The environmental impact of bottled water is up to 3,500 times higher than tap water, according to a new study. The consumption of bottled water has been increasing sharply in recent years on a global scale, due to the perceived presence of chemical compounds in tap water.

The study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), was aimed at providing objective data about three different water consumption choices: bottled water, tap water, and filtered tap water in the city of Barcelona.