The bottled water industry is efficient when it comes to both calories and water use, according to a new infographic released by the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), Alexandria, Va. Consumers can cut billions of calories by choosing bottled water instead of another packaged drink and support an industry that uses little water, it says.

Titled “Very Small Water Use With Very Big Health Benefits,” the infographic shows how bottled water has been claiming a larger share of the packaged beverage market, illustrating an ongoing shift in consumption from carbonated soft drinks to bottled water that began in 2000.

“The graphic shows sales volumes for soft drinks steadily declining, while bottled water grows,” said Chris Hogan, vice president of communications for IBWA, in a statement. “Overall beverage consumption is relatively flat, so it’s clear to see that people are choosing bottled water rather than soft drinks and not necessarily instead of tap water.

“Bottled water helps people make the choice to drink more water; especially as it’s convenient for people on the go. In fact, 40 percent of all water servings come in the form of bottled water, according to Kantor Panel Worldwide,” he added in a statement.

Americans have saved 300 billion calories and 6.4 billion gallons of water each year by switching from soft drinks to bottled water, according to the infographic.

In addition, the infographic compares the water use footprint of bottled water to other industries and beverages. Citing data from the U.S. Geological Survey, the graphic illustrates that bottled water uses less than 0.004 percent of all the water in the United States, while irrigation uses 31 percent and thermoelectric power uses 49 percent. When compared with other packaged beverages, bottled water is the most efficient water user, using the least amount of water to produce one liter of product, IBWA says.

“This infographic visually tells a story about how small a water footprint the bottled water industry has,” Hogan said in a statement. “Sometimes, our critics try to claim that the bottled water industry is a water waster. But when you put the facts side by side, you easily see that not only is bottled water a small water user, it’s an efficient one too.”