Post #4-The Ethical Dilemma of Nestlé Water
By reading other sources, in news reports, many community residents said that water needs to be protected and that Nestlé/BlueTriton was operated without manufacturing and for many years. This also extends to people saying that Nestlé/BlueTriton is stealing water when they act. Others say the water from the national forest should be for the people and animals that live there, not for profit. Separately, the non-profit environmental advocacy group Earth Island Institute has filed suit against Nestlé/BlueTriton, alleging that their mass-produced plastic bottles pollute waters.
 |
| https://couragecalifornia.org/stop-nestle-and-bluetriton-california-water/ |
These are all from interviews with local residents, non-profit environmental organizations, and news reports. I think from the perspective of local residents, when they see the rivers, waters, and ecosystems they are familiar with, because a company is constantly being destroyed for profit, it is a very sad thing. And from the perspective of a non-profit organization, it also proves that Nestlé/BlueTriton is not really making efforts and contributions to sustainable development as they advertise on their website. Finally, there are also reports of residents claiming water stealing for actions like Nestlé/Blue Triton. I don't think it's just a company's reason, it's often the government regulators and the Forest Service people that are tied to the company. They may have some agreements, but none of these can restore the environment that has been destroyed. In my opinion, aside from the company's indifference, the government's inaction is also one of the conditions that cause the company to act more recklessly. Therefore, when the government realizes the seriousness of the problem, it is too late to prevent and welcome the destroyed environment and resources.
In addition, people far away in another region are also dissatisfied with Nestlé/BlueTriton's behavior, Dave Sommer, factory manager of Nestlé/BlueTriton, said: "Daily, we're looking at 3.5 million bottles potentially" (Winter, 2017). From Nestlé/BlueTriton From BlueTriton's perspective, their Michigan operations are only a small part of the company, but it sheds light on how Nestlé has taken control of a controversial industry year after year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRWWK-iW_zU
https://couragecalifornia.org/stop-nestle-and-bluetriton-california-water/
I am surprised to hear that they are even allowed to take water from national parks at all, I thought that everything in a national park is to be kept natural and nothing is to be touched for companies to make a profit out of. I can understand the peoples anger who live in these areas where their water is being taken. In my own life, there was a beautiful section of woods that connected my neighborhood where I grew up and another one. About 5 years ago a contracting company tore the trees down to build new houses. Everyone in both neighborhoods protested because this is where we used to play as children and nobody wanted the increased traffic. The houses that were then built there were so cheaply made that most people moved out within a few years. All of those trees were destroyed for some contracting company to get money, this is exactly what Nestle is doing in terms of water. They are ruining an ecosystem that citizens of these areas grew up with to make a profit and to screw over the people who rely on that water in their homes.
ReplyDeleteEmily's Comment ^^^
DeleteYes, I agree with you that Nestlé is destroying an ecosystem. It can also be seen from the report that Nestlé is not even allowed to take water in the national park. This is surprising and unethical because our subconscious thinking is that the resources of national parks should not be touched by any company.
DeleteHowever, when we think in reverse, there is a problem. If a company acquires resources from a national park, are they liable for it? I think this undisguised way of taking water is chilling, whether it is for Nestlé, the government, or the local ecological environment, because once the ecological environment is destroyed, it is very difficult for people to restore it to its original state.
Sisi
Nestlé not only steals the water from the place where needs water for living, but put the unrecycle bottle to the environment. The government's inaction upset the public expection. If the company continue to ignore their unethical actions, I think it's a better way to announce to the more public by using the media to resist their products. Nestle has shown, time and time again, that they have few ethics and little interest in a real social responsibility.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point, and I think unethical practices are perpetuated when governments and corporations don't respond or say anything about it. The most direct consumer protest against a company is to boycott the company's products. But, here's another problem, that Nestlé owns far more companies than we know. So, I think the media and the public should expose more of these unethical behaviors, so that more people and the government are aware of the seriousness of this problem.
DeleteSisi Sun
I think that Nestle has too much power in the water industry since they own so many food and beverage brands under the company name that most consumers aren't even aware that they things they use are Nestle products. The company makes billions a year and they still exploit people and the environment. Nestle is corrupt and has connections to political and governmental figures so suing them or taking any legal action against them would be extremely difficult to win due to their influence and power. It feels like Nestle can do whatever they want to the environment without any repercussions because they have enough money to counter anything. This needs to change once the public gets the attention of the federal government but that may be too late.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last mention that by the time the public comes to the attention of the federal government it may be too late. Judging from these scandals and unethical behaviors of Nestlé that have been exposed, Nestlé pays more attention to the company's profits and does not care about its unethical behavior. However, I think that if the government department does not regulate Nestlé because of its power and too many industries involved. Then the unethical behavior of Nestlé will only get worse.
DeleteSisi Sun
I strongly agree with everyone's comments. Nestle's focus on profits and even the government can be said to be focused on money, not the environment. I strongly support all of us to boycott such unethical companies. They are not worthy of consumers' trust as they are destroying the ecology and polluting the waters without repentance. Time and time again, they cheat and use tricks, completely fail to afford social responsibility, and should be sanctioned by the law.
ReplyDeleteSally
I agree with you that Nestlé is far more concerned with corporate profits than environmental protection. From a long-term perspective, the unethical behavior that Nestlé has made again and again has a great impact on social responsibility. Especially in the face of other companies, Nestlé is playing the role of a negative example. At the same time, this also reflects that government regulators should exercise more control over natural resources.
DeleteSisi Sun