Many of these anecdotes come from the scholarship of sociology professor Jessica Schad, who traveled to the country to interview Fijian residents about their relationship to the town while pursuing her masters degree. Two years later, when the government tried to raise the tax again in , Fiji Water protested by briefly firing all its employees and shutting down.
The company ultimately accepted the tax hike, but the tension between its interests and those of Fiji have remained. For instance, despite a much-touted plan, announced in , to reduce its carbon footprint by reducing its carbon emissions and planting natural forests, years later the company had planted only half the promised amount of acreage, and had no ETA on when the rest would arrive.
The company has consistently invested in the communities it operates within, but the investments also serve to make its corporate goals more feasible. If the product behind this discussion was unimpeachable, the debate around bottled water might be different.
But even though Fiji Water has made attempts to counterbalance its own ecological impact, its mere existence and operation are part of an industry with serious ramifications for the environment and the economy. The demand for bottled water has caused us, as a culture, to shift toward showing disdain for tap water and fearing locally produced drinking water, while drastically reducing the number of public water fountains and freely accessible water to the public.
From a public health perspective, this demand is largely manufactured and unnecessary. Notable exception: Flint , Michigan. And what lies at the heart of this cultural shift is sheer waste. For example, it takes around 6. It also takes 2, times the amount of energy to produce bottled water as tap water, and each bottle costs up to 2, times more than tap water.
The long-term impact of globally exporting drinking water is pretty much a giant mess of un-recycled plastic bottles clogging landfills, depletion of energy and oil resources, and a lack of publicly accessible safe drinking water. All this for what? Increasingly, Americans are getting their fix from bottled water rather than from the tap; in alone, the U. In particular, FIJI Water has garnered a unique appeal among a broad variety of individuals — from former President Barack Obama to acclaimed talk show host Oprah Winfrey — and has found that its premium price tag is no deterrent to most.
However, as consumers, is there more to FIJI Water than what is seen beyond its blue, square bottle with a singular pink hibiscus flower adorned on its plastic wrapping?
The country of Fiji is located in the South Pacific, consists of clustered islands and has a tropical climate. By being silent and carrying on with business under the newly unelected government, the FIJI Water company raised suspicion of being complicit. Is the complicity to profit off a martial-ruled country ethical and humane? Once its unelected military regime came to power, the newly established government requested that FIJI Water raise its taxes to 15 Fijian cents per liter in as a way to contribute more to the Fijian economy; originally, the FIJI Water company was paying one-third of a Fijian cent per liter to the government for tapping into the aquifer.
FIJI Water, which was tax-exempt prior to the request, responded by laying off workers. Two years later in , the Fijian government attempted to raise taxes again; however, this time, the FIJI Water company closed its plant and fired its employees , which was primarily comprised of Fijian inhabitants, for a day. The cycle does not stop once the water enters the bottle, however. It is said to be over 1, miles from the nearest industrialized country. It must be placed on ships and, in the case of the United States, travels over 5, miles to then be put on trucks for further distribution.
Shipping may not sound like an expensive proposition but it is. While that seems like a small number, once multiplied by the hundreds of millions of FIJI Water being shipped each year it grows to millions of gallons of fuel. FIJI Water may be better known for its uniquely shaped bottle more than its taste. This is great news as PET plastics are durable and can be recycled almost everywhere. The bottle blanks, which are turned into the appropriate shape in the plant in Fiji, are made in the United States and sent on a boat to Fiji.
What is a bottle without its cap? The classic blue caps are made in Taiwan and delivered to Fiji by ship, as well. FIJI Water labels are almost as iconic as the bottle shape itself. The labels are printed in New Zealand and shipped off to meet the bottles and caps in Fiji. There is French water, Italian water, Norwegian water, spring water, filtered water, distilled water, ethical water, and enhanced water.
There is even bottled water labeled "no fat," something very few people are unclear about. So why is Fiji Water so expensive? The first reason is obvious if you think about it. Fiji Water comes from Fiji, a Pacific island country that is almost 7, miles away.
This means that it takes a long time and a lot of energy for the water to get transported from Fiji to the United States.
To put that in perspective, to get from New York to Fiji, one would have to take an hour plane ride, and then, upon arriving in Fiji, take a four-hour drive along King's Highway, a two-lane highway, to get to the water's source via Fast Company. Due to the logistical aspects of getting the water from Fiji to the United States, half of the wholesale cost of Fiji Water is just to cover the cost of transporting it.
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