Half of the money spent globally on bottled water—sales of which have exploded in recent decades—would be enough to provide universal access to clean drinking water from taps, according to a UN study released Thursday.
A shift in drinking habits away from bottled water would also lead to a big drop in plastics waste, as an estimated 85 percent of bottles end up in landfills, the report says.
However, the study's Canada-based authors flag that a misconception around the safety of both tap and bottled water plays a major role in individuals' preferences.