The water bottle market - Germany (2023)

1.1 Introduction

The bottled water market includes all bottled water products intended for consumption. There is a wide variety of bottled water, such as carbonated/noncarbonated water, spring water, and flavored water. The market is very dynamic and competitive, and consumer expectations are constantly rising.

The global bottled water market is growing strongly. Demand is increasing, largely due to consumers' awareness of the importance of consuming good quality water. This market is significantly altered by climate change and especially by short-term weather changes. During heat waves, demand for these products often skyrockets. For example, demand for bottled water in 2021 increased by almost 15% compared to the previous year.

However, this market has been growing for several years in Germany. Historically, it tends to be carbonated water that is purchased more by German consumers. Natural mineral water and spring water are the most popular products on the German market. In Germany, it is possible to return certain empty plastic bottles to stores to be systematically recycled(deposit bottles). This is one of the reasons why German consumers value bottled water so much. They know that by consuming recyclable bottles, they have little impact on the environment.

In Germany, the companies with the strongest presence in the market are large companies such as Vittel, Evian, and Gerolsteiner. New companies are entering the market and offering environmentally friendly packaging. However, these companies are often unable to achieve sufficient economies of scale to offer attractive products.

Recently, more environmentally friendly carton packaging has become more common in the German bottled water market. However, new German brands looking to enter this market may find it difficult to compete with the industry giants. Therefore, to make a profit, they need to position themselves in very specific parts of this market.