Is it possible to turn soda into water? Coca-Cola believes it is. On Tuesday, the company pledged to return back to nature every drop of water it uses to make its bottled drinks. If that sounds ambitious, it is. Last year, Coke used 290 billion gallons of water worldwide to make its line of beverages.
Coke is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund to put $20 million towards conserving seven major river basins, including the Rio Grande along the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s also putting a major focus on revamping its water use and packaging practices. Marketplace reports that it takes 250 liters of water to produce the sugar for one liter of Coke.
Suddenly, your Wednesday night pizza and soda special doesn’t seem like such a good deal.
So why might Coke be doing this? Number one, it’s good PR. Coke has been harshly criticized for its manufacturing practices in the past. Critics hold Coca-Cola responsible for depleting and contaminating India’s water supply, leaving local people with no access to clean water. Several colleges and universities took steps to ban Coke from campuses based on these water issues and allegations of abusive labor practices in Colombia bottling plants. Although the Colombian union lawsuits have been dismissed, Coke’s reputation has never been washed clean.
It might help if Coke is able to become a leader on a new environmental frontier. The commitment to water conservation has been framed as a step ahead of companies who are jumping on the carbon-emission bandwagon. In the Marketplace story, water is referred to as “the new carbon.” But sustainability reporter Sam Eaton warned, “Water’s a much more complicated beast than carbon. You reduce CO2 emissions in one place, that benefits the entire planet. Water is much more local.”
Number two, it’s smart. Why shouldn’t Coke work towards reducing its water use and being smarter about packaging? There’s obviously lots of room for improvement. Water conservation saves money and it makes Coke look nice and green. And looking green is a great alternative to looking like a bubbly brown liquid that’s not very healthy.
So let’s hope that Coke is turning a new leaf. As sketchy as the company has been in the past, a big, multinational company publicly concerned about sustainability issues will be able to make a big difference in the environment, and in global awareness.
Hm. Offsetting water depletion and pollution in India by helping to pay for cleaning up the Rio Grande? Texans must buy more Coke. I suppose as long as they don’t charge extra premiums for Coke Green…
that stuff’s nasty! it’s all black and bubbly!
I think it’s a great trend that corporations are finding ways to be green … even if they’re doing it out of guilt … or out of an effort to enhance their public relations.
Whatever it takes!
If the corporations don’t go green, all is lost …
Corporations are turning green to pander to environmentalists and to avoid governmental punishment. Business is about money. Individuals might have individual consciences, business and government do not.
Cleaning up effluent is not a bad idea, in fact it is a great idea. But, never lose sight of reality. Business is about money and government is about power. If the individuals in power in either have no conscience, neither does the entity.
Water, water once eveywhere, but in 2070 not a drop to drink………
We are running out of water………….
http://indianfriendfinder.com/blog/1636/post_8397.html
http://www.franksemails.com/powerpoint/letter_written_in_2070.pps
Pepsi tastes better, but that’s still great that Coke is trying to help the environment, for whatever reason they’re doing it. I still don’t understand how they are going to make the plan a reality. If it’s that easy to just say they’re going to return the water, they should have been doing it all along. I wonder what Pepsi’s policy is with water.
If the individuals in power in either have no conscience, neither does the entity.
Ben, I agree with your statement above. But the reverse is also true. If individuals in power do have conscience, then so does the governmental or corporate entity.
In our lifetimes, we’ve been in a sort of dark age with respect to conscience. We’ve been in an era of no responsility for our actions, to each other or the Earth. But there’s every reason to believe that will change. Why will it change? Perhaps in part because of the process we’re undertaking at this moment … the process of using modern communications systems to try to connect with each other.
The future will surely be a place where humans connect better than in the past. All signs point to that, at least.
If we see more of the world, if we learn more about how different people think about things, if we try to understand each other more, won’t that make a difference?
I believe it will. And since - as you noted above - corporations are run by people, I believe corporations - like people - can evolve to become more responsible to those around them.
Not just for P.R. Not for fear of governmental punishment. But because we are together on one planet.
Deborah
I think - or at least, I hope - that Coke is showing what it means to be a corporation in this century, and taking responsibility for the ecological damage they’ve done. And if the move is motivated by PR, what does it matter? It’s the action that counts. At least they’re recognizing an undercurrent of support for more environmentally conscious company policies…. at least support is finally there, and not just on the fringe.
Hey coke! it’s me Jena, just letting you know i’m never, ever drinking coke again!. I can’t believe you would lie to me i thought we had something speical, but i guess not! i was wrong. Hate you later Jena. xoxo NOT!