Did Coca-Cola’s bottling plant dry up groundwater in southern India?
In the southern Indian village of Plachimada in Kerala state, for example, persistent droughts have dried up groundwater and local wells, forcing many residents to rely on water supplies trucked in daily by the government. Some there link the lack of groundwater to the arrival of a Coca-Cola bottling plant in the area three years ago.
What is happening at Coca-Cola’s Wakefield bottling plant?
Coca-Cola’s Wakefield facility is the largest of six major bottling plants the company operates in the UK. The plant recently completed an upgrade of its water treatment facility – with Severn Trent and Norit working to provide a comprehensive purification and recovery system – which increased influent quality and upped supply capacity by over 30%.
Who is the owner of the Coca-Cola bottling plant?
The plant owners are Coca-Cola Enterprises. Severn Trent Water Services was the main contractor on the project; Norit Membrane Technology supplied the UF membrane treatment system, with its sister company, Norit Südmo supplying the necessary stainless steel valves.
What is the Coca-Cola water treatment system?
The pre-existing water treatment system was built in 1989, in accordance with the then standard Coca-Cola multi-barrier policy, using polyamide coagulation and sand filtration, with de-chlorination achieved through carbon filtration.
How many water intensive plants does Coca Cola have?
Coca-Cola operates 58 water-intensive bottling plants in India. In the southern Indian village of Plachimada in Kerala state, for example, persistent droughts have dried up groundwater and local wells, forcing many residents to rely on water supplies trucked in daily by the government.
Why did Coca Cola shut down?
Some there link the lack of groundwater to the arrival of a Coca-Cola bottling plant in the area three years ago. Following several large protests, the local government revoked Coca-Cola’s license to operate last year and ordered the company to shut down its $25-million plant.
What does Coca Cola say about pollution?
Coca-Cola Responds to Charges of Pollution and Groundwater Depletion. For its part, Coca-Cola says that “a small number of politically motivated groups” are going after the company “for the furtherance of their own anti-multinational agenda.”.
What state has the Mehdiganj plant closed?
Citing excessive groundwater pumping, in 2014, Indian government officials ordered closed the Mehdiganj plant in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
How many pesticides are in Coca Cola?
Another Indian nonprofit group, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), says it tested 57 carbonated beverages made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi at 25 bottling plants and found a “cocktail of between three to five different pesticides in all samples.”
How far did women travel to get water?
Indeed, one report, in the daily newspaper Mathrubhumi, described local women having to travel five kilometers (three miles) to obtain drinkable water, during which time soft drinks would come out of the Coca-Cola plant by the truckload.
Does Coca Cola have pesticides?
Coca-Cola Offers Sludge "Fertilizer" and Beverages with Pesticides. Groundwater isn’t the only issue. The Central Pollution Control Board of India found in 2003 that sludge from Coca-Cola’s Uttar Pradesh factory was contaminated with high levels of cadmium, lead, and chromium.
What did the court say about the bottling plant?
The court said that if it was to continue work at the bottling plant, the company must find alternative sources of water, but this is a tall order in an area which has suffered two dry years and has gone months without rain.
How many acres are there in Coca Cola plant?
In a ruling which threatens to close the 16-hectare (40-acre) Coca-Cola plant in Kerala, southern India, the state's high court has ordered the company to close its boreholes and stop drawing ground water in one month's time. A thousand local families have been protesting for 608 days, claiming the plant is drawing so much water it is turning their ...
Why is the Indian bottling factory closing?
Indian bottling factory may be forced to close after judge orders ban to protect village's supply.
What was one comfort for Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd?
One comfort for Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd was a direction by the judge to the village council to renew the plant's licence. He also restrained the council from interfering with the functioning of the factory.
Who should act as a trustee for underground water?
He also pointed out that the supreme court had stated in earlier orders that underground water belonged to the public and the state should act as a trustee for its protection.
Is Coca Cola bad for India?
It has been a bad year for the US drinks giant in India, its big expanding market. In August, the director of the Centre for Science and Environment, Sunita Narain, announced that 12 large cold-drink brands manufactured by Coca-Cola and its rival Pepsi, sold in and around Delhi, contained a cocktail of pesticide residues, including chemicals which can cause cancer, damage the nervous and reproductive systems and reduce bone mineral density.
When does a competitive advantage become a sustainable competitive advantage?
A competitive advantage becomes a sustainable competitive advantage when other companies have found it very expensive to duplicate the what the firm is providing to customers.
What is the threat of substitute products?
The threat of substitute products or services is a measure of the ease with which customers can find substitutes for an industry's goods or services.