute to commercialize a human right enshrined in the Constitution," said Raúl Pacheco-Vega, researcher at CIDE.
Sales of bottled water in Mexico represented a market of 11.99 billion dollars in 2014, when 21.4 billion liters were sold, according to Euromonitor International.
Annual per capita consumption of bottled water in Mexico reached 180.2 liters in 2014, compared to a global average of 41.8 liters per person. This means Mexicans buy four times more bottled water, according to the London-based consulting firm.
Nigeria and Mexico are the two main global consumers of bottled water, followed by Italy, United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
Bottled water sales are expected to increase 26% from 2014 to 2019, equivalent to an annual rise of 4.7%. By 2019, Euromonitor International expects revenues to reach 15.1 billion dollars.
On Monday EL UNIVERSAL published that even though Mexico invested 13 billion dollars in hydraulic infrastructure from 2011 to 2014, water quality cannot be guaranteed.