By refusing to initially pay the tax for tapping into the Fiji aquifer, the FIJI Water company demonstrates that equity is disregarded in a rich man’s world. Two years later in 2010, the Fijian government attempted to raise taxes again however, this time, the FIJI Water company closed its plant and fired its employees, which was primarily comprised of Fijian inhabitants, for a day.Īlthough they came to an agreement to pay the proposed taxes, the FIJI Water’s company delayed actions demonstrate that they turn a blind eye to the Fijian people, both politically and financially, and pay heed to only self-beneficial profit and gains. FIJI Water, which was tax-exempt prior to the request, responded by laying off workers. Once its unelected military regime came to power, the newly established government requested that FIJI Water raise its taxes to 15 Fijian cents per liter in 2008 as a way to contribute more to the Fijian economy originally, the FIJI Water company was paying one-third of a Fijian cent per liter to the government for tapping into the aquifer. This prompts questions about the ethics of FIJI Water: How much does FIJI Water positively contribute to the Fijians? Is the complicity to profit off a martial-ruled country ethical and humane? By being silent and carrying on with business under the newly unelected government, the FIJI Water company raised suspicion of being complicit. ![]() At the time the Resnicks acquired FIJI Water, political turmoil rose, which eventually led to a Fijian coup d’état in 2006. Rainfall trickles down through a volcanic rock filter and is collected in an aquifer, with FIJI Water specifically obtaining its “untouched” water from an artesian aquifer located in Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island. The country of Fiji is located in the South Pacific, consists of 300 clustered islands and has a tropical climate. This marketing strategy works, with FIJI Water’s 2018 annual revenue hitting $43.01 million. This elitist perspective creates an awareness of buying into the “hype,” or the popularity that is broadcasted by the masses. The appeal of FIJI Water lies in the way it is advertised to the public: “ Bottled at the source, Untouched by Man, Until You Unscrew the Cap.” By drawing an emotional appeal from consumers, FIJI Water, or “Earth’s Finest Water,” is able to create an image that whoever purchases FIJI Water is part of an “elite” group. In fact, FIJI Water has been in the background of many pop-culture moments - a “FIJI Water Girl” model carried a tray of FIJI Water bottles while photobombing numerous celebrity red carpet photos during the 2019 Golden Globe Awards and Lil Pump wore a FIJI Water bottle costume during a 2018 SNL performance with Kanye West. Intensely popular, FIJI Water has a cult following of celebrities, business people and U.S. Since then, the Resnicks have broadened their company - the Wonderful Company, which is the same company that produces POM Wonderful and Wonderful Pistachios - under which FIJI Water acts as a subdivision. In 2004, two controversial Southern California billionaires, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, acquired the FIJI Water company. Bottled water is a luxury that individuals take for granted, it is time to consider the dark history and implications of “glorified” FIJI Water.įIJI Water, or Natural Waters of Viti Ltd, was founded in 1996 by a Canadian businessman David Gilmour. However, as consumers, is there more to FIJI Water than what is seen beyond its blue, square bottle with a singular pink hibiscus flower adorned on its plastic wrapping? In 2011, only 47% of Fijians had access to clean drinking water and in 2018, the Water Authority of Fiji reported that 12% of the Fiji population did not have access to clean drinking water. ![]() ![]() In particular, FIJI Water has garnered a unique appeal among a broad variety of individuals - from former President Barack Obama to acclaimed talk show host Oprah Winfrey - and has found that its premium price tag is no deterrent to most. population spent $34.6 billion in bottled water sales. Increasingly, Americans are getting their fix from bottled water rather than from the tap in 2019 alone, the U.S. From Arrowhead to Evian, bottled water is a daily resource that Americans consume and invest in.
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