1.1 Definition and scope of study

A gourd is a container for drinking any type of beverage away from home. Although often in the shape of a classic bottle, the gourd comes in a wide variety of shapes, colors, patterns and materials. Plastic is currently the most widely used material, but it could be overtaken by stainless steel, which is cleaner and less hazardous to health, and glass, which has the advantage of being infinitely recyclable.

The global market for water bottles is booming, and is expected to grow by 4.4% a year between 2023 and 2030. Asia-Pacific represents the largest regional market for gourds, with 39% market share. This growth, which is mainly localized, can be explained by consumers' growing awareness of the impact of their lifestyles on the environment, rising living standards in many developing countries, and increasingly stringent plastic regulations (notably on single-use plastics). In France, the water bottle market is booming, with double-digit growth rates.

The main players in the French gourd market are specialist sports retailers such as Decathlon and, of course, manufacturers such as Qwetch, Gobilab, Rebo, S'well and even luxury brands like Chanel and Prada. There is a wide variety of models on the market, to suit all price ranges.

The gourd market should continue to grow in volume over the next few years, until a large proportion of consumers are equipped with one. Trends in this market are towards diversification and innovation. In terms of diversification, brands are starting to offer products for different places or times of day (work, car, home, gym). In terms of technology, connected water bottles are beginning to develop, making it possible, for example, to count the number of plastic bottles saved thanks to the water bottle.

1.2 A booming global market

The global gourd market was valued at $*.** billion in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% over the period **** - ****.

Global gourd market size projection World, **** - ****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

Collective awareness of the pollution caused by plastic, coupled with rising living standards in many developing countries, ...

1.3 A fast-growing national market

at the time of writing, no market size is available for the gourd market. We therefore present below a method for estimating this market size:

The most reliable estimate is based on the results of a Gobi x OpinionWay survey published in May ****. According to their results, **% of French people own ...

1.4 Balance of trade

Unfortunately, there is no NAF code covering all gourds, so we'll be looking at imports and exports in the sector identified by code ****, which covers isothermal bottles and vacuum containers. This market is not limited to gourds and includes other products, but its trends reflect the gourd market.

Exports from the ...

2.1 Bottled water loses popularity to tap water

In ****, **% of French people drank bottled water and only **% tap water. The trend was reversed for the first time in ****, and has been maintained ever since.

trends in water consumption France, **** - ****, in Source: ****

The gap continues to widen, with more and more French people drinking tap water every day. However, ...

2.2 The French are increasingly eco-responsible

**% of French people are well aware of the need to adopt eco-responsible behavior on a daily basis, and believe thatusing a water bottle is a gesture worth adopting.

What are the main eco-responsible gestures to adopt on a daily basis? France, ****, in Source: ****

It also emerges that people over ** prefer simple ...

2.3 The French and gourds

According to a May **** Gobi, OpinionWay survey, **% of French people use a gourd on a daily basis, and users own an average of two that they've been using for four years. The **-** age group is over-represented, and gourds are more commonly owned by women and people living in the south ...

2.4 Consumer apprehension about the health risks of gourds and tap water

Water can cause two types of pathologies:

Infectious pathologies (***); Pathologies linked to chemical pollution.

The substances that pollute tap water are :

Lead ; Pesticides ; Nitrates; Arsenic; Water chlorination by-products; Drug residues.

However, tap water is the most strictly controlled product in France[***]. The rules are strict: the water must contain no trace ...

2.5 The rise of B2B demand

Atrendy object par excellence, the gourd is now in demand by many music festivals, sports clubs, companies and local authorities, who offer these objects to their customers or employees. This phenomenon is particularly beneficial for gourd manufacturers, since corporate consumption often focuses on high-end items, enabling manufacturers to generate higher ...

3.1 Value chain

Source: ****

3.2 The different types of players on the market

Major food retailers:

The major food retailers (***) sell numerous brands in their stores and on their websites.

Carrefour, through Greenweez, the leader in organic and eco-responsible e-commerce created in ****, offers nearly *,*** references in all materials, shapes, sizes and colors.

Major sports retailers:

The first players to benefit from the explosion in ...

3.3 Key market players

The Similarweb site gives us information on website traffic, which in turn gives us information on the popularity of gourd brands.

Website traffic for * gourd brands World, ****, in thousands Source: ****

On this panel of six water bottle manufacturers, Hydro Flask comes out on top, always with between * and * times more visits ...

3.4 The complexity of gourd production in France

Gobilab is the only company to offer water bottles made in France. The product underwent a thorough eco-design analysis before being launched on the market, to limit environmental impact at every stage: manufacture, use and end-of-life. The results of the analysis revealed, rather surprisingly, that injected plastic was the most environmentally-friendly ...

4.1 Overview of the different types of water bottles

The gourd is an easily customizable object that offers consumers the opportunity to differentiate themselves and let their creativity express itself.

Materials:

Glass gourd: Advantages: odorless and tasteless, dishwasher-safe, attractive appearance, recyclable Disadvantages: extremely fragile, heavy, energy-intensive to produce and transport Stainless steel bottle (***): Advantages: robust, dishwasher-safe, durable, free from harmful ...

4.2 Some popular models

The table below shows the prices of some of the most popular gourds, according to articles in Le Monde and Le Parisien.

While the price of some brands' water bottles may seem very high at first glance, it's worth remembering that a water bottle is made to last for many years. ...

4.3 A fast-growing market driven by numerous innovations

There are many different types of water bottles, each with its own materials, appearance, function, capacity and properties. Manufacturers work hard to innovate in order to stand out from their competitors and meet consumer expectations.

Zanmimi, for example, focuses on the quality of its heat-retaining properties. Unlike most water bottles, this ...

5. A strictly regulated market

The main regulatory points applying to water bottles, and more generally to materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs, are set out below.

The suitability of materials for contact with foodstuffs is governed by EC Regulation ****/****.this regulation establishes the principle of inertia (***) with foodstuffs must be manufactured in accordance with ...