Bengaluru, one of India’s fastest-growing cities, is facing a plastic waste crisis driven in part by the rising consumption of bottled water. While the city has banned several single-use plastic items, bottled water remains widely available and is a major contributor to plastic waste, especially in restaurants, hotels, and public spaces. This project investigates whether providing transparent and up-to-date information about drinking water quality at restaurants can shift consumer behaviour and reduce reliance on bottled water.

Led by Dr. Priyanka Jamwal and Dr. Durba Biswas at ATREE, this 12-week study will explore the factors that influence individuals to purchase bottled water instead of opting for filtered tap water when dining out. It will also assess the readiness of restaurants to provide and promote filtered water as a safe and sustainable alternative. A key innovation of this project is the development and testing of digital display prototypes that present real-time or regularly updated water quality data in an easy-to-understand format at select restaurants.