Bottled water under fire: how industry responded
Hannah Marriott 21-Feb-08
The bottled water industry has been using specialist PR support to deal with mounting scrutiny of its impact on the environment.
Food and drink specialist Richmond Towers Communications has been working behind the scenes for months to head off this week's heavy criticism of the industry.
The agency has run an organisation called The Bottled Water Information Office (BWIO) from its office since October 2006, launching officially in January 2007.
The BWIO is a subsidiary of The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), funded by members that sell bottled water products, such as Coca-Cola and Nestlé.
Richmond Towers editorial director Simon Mowbray said the purpose of the BWIO was to deal with heightened interest in bottled water and correct inaccuracies.
For example, it has been reported that 13 billion bottles of water are drunk in the UK every year, but the industry believes this figure is two billion.
The office is also keen to point out that the vast majority of water travels from England or France, whereas a BBC Panorama programme focused on Fiji Water, a small, upmarket brand that travels 10,000 miles to the UK. The BWIO also focuses on ‘informed choice' and the ‘reasons why people chose to drink bottled water'.
Richmond Towers dealt with Monday's Panorama investigation, which attrac-ted 3.5 million viewers.
The programme argued that the packaging and transportation of bottled water causes environmental damage and the issue has triggered debate in the media.
Aside from Panorama, the agency has had to deal with other industry criticisms. These include reports from groups such as the National Consumer Council, and political campaigns overseas, which have had an effect on the British water industry.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Thames Water have launched the ‘London On Tap' campaign, aiming to ‘empower' customers to request tap water rather than bottled water in restaurants.
PANORAMA TIMELINE
-- October 2007 Panorama informs the industry of the programme. Richmond Towers holds two briefings with Panorama journalists.
-- November to December 2007 BDSA director of comms Richard Laming interviewed by Panorama. Richmond Towers holds meetings with campaigners, politicians, scientists and environmentalists. Media briefings are prepared and industry spokespeople media-trained.
-- January 2008 Developed Q&As for agency staff and industry media handlers. Sent out media briefings to give to journalists without alerting them to the upcoming programme.
-- February 2008 Used contacts to find out what would be said in Panorama to ensure there were no surprises and found out that environment minister Phil Woolas was set to describe the bottled water industry as ‘morally unacceptable'.
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DEBBIE FEICKERT - 26-Feb-08
Phipps PR worked closely with FIJI Water to provide Panorama with information through several phone interviews in December and January.
FIJI Water addressed Panorama's points ahead of the programme and, by giving thorough information, was able to successfully refute many of the show's allegations. Phipps PR also ensured that FIJI Water's responses were posted on the Panorama website with a link to FIJI Water homepage, so that viewers wanting more information could easily find it with one click.
As one of the most ethical bottled water brands in the world, FIJI Water is a leader in sustainability and environmental thinking. The company has teamed up with Conservation International to move beyond 'carbon neutral' to become 'carbon negative'. FIJI Water's sustainability program also includes efforts to increase consumer recycling, reduce packaging and to protect the Fijian rainforest. The company has boosted the Fijian economy by providing 400 local jobs and accounting for 20% of exports and 3% of the nation's GDP.
Panorama, who was unable to make a cohesive argument against the company, ultimately conceded that FIJI Water was in fact responsible for alleviating many of Fiji's fresh drinking water issues, not contributing to them. Additionally, the show communicated several of FIJI Water's sustainability initiatives, including the company's 'carbon negative'
status.
FIJI Water declined an on-screen interview to minimize the risk that the show would manipulate any remarks to help make its case. However, Panorama relied on the usual tactics - an ironic tone of voice, interviews with minority opinion holders, hospital visits in Fiji - to portray the company in an unfavourable light.