Fiji Water a green role model for bottled water companies
Alternative Channel's Leaders in Sustainability Series
Leaders In Sustainability is an exclusive series of interviews with those at the fore of the sustainability movement, both in the corporate and non-profit sectors.
By Alex Salzman
Few weeks ago Alternative Channel’s Alex Salzman connected with Thomas Mooney, Fiji Water’s senior vice president for sustainable growth, to discuss the social responsibility efforts of this soon to be carbon negative bottled water company.
A.S - Since when have you been involved with Fiji Water and its sustainability efforts?
T.M - I have been involved with Fiji for 4 years now and have been doing the work around environmental and social initiatives for over a year.
A.S - What are some of Fiji Water’s CSR initiatives that most excite you?
T.M - On a daily basis we try to focus on all the areas of importance where our business has an impact on the environment. That involves understanding and managing our carbon footprint and offsetting our emissions at a rate of at least 120% to be a carbon negative product. We are also working on our packaging and trying to reduce the amount of packaging that we use. Of course our packaging is 100% recyclable, so we are committed to promote recycling around the world.
We also have longer term projects such as the protection of our watershed. Last year, we made an investment with Conservation International (CI) we announced the protection of the largest rainforest in Fiji. We make sure that those 50 000 acres of rainforest will remain in pristine condition. In the years to come, we will also add rainforest back to Fiji by restoring some of the land to its original condition.
A.S - Do you feel Fiji Water is setting a new precedent for the responsibilities of the bottled water industry?
T.M - The owners of Fiji Water always believed that their business should operate with environmental excellence in mind, which is not a common way of thinking for bottled water companies.
For legitimate reasons, bigger bottled water companies have more difficulty of getting internal consensus about CSR practices through their agenda and getting shareholders to agree. It is easier for us at Fiji Water to make decisions regarding the environment, as we are a smaller team. It is easier to discuss and make decisions quickly.
A.S - How do you communicate your CSR initiatives?
T.M - Our environmental work is a big part of how we talk about Fiji Water to all of our stakeholders. It actually begins with our customers whom we spend a lot of time with, whether that means beverage distributors, retailers, hotel and restaurants. They all have an interest in the work and want to know what we’re doing and how it compares to other products they buy and sell, or serve to their customers. We do must of our communicating through our sales team and our website to current and perspective customers.
We found over the last few years that there is much greater interest from consumers to know more about the people behind the brand and what their values are. Consumers are more and more concerned about the products they buy and their impact on the environment. This is why we are trying to be completely transparent by publishing our carbon footprint on our website.
A.S - What aspect of Fiji Water’s impact on society and the environment are you most determined to improve?
T.M - I would like to communicate more what a great positive influence Fiji Water has on society. Beyond our environmental work, which is exceptional work, I would like people to know what our product replaces in the marketplace when somebody buys it instead of something else – in particular, what it means to the nation of Fiji for our business to be a success.
We created the bottled water industry in Fiji. Until then, every bottle beverage in Fiji was a soda, which is not really healthy. Now, Fijians have the opportunity to drink bottled water if they want to. In addition, one of the impacts we had on Fiji is that we bottle water in a remote part of the island, where the source is. It is no exaggeration to say that before Fiji Water was there, there was simply no opportunity for employment. We have revolutionized that part of Fiji. Now it is where the highest paid jobs are. People who had left to find jobs in the city, started to come back to the village.
We can be proud to say that Fiji Water raised the standard of living in a very remote area of the island. It will obviously produce a change that extends for generations to come.
A.S. - After all, what are you most proud of about Fiji Water initiatives?
T.M - We have literally changed so many lives. We have become 20% of Fiji’s exports and we are a vital part of their balance of payment. As like any sustainable development example, we have put in a lot of capital and expertise and hard work, but in the end the reason that it is successful are the people in Fiji themselves. They built that place and were willing to change their lives completely and embrace a different way of life.
Going to Fiji and meeting all those workers in the villages, is truly amazing and it keeps us going everyday! It is rewarding to know that every next bottle of Fiji Water that a costumer buys anywhere in the world is going to contribute to the nation and to the people we know and love. It is so much more personal than anything I have ever experienced!
A.S - Thank you Thomas. You can be sure that I won’t ever drink a Fiji Water bottle the same way now!
For more information about Fiji Water visit
www.Fijiwater.com.
To know more about Fiji Water’s green initiatives visit
www.Fijigreen.com.
Posted by on 10/22 at 11:42 AM
Interesting that they’re going to such efforts, but this smacks of Greenwashing so much!
I think it’s a little irresponsible of this blog to present their viewpoint without any counter arguments or research. Is it the role of an ‘alternative channel’ to simply ask corporations for their best points, and then disseminate them to trusting readers?
Fiji water has been one of the most heavily criticized bottled water companies out there.
Bottled water itself is a huge problem! It should not really be sold or promoted on this blog, PERIOD.
Does it make it OK if they buy questionable carbon credits?
Does it make it OK because the people of Fiji have ‘the choice’ to buy bottled water?
Do you seriously believe they’ve improved the lives of locals by employing a few of them in a plant that destroys their environment, pollutes their waters with diesel fumes, and sells them their own water at a huge markup?
Frankly, I am absolutely astounded at how one-sided this post is. What’s with the “A.S - Thank you Thomas. You can be sure that I won’t ever drink a Fiji Water bottle the same way now!” line? This might as well be a paid advertisement for Fiji water!
Please, next time, ask some more hard-hitting questions. Take them to task for the damage they’ve caused so far, and why we should take them seriously at all. And instead of some links to Fiji’s own sites, helpfully provided by them I’m sure, how about doing some actual independent research and linking to that as well? More importantly, how about NOT ignoring the larger dialogue of why people drink bottled water at all!
Posted by Eric So on 10/24 at 11:24 PM
Eric, thanks for sharing your thoughts. We’d like to offer some information that may shed light on your questions.
First, the question of bottled water: Criticism of bottled water usually comes from those who mistakenly believe that people drink bottled water as a substitute for tap. In fact, beverage sales data shows this is not the case. The increase in bottled water volume over the past few years has been closely mirrored by the decline in carbonated soft drinks and sugary fruit drinks. In other words, people are substituting bottled water for other packaged beverages that are less healthy and have a higher environmental impact (heavier packaging to hold in carbonation, refrigeration energy usage, agricultural and manufacturing impacts from ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, and chemicals, etc.). So as people choose bottled water instead of soda or fruit drinks, they not only contribute to the overall greening of the beverage industry, but also do so in a way that is healthier. In fact, the switch to bottled water has eliminated about a trillion calories from the American diet over each of the past couple of years.
As for FIJI Water itself: As Thomas notes above, FIJI Water accounts for about 20% of Fiji’s exports and has literally turned this developing nation from a net importer into a net exporter. The economic and social good we do in Fiji – by empowering Fijians to participate in the global economy through a product that is renewable and far more sustainable than the alternatives (timber, mining, agriculture), by offering hundreds of jobs that are among the best-paying in the islands with health care benefits and professional development opportunities, by developing over 100 water access projects for rural Fijian communities every year, and more – is tangible and a joy to see.
I welcome you to do the independent research that you consider so important, and I agree about the importance of fact-based conclusions. You will see at http://www.fijigreen.com that leading organizations in the field of climate change have verified our work, and that the third-party assurance report for our greenhouse gas inventory is available to the public. Trade statistics for the nation of Fiji bear out our contribution to the balance of trade. And so on… I’m also sure you will agree that truly independent research involves a sincere, open-minded search for verifiable facts, and a willingness to move beyond mere rumor-mongering to a thoughtful and honest dialogue.
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Take them to task for the damage they’ve caused so far, and why we should take them seriously at all. And instead of some links to Fiji’s own sites, helpfully provided by them I’m sure, how about doing some actual independent research and linking to that as well?
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