We drink a lot of water.
Sure, that might sound silly. Of course we do! But we’re drinking only water—not soda, not juice, not sports drinks—like never before. People drank more bottled water than soft drinks for the first time ever in 2016, and it’s a trend, not a blip.

That’s not to say it’s all new.
Bottled water is actually older than the United States, starting in Boston as early as 1767 and really taking off with glass bottles in the mid-1850s. After a downturn in the early twentieth century, bottled water took off after a successful 1977 campaign by imported water supplier Perrier. As the craze caught on, plastic water bottles—both cheaper and easier to produce than glass—became the norm.

It’s clear that we’ve always loved drinking clean, healthy water on the go. Just never quite like this.

Our bodies are just the beginning.
With the world of water consumption getting as vast as, well, the ocean, more and more companies are emerging that change the way we get our water, so we can continue to get our on-the-go H2O for generations to come.

And for the youngest generation? Some kids need a little something extra, without the sugar that comes in many kids’ beverages. To meet that growing demand, prominent water packagers like RETHINK Water and Wonder+Well are producing organic calorie-free, sugar-free, and sodium-free flavored water just for kids.

Think inside the box.
The world has only so many resources, and it’s important to use as many renewable ones as possible. That’s why some companies have begun packaging their water in paperboard-based cartons.

Paperboard, a renewable resource derived from trees, has a low carbon footprint compared to traditional packaging options, but is just as functional and recyclable as the available alternatives. Companies like Just water, Flow Water, and RETHINK Water all produce water that’s packaged in cartons made from 70% renewable materials on average, and have committed to reducing their carbon footprint to combat climate change.

More and more to unpack.
The best part about committing to sustainability? Once you start, you just can’t stop. A few examples of the kinds of things these companies are doing to reduce their carbon footprint:

• RETHINK Water sources its water from local markets and purifies them with a seven-step process.
• FLOW Water and JUST water use plant-based plastic bottle caps derived from sugarcane, which doesn’t require much space and absorbs CO₂ from the air as it grows.

It’s not only water that’s getting boxed in. Take a look at how sustainable packaging has upended the wine industry. Explore

The tide is changing.
We’re more concerned than ever about the environment. 73% of millennials say they’d pay more for sustainable brands, and 53% of all consumers say they’d pony up for a sustainably packaged product. That means there’s an opportunity for all of us—companies and consumers alike—to shift the way we think about what we drink.

As long as we’re around, we’ll always need water. Even as our consumption methods have changed, the world’s oldest resource remains the same. Whether it’s plant-based water packs, futuristic gel bubbles, or something we haven’t even conceived of yet, we’ll need to keep finding sustainable ways to get our sips.