Sector: Water Filtration

Market Overview: Compared to other developed nations, public water utilities in the United States deliver the cleanest water. However, the Environmental Protection Agency revealed in 2016 that more than 5,300 water systems in America are in violation of the EPA's lead and copper rule indicating that more still needs to be done to improve the nation's water supply, especially for those who are served by aging infrastructure.[x]

These growing concerns about water quality, both domestically and globally, have led to an increased demand for water filtration systems around the world. Additionally, more awareness about bottled water's negative health and environmental impacts is slowing sales in that market while boosting it for water purifiers.

Despite the global nature of water filtration manufacturing, the BuildingClean database captures numerous water filtration companies from the United States and Canada. It covers eight types of water technologies and systems: pitcher filtration, faucet-mounted/countertop filtration, under sink/in-line filtration, reverse osmosis, whole house filtration, distillation, and ultraviolet and commercial units. 

In recent years, the Midwest has seen the highest demand for water purifiers in the United States, followed by the Western states with faucet-mounted, carbon-based filters witnessing the largest growth. Consumers also prefer under sink purifiers, but growing water quality concerns have created an increase in the use of reverse osmosis systems, which can eliminate more chemicals and other impurities.

In terms of manufacturing footprint, the United States seems to be more prevalent in the custom manufacturing of whole-house filtration systems and commercial assemblies and less involved in creating smaller systems and filters. The reason may be that it is more cost-effective to build larger systems domestically like the HVAC and appliance markets.