California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) mandated water use limits on every resident in the state. Some corporations have volunteered to follow suit, some have not.
In fact, Nestle CEO Tim Brown wishes the company could harvest more of California’s limited water supply, reported KPCC-FM 89.3 in California
Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist at NASA’s jet propulsion lab, asked Brown if he’d consider moving Nestle’s bottled water operations out-of-state. Brown promptly answered.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “In fact, if I could increase it, I would.”
“If I stop bottling tomorrow people would buy another brand of bottled water. As the second largest bottler in the state, we’re filling a role many others aren’t filling. It’s driven by consumer demand, it’s driven by an on-the-go society that needs to hydrate. Frankly, we’re very happy [consumers] are doing it in a healthier way.”
If Brown thinks his company is filling some gap that would widen if people used less water, he’s either mistaken or lying. Famiglietti said water bottlers use 30 – 50 percent more water than drinking from the tap. He questions the environmental impact of bottling water.
“An acre-foot [nearly 326,000 gallons] is enough water to supply an entire family for a year,” said Famiglietti. “So in this time we’re being asked to flush our toilets less and less, we have to ask the question: Is this really an environmentally, ethically correct thing to be doing right now?”
One thing is absolutely clear: Brown cares about his company’s profit more than anything else. The well-being of consumers and the environment take a backseat to the company’s bottom line. Nestle needs to move its operations elsewhere.
