A decade ago, bottled water was a prestige product consumed only by an elite group of people. Today, bottled water is the number one selling beverage in Canada, surpassing even coffee. How did a substance that we can readily get from our kitchen taps become such a formidable profit-maker, and what are the consequences of this booming industry? These questions, along with many others, are explored in author Tony Clarke’s new book Inside the Bottle: An Exposé of the Bottled Water Industry.

After giving a brief history of the industry, Clarke introduces the four key bottled water companies (dubbed the Big Four): Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Danone, and Nestle, explaining each company’s political connections, corporate holdings and earnings. The bulk of the book, however, is dedicated to what Clarke believes are the ten major issues surrounding the industry.

Inside the Bottle revolves around the effects the bottled water industry has on communities. Clarke calls the industry deceptive and dangerous, arguing that it is damaging to communities and the environment. He claims that companies co-opt public water supplies, process the water and then sell it back to the community at marked-up prices. Companies can get away with this because they deliberately spread misinformation about the origin, contents, and cleanliness of their product.

On the surface, Inside the Bottle appears to be just another book about the evils of major corporations, arguing that companies act immorally and selfishly to maximize profits. This is a well known claim, and one wonders if we need another book that rehashes old ideas. However, Inside the Bottle is careful not to become just another rant.

Instead, Clarke uses the topic of bottled water as a conduit to more meaningful discussions about consumer power and responsibility. He declares that his purpose is to spread awareness and get communities engaged in political discussion. The reader should not just passively read Inside the Bottle, but should be inspired to become involved.

One way that Clarke tries to achieve this aim is through “community probes”-a set of questions that follow each segment. For instance, in his discussion of marketing schemes, Clarke talks about how bottled water companies make deals with restaurants to encourage customers to buy bottled water instead of having tap water. After this discussion, he asks: “Do chain restaurants in your community have a program that encourages the use of bottled water over tap water? If so, which ones? By comparison, does your local utility have any advertising program for its water? Should it?”

Clarke further underlines his goal of political awareness and involvement by dedicating a whole chapter to community resistance. This chapter provides helpful resources to empower the reader, such as information on laws and grassroots groups to help the reader get started.

Inside the Bottle is a hopeful book. Clarke is not content to simply complain about an industry he thinks is dangerous. He seeks to empower communities and promote progressive change. His book is an eye-opener-it contains a lot of information that would surprise even the most jaded of readers.