Bottled water has become an accessory to our outfit. It is a necessity rather than a luxury. FIGI Water, one of the hippest brands of bottled water in the US market, prides itself on the presentation and packaging of their product. The hibiscus bloom and square bottle have allowed the company to distinguish themselves from there many competitors.
Consumers spend over $16 million on bottled water a year, a shocking statistic when we can drink water for FREE. The success of the industry is astonishing mainly because it is a product we don’t need. Past generations survived just fine on tap water so why do we think we are different? We buy FIJI Water because it’s a status symbol. A status symbol that is slowly ruining our environment.
FIJI Water was forced to reinvent there CSR programs after receiving a lot of negative “green” press stemming from a Fastcompany.comarticle. Not only has the company become the first privately owned U.S company to join the Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration but they are vowing to reduce carbon emissions in the bottling and shipping process, minimize wasteful packaging and protect Fiji’s largest lowland rainforest from logging.
We must ask ourselves if FIJI Water truly cares about our environment or if they just have a smart PR person behind their new image?
FIJI Water took negative press and immediately implemented a CSR program to impress the world. However, one must think does the company really want to be eco-friendly or do they just have a brilliant PR team who are using CSR to gain even more of an edge over competitors. While I would like to believe they truly care about our environment I would be kidding myself to think there main focus is centered on something else besides the bottom-line.
FIJI Water has been applauded on their environmental efforts by many publications including Elle Magazine and CSRWIRE.com. The positive attention the company is receiving will not only make them more profitable but will allow them to connect to a larger more environmentally conscious audience. FIJI Water will continue to grow and consumers will continue to feed the environmentally absurd industry.
