As if it isn’t bad enough that FIJI brand water comes from far, far away in…Fiji (actually it’s ‘aquafied’ somewhere else in the South Pacific before being shipped, but bear with me) the company is now in the throws of a green makeover in an attempt to reverse the counter-intuitiveness.
New York Times writer Rob Walker points out the obvious in an article published over the weekend, noting that it makes little sense to buy something that’s been shipped half way around the world that can also be accessed from the tap. Hrm, then how come FIJI’s sales volume went up 30 percent in 2007?
FijiGreen dot com and an “Every Drop is Green” campaign may have something to do with that. The company claims to have a negative carbon footprint based on bottling practices and, “various conservation efforts in Fiji, and to the fact that the brand’s entire business model depends on the aquifer there remaining pristine,” reported Walker.
By 2010, the company expects to have reduced it’s footprint even further, by an estimated 25 percent in fact.
Still doesn’t make sense that consumers feel their own water isn’t good enough. OK it does make sense, especially if you’ve ever tasted New Jersey’s tap water, which leaves a lot to be desired. Another conundrum — anti-bottled water campaigning has seen an increase of late, as has bottled water sales. Kinda like those anti-marijuana campaigns that leave everyone laughing.
Nonetheless, FIJI battles on.
“Any time you see negative stories in the press, you have to figure out how to respond,” according to Rob Six, Fiji Water’s vice president for corporate communications.
Yet bad press doesn’t seem to matter, considering the company’s growth per annum. In the end, we all know it’s a bunch of bullshit — since it takes manpower and more carbon to erase a carbon footprint, resulting in a vicious cycle. Incoming metaphor — like raking a sand trap, you still en up with a bunch of lines in the bunker.