Wow. Nestlé is packing up shop and is quitting the
bottled water industry in Canada -- and there's a strong chance they
could be about to do the same in the U.S. and China!
Last month, Nestlé said that it is considering selling its water
brands in North America in 2021 because it’s not worth doing
business there. Three weeks later, Nestlé sold all its operations in
Canada. And then just last week, Nestlé said it might drop its
brands in China as well.
And why is Nestlé quitting the water business worldwide? Because
SumOfUs members like you never gave up the fight against Nestlé all
over the world -- chipping in to its profits by increasing
its lawyer fees, preventing its permits from being approved and
creating an ever-growing public relations nightmare.
Our fight against Nestlé, and other water companies profiting off
bottled water, will continue until they are banned world wide. But
before we go back to fighting Nestlé to make sure it stops sucking
the world's water dry, we wanted to take a step back to celebrate
some of the incredible work you’ve done against Nestlé in the past 5
years -- leading to them exit the Canadian market.
Here is a snapshot of some of the biggest moments against
Nestlé in Canada where it sold its operations, in the USA where you
supported local groups in Michigan, Oregon, Florida, and California,
and in France where you helped win a huge victory for the town of
Vittel.
Canada
We were able to get Nestlé to sell its operations in Canada
because we hit the water giant time and time again at its biggest
operations in British Columbia and Ontario.
In one of our biggest Canadian petitions ever -- we had a
win against Nestlé and other industrial water users hours before
delivering your message with a giant mobile billboard.
Because of your support, we got the government of British Columbia
to agree to revisit the amount of money that Nestlé and other water
users pay in the province. In this campaign, we exposed that Nestlé
paid only two dollars and twenty five cents for 100 million litres
of water, which created a lasting PR nightmare for the company.
Celebrating with a giant billboard post
petition delivery in Langley BC
Meanwhile, in Ontario, you stopped Nestlé from getting a new
permit that would allow it to pump 1.6 million litres a day from a
community that would be relying on that water for drinking, washing
and cooking and made Nestlé’s greed for our public water a political
issue.
It's no wonder why Nestlé sold its operations in Canada -- you
fought against them every step of the way.
USA
Nestlé is also likely going to leave the US market because you
fought back against them in Oregon, Michigan, Florida, and
California.
Perhaps our biggest win against Nestlé in the US was in Oregon --
when SumOfUs members like you stopped Nestlé’s plans to pump
fresh water out of Cascade Locks, Oregon to bottle and sell for
massive profits. You supported local activists who fought
Nestlé's plan for nine years leading to this massive win in
Oregon.
SumOfUs members also made a difference in the battle between
Nestlé and Michigan. When Nestlé tried to sue a tiny
township government in Michigan, you showed up chipping in over
$50,000 US, preventing Osceola Township from declaring
bankruptcy, all for issuing a permit rejecting the bottled
water giant from taking more water from its watershed. The best part
-- Osceola won their lawsuit!
We also participated in a floating protest to stop Nestlé from
bottling nearly two billion litres a year from the fragile Ginnie
Springs in Florida shortly after we delivered a petition of
350,000 names to regional water officials -- and that put
the brakes on Nestlé’s water grab.
Floating protest in Santa Fe, Florida
hours after we delivered our petition to local government
officials.
In California, SumOfUs members have been a thorn in Nestlé's
side. We've called on the US Forest Service and then the California
Water Board to stop the water bottled giant from sucking the state
dry, and will continue our pressure until bottled water companies
leave the Golden State.
France
When we found out that Nestlé
was sucking 800 million liters of water each
year from the small town of Vittel, France -- we
fought back. Thanks to SumOfUs members like you who signed
petitions, flooded consultations and showed up to protest in Vittel,
the locals won their first battle against Nestlé. Last year
the local government cancelled plans for a water pipeline project
that would have forced the townspeople to pay as much as €30 million
to let Nestlé drain all their water away.
SumOfUs in front of Nestlé bottling plant
for World Water Day in 2019 in Vittel, France.
---
Though Nestlé is leaving Canada and it seems it will leave the US
and China, the fight against corporations draining water to
sell for huge profits continues.
In Canada, we need to continue to fight against the new owners of
Nestlé’s operations until we can ban bottled water companies in the
country for good.
In the US, we need to work hard to make sure that Nestlé does
follow Canada’s lead, and continue to support our partners in
Michigan, California, Maine, and Florida to enact anti-water theft
bills like in the State of Washington to ensure that Nestlé, or any
other bottled water corporations, stop draining local aquifers to
sell for massive profits.
And in France, China, Australia, and all over the world
-- we need to continue our fight against Nestlé and other water
companies continues to suck water to sell for massive
profits.
We are a small team pitted against a multi billion dollar bottled
water industry. And we have been able to fight back against Nestle
time and time again all because of members like you chipped in with
monthly donations. Thank you for your continued
support.
