Comments on: Greenwashing is a Dirty Business

By: Can Wal-Mart Trade Fair? « Autonomie Project’s Blog

Can Wal-Mart Trade Fair? « Autonomie Project’s Blog — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:57:49 +0000

[...] skeptics may feel that Wal-Mart is capitalizing on current consumer trends or is doing its share of greenwashing, the initiative is receiving positive accolades from the media, sustainability watchdogs, and even [...]

By: Tree Planter

Tree Planter — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:23:45 +0000

Great article… and don’t forget the benefits that planting a tree will have on the environment. Each one will soak up 20kgs of CO2 every year and put enough Oxygen back in the atmosphere to support 2 people.

By: autonomieproject

autonomieproject — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:14:45 +0000

Dear Mr. Mooney, Thanks for the comment. We received our information on the Fiji Green Campaign from the good people at American Public Media. You can check out their article yourself at http://www.publicradio.org/columns/sustainability/greenwash/2008/06/fiji_water_by_the_numbers.html.

While you may be correct that choosing water over soda is a healthy choice and your brand may be ‘more enivornmental’ than other brands, that does not necessarily make it the most sustainable choice or worthy of any environmental accolades. Purchasing plastic water bottles is in no way good for the environment. Americans, alone, throw away nearly 2 million plastic water bottles every 5 minutes. We encourage our readers to take the most sustainable approach to their lifestyles. When it comes to water, that would mean purchasing a reusable water bottle such as Sigg or Klean Kanteen rather than Fiji water or any of the other throw-away plastic water bottle brands.

Thanks again for your concern.

By: Thomas Mooney

Thomas Mooney — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:53:06 +0000

Sir or Madam, your posting on FIJI Water does the public a disservice. Far from the “environmental debacle” you suggest, bottling water in Fiji or elsewhere results in a lower environmental footprint vis-à-vis the products that bottled water displaces, namely carbonated soft drinks. Not convinced? Ask any of the major CSD companies to disclose their carbon footprint, energy use, and water use on a full lifecycle, per-product basis. Then, compare this to our own published figures (www.fijigreen.com). Keep in mind, too, that bottled water is a much healthier alternative to the processed beverages we replace.

Last, but certainly not least, you incorrectly claim that FIJI Water’s bottles leach BPA. All FIJI Water bottles are made of the highest grade PET and do not contain or leach BPA. You are thinking of polycarbonate (a #7 plastic), not PET (#1). Bottom line, please do the public a favor and stop chastising them for doing what is better for them and the environment, i.e. drinking fewer processed beverages and instead quenching their thirst with a natural product like FIJI Water. Best regards, Thomas Mooney (SVP Sustainable Growth, FIJI Water).