Functional Water: When One of the Most Widely Available Natural Resources Comes with a Price Tag

Let us begin with the basic premise that water is essential to sustain life on our green-blue planet. Even though it is common knowledge, quite like the studies that enlighten us with facts like “going for a run will make you sweat”, it still needs to be said. A quick Google search will tell you that about 60% of the human body and 71% of the earth is made up of water. Viewed from this angle, water appears pretty functional already. But, humans are creatures of creativity, which separates us from the rest of organic life on earth. Functional water is one such manifestation of human genius.

What is so “Functional” About Functional Water?

The term functional water can be understood as water that has been supplemented or enhanced with some special (read fancy) ingredients to accentuate the existing health quotient of the liquid. According to the European Commission, a functional beverage/food is one that, along with its basic nutritional benefits, it improves the physical condition of the consumer and builds resistance to diseases. Functional water market has seen increasing adoption in healthcare for combating various types of infections that lead to excessive water loss from the body.

For example, a person affected by diarrhea suffers from severe dehydration as the body loses large amounts of water and the nutrients it contains at a rapid rate. Functional water can save the day in such situations as they are able to quickly restore the water imbalance in the body and prevent further damage. Similarly, infections such as malaria and dengue cause excessive sweating in a patient as the body fights the infection. The “functional” in functional water most definitely lives up to its name in such scenarios.

For people engaged in sports and athletics or in any other physically demanding profession, these products can help them boost their performance and aid fast recovery after periods of high physical exertion. Its little wonder that the popularity of functional water products has witnessed a meteoric rise in the past few decades.

The Commodification of Water

Michael Burry, one of the first economists to identify and profit from the 2008 sub-prime crisis in the US, started investing in water after the crisis sunk the American financial sector. Clearly, water, in today’s turbulent times, has become an invaluable commodity. As oxymoronic as that sounds, it’s not far from the truth: its invaluable because it’s the core of life; it’s a commodity because its tradable and carries a price. This characteristic is being exploited by companies around the world that are currently engaged in producing different variants of water, the prime one being functional water.

A few examples would help enunciate this point. In May 2019, a South Korean company called Susosu launched its line of hydrogen water, offering a variety of health positives as the water has larger quantities of antioxidants and anti-inflammation properties. BODYARMOR, a specialist in sports drinks, infuses its drinks with nutritional elements such as vital vitamins and coconut water. These examples show the growing importance of functional water in the world of health and wellness. Also, certain lifestyle trends are creating the need to consume such products.

For example, in today’s age, where time is money, working people are known to carry nutritional water bottles so as to avoid sparing time for actual food. While theses habits are nothing to gloat about, our tremendously busy lives are forcing us to look for health options that we can comfortably align with our daily routines. Functional water happens to offer the optimum solution.

The Redeeming Factor

The one area that is truly reaping the benefits of the innovations in functional water products is the health sector. Many companies are engaged in creating novel functional water variants specifically for healthcare. For instance, Abu-Dhabi based Agthia Group recently launched a drinking water product for kidney disorder affected patients and pregnant women called Al Ain Zero Bromate. Given the scarcity of water in the Middle East, this product could be a lifesaver for many. The commodification of water may stand in good stead if the expanding business opportunities can bring about tangible results at the societal level.