Tap water vs bottled water: the real ecological and economic balance sheet

In Switzerland, each inhabitant drinks an average of 110 litres of bottled water per year. A figure that seems harmless, until you measure its real cost — for your wallet as much as for the planet.

The financial cost

Tap water in Switzerland costs around CHF 0.002 per litre. A branded bottle easily costs CHF 1 per litre. For a family of four drinking 2 litres per person per day:

• Tap water: ~CHF 6 per year
• Bottled water: ~CHF 2,920 per year
• Filtered water at home: ~CHF 80 per year (cartridges included)

The ecological cost

A 1.5 L PET bottle generates about 90 g of CO₂ across manufacturing, transport and recycling. Multiplied by average consumption, that is close to 80 kg of plastic and 200 kg of CO₂ per year for one family.

Tap water, by contrast, travels by gravity from the source. Its carbon footprint is around 1,000 times lower than that of bottled water.

Why do so many people still buy bottles?

Surveys point to three main reasons: taste (water is sometimes chlorinated), trust (fear of pollutants), and habit. Home filtration addresses the first two directly by improving clarity and taste without touching the minerals.

The five-year calculation

Over five years, a family switching from bottled to filtered water saves roughly CHF 14,000 and avoids 400 kg of plastic. A filter pays for itself within a few weeks.