Pacific Magazine > Magazine > January 1, 2008

Pac Notes

Pac Notes

Greenwash Or Good Sense?
Fiji Water says it’s going carbon negative. The company, with $150 million in annual sales, is one of Fiji’s poster export industries, albeit small by global standards. It ships water to the United States, but also Canada, Australia, Britain and Ireland. But that penetration, and the long distances it sends its products—has seen it come under increasing pressure for being involved in what some call an inherently unsustainable industry. And in recent times, some U.S. cities have launched campaigns for its residents to simply turn on the tap, rather than fork out for imported water.

Part of Fiji Water’s success in the U.S. is attributable to a well developed product placement campaign that sees its distinctive square bottles appear in an array of movies and television programs. Critics of the brand and industry are skeptical the new environmental announcements are just public relations or greenwash.

But Thomas Mooney, Fiji Water’s senior vice president for sustainable growth, says the initiatives are not a
response to these criticisms, and have been a long time in the planning.

Specifically Fiji Water will in 2009 install a windmill to provide energy to its Fiji bottling plant, ship bottles of water to be sold on the U.S.’s east coast to the port of Philadelphia, rather than trucking them from Los Angles as is currently the case; use biodiesel and other alternative fuels for its trucks and as back up when winds are calm; expand the charge for recycling programs; reduce the plastic and paper it uses for packaging; and through the Fiji Water foundation, pledge money to protect the Yaqara Valley watershed—which is Fiji’s main water source.

Not everybody is impressed by the initiatives. Michael J. Brune, executive director of the Rainforest Action Network told the New York Times, “bottled water is a business that is fundamentally, inhe ently and inalterably unconscionable… No side deals to protect forests or combat global warming can offset that reality.”

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX The United Nations released its 2007/2008 Human Development Index report in November, with Tonga the only Pacific Island country registering in the High Development category—its ranking boosted in particular by high scores in adult literacy and school enrolments. The HDI is a measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, standard of living, and well-being for countries worldwide.   The most recent report also concentrated on climate change and carbon footprint, concluding as expected that the socioeconomic impacts of global climate change most affects citizens of underdeveloped countries through floods and droughts while they contribute very nominal pollution to the global environment. It recommends a number of measures to fight climate change including; pricing carbon, stronger regulatory standards supporting the development of low carbon energy provision and international cooperation on finance and technology transfer Children from Itokama village in Papua New Guinea carry boxes that were transported in a Royal Australian Air Force Caribou Aircraft as part of relief efforts following floods in Oro Province. The death toll is likely to reach over 250. PHOTO: AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE FORCE Marshall Islands voters had a long wait to cast their ballots Nov. 19 because of delays and disorganization. A new government is expected to be organized when Parliament meets in early January. PHOTO: DOUGLAS HENRY U.S. Army Reservists stood in attention with their rifles, as the American flag draped coffin of fallen Toa o Samoa, Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao was taken out of the VIP Lounge at the Pago Pago International Airport in November. He was killed in Iraq Nov. 7.  PHOTO: FILI SAGAPOLUTELE