The High Stakes of High-End Hydration

The bottled-water business is reinventing itself by moving upmarket. Faced with polluted springs, drought, and tighter rules on plastic waste, major drinks companies are pivoting away from plain mineral water toward premium, flavored, and “functional” beverages aimed at health-conscious consumers cutting back on alcohol. In this episode, we explore how brands like Nestlé and Danone are using marketing, celebrity tie-ins, and flexible production to escape the constraints of traditional water laws—and why the strategy comes with high costs and intensifying competition. The shift reveals an industry betting that the future of hydration is less about the source, and more about the story.https://www.economist.com/business/2025/10/09/bottled-water-is-going-upmarket