FIJI Water's Dark Side

FIJI is America’s leading brand of bottled water. Maybe you’ve seen the square bottle with the bright hibiscus flower in photographs of presidential cabinet meetings – it’s Obama’s favorite – or heard of its many celebrity fans. Maybe you even drink it yourself.

FIJI Water has had some PR trials on its way upstream. Environmentalists charged that shipping bottles made of Chinese plastic halfway around the world cost too much carbon. Human rights advocates railed that Fijians were dying for lack of access to clean water while FIJI pillaged the aquifer.

The FIJI company responded with an aggressive campaign trumpeting its carbon offsets and charity work - "every drop is green" became the new tagline. The $5 million FIJI green campaign told consumers that drinking FIJI would help fight climate change.

Investigative reporter Anna Lenzer traveled to Fiji to visit the source and uncover just how green the water could be. She reported on her trip for Mother Jones, supported by a special fund of The Nation Institute, and joins us on the line with more.

Mother Jones: FIJI Water: Spin the Bottle

FIJI Water Responds to Mother Jones Article

Mother Jones Responds to FIJI Water

(Photo by strfireblue via Flickr/Creative Commons)