FIJI Water Becomes First Bottled Water Company to Release Carbon Footprint of its Products
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Here’s an interesting tidbit about Fiji Water (if you’ve ever been to Fiji … you’ll know the one) and it’s carbon neutral strategy:
- In November 2007, FIJI Water announced an aggressive sustainable growth program that included a commitment to become carbon negative beginning in 2008
- To take immediate responsibility for its emissions, the company is partnering with Conservation International (CI), a leading conservation organization, to create a high quality, multiple benefit forest carbon project in the Yaqara Valley, Viti Levu, Fiji
- Since its announcement in November, FIJI Water has already implemented several measures to reduce its carbon emissions. By optimizing its logistics, the company has reduced trucking miles from warehouses to distributors by 26% on average. In addition, the company has already started producing its 1.5 L product with an initial 7% reduction in packaging and has reduced by 70% the amount of waste materials taken to landfills. Finally, the company is using more fuel-efficient trucks in Fiji to transport its product from plant to port. This has resulted in a 50% reduction in fuel usage
Comments
Mmm. We can take even more carbon out of the atmosphere by not drinking bottled water in the first place, especially where there is a perfectly good source coming out of our taps. The amount of carbon burnt up in the manufacturing, processing and transportation of bottled water is phenomenal.
Interesting reading and it’s good that Fiji Water are starting to take responsibility of their actions and question their carbon emissions when distributing their water half way round the world! However, it is definitely something we need to start thinking about in general and I agree with Stinger; it is important to recognise if we really want to create a demand for bottled water in the first place?! It’s really sad to think how many plastic bottles are being created each day…
In the sustainability forum the other week the question came up about how many plastic drinking bottles arrive (and then left!) on the island and what should be done about this. We thought that if we encourage as many members as possible to bring metal drinking bottles onto Vorovoro (which have a lot longer life span rather than plastic bottles); then eventually by the end of the project we hopefully will prevent the plastic bottle from taking over the island! This really would be a fantastic achievement, especially as we get enough plastic bottles washed up anyway from Labasa!
Sooo a little note for anyone coming to Vorovoro: please make sure you bring a metal water bottle (Sigg bottles are a good make!) or even better, just use our mugs on the island!
Any other suggestions welcome!
Vinaka :)
Totally agree about reducing demand for bottled water. Always ask for tap water in restaurants.
If Fiji water want to limit their footprint then they should stop exporting it to Selfridges!
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