In a candid interview for the documentary We Feed the World, Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck makes the astonishing claim that water isn’t a human right. He attacks the idea that nature is good, and says it is a great achievement that humans are now able to resist nature’s dominance. He attacks organic agriculture and says genetic modification is better.
Nestlé is the world’s biggest bottler of water. Brabeck claims – correctly – that water is the most important raw material in the world. However he then goes on to say that privatisation is the best way to ensure fair distribution. He claims that the idea that water is a human right comes from “extremist” NGOs. Water is a foodstuff like any other, and should have a market value.
He believes that the ultimate social responsibility of any Chairman is to make as much profit as possible, so that people will have jobs.
And just to underline what a lovely man he is, he also thinks we should all be working longer and harder.
Consequences of water privatisation
The consequences of water privatisation have been devastating on poor communities around the world. In South Africa, where the municipal workers’ union SAMWU fought a long battle against privatisation, there has been substantial research (pdf) about the effects. Water privatisation lead to a massive cholera outbreak in Durban in the year 2000.
The Nestlé boycott
Nestlé already has a very bad reputation among activists. There has been a boycott call since 1977. This is due to Nestlé’s aggressive lobbying to get women to stop breastfeeding – which is free and healthy – and use infant formula (sold by Nestlé) instead. Nestlé has lobbied governments to tell their health departments to promote formula. In poor countries, this has resulted in the deaths of babies, as women have mixed formula with contaminated water instead of breastfeeding.
Tell Nestlé they are wrong – water is a human right
There is Europe-wide campaign to tell the European Commission that water is a human right, and to ask them to enact legislation to ensure this is protected.
If you live in Europe, please sign the petition.
Original article published by Union Solidarity International.
Keithpp's Blog 
April 16, 2013 at 6:55 am |
Dear Keith, I’m Chris from media relations at Nestlé. It is always good to see debate about this issue – one of the most important facing our planet. Nestlé’s chairman has posted on his own blog about it: http://www.water-challenge.com/post/2012/10/04/Water-is-a-human-right-%E2%80%93-but-not-a-free-good.aspx The post sets out in detail his position on the human right to water and
of course you can leave a comment there if you would like to continue the debate. Thanks again though for taking the trouble to write about this.
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April 16, 2013 at 7:55 pm |
Translation: Dear Keith, I’m Chris from media relations at Nestlé. Oh fuck. Our chairman says that water is not a human right. Please put your comments on a page that no-one reads because we’d really like to bury this one asap. Thanks.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:25 am
Best. Comment. Ever.
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April 17, 2013 at 6:32 am
You nailed it on the head!
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April 17, 2013 at 10:56 am
Spot on Greg! Chris, you really think we’re all that stupid. Your chairman is an idiot and you, sir, are an idiot. And we will continue to leave comments here – and if they disappear, we’ll repost, and repost.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Dear Greg, I think I might have given you the wrong impression. I was suggesting you take a look at the chairman’s blog so that you could see what his actual views are, not trying to bury anything. Leaving comments there is worthwhile because he reads them and where necessary responds. He published the same blog post on linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130312131701-230883806-water-is-a-human-right-but-not-a-free-good?trk=mp-reader-card where there was a lot of good debate in the comments. I hope you will find it interesting.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:54 pm
@Jim, I certainly don’t think you are stupid. It’s good to have the opportunity to try to answer some of the questions and address some of the misconceptions. The water issue is one of the most important the world faces today, so the more its highlighted, whatever the forum, the better.
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April 18, 2013 at 6:37 pm
Too late, Chris. Greg wins the internet.
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April 20, 2013 at 3:31 am
Precisely. Even with all that veneer and cash the guy can barely lock eyes with the electronic eye in front of him: Wonder how he would do locking eyes with the average child growing up on Earth, while spouting such garbage. And the way numbers reliant on this company are wheeled out, like some bargaining chip nobody is supposed to mention.
Claiming nature is flawed, then trying to make a grab for an essential piece of it, to prop up some company is exactly what it looks like.
In 100 years this video will be used to educate children on how shortsighted and vain the monetary system made some men in these days. May ugly greedy ideas like this quickly pass away please, and let’s get back to doing the good which your staff in places does do.
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April 20, 2013 at 10:06 am
Very nice article. But remeber that your Public rights have a price tagg as well on it. They are paid from the taxes of workers. And the worker many times again require tools That again are mostly bought from privat firma.
I find the boycott awesome. Do not stop at the Boycott. Reduces what you use. Do not shower longer then 10 min. So we use less time/money on water cleaning and so on.
Do not eat in buffee. So much food gots thrown away. Try to avoid long travel. Especially in popular Tourist regions. First off the hotels there can be using Nestle and second off they are one of the biggest food/water waster in entertaiment department. 🙂
And if you guys really want to save water you should maybe stop Buying products like Sugar, Banana Many Vegetables, Coffe……. and so on. Because they use a shit ton of water on enviroment where water just disappear into the air and never rain down in that area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_water#Limited_resource
As well Guys take a look how much your typicall Sugar Cane Consumes. So if you want to save water then pleas stop buying most Importat gods :).
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April 22, 2013 at 6:34 pm
Agree with Nick Caine-
Don’t follow that link- they want you to waste your time and efforts by sidetracking criticism to sites that they Nestle controls. EVIL. BOYCOTT NESTLE FOREVER.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:34 am |
So Chris from media relations… I no longer will buy any Nestle products as long as this attitude regarding water is maintained.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:56 pm
@Craige, I am sorry to hear that. Please take the time to look at the links I have posted on the page. I hope the information you will find there will at least make our position clearer, even if it doesn’t change your mind.
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April 17, 2013 at 10:09 pm
For everyone wanting to Boycott Nestle products this infographic may come in handy so you can see what you’ll need to stop buying. (Almost everything is controlled by just 10 major companies.) http://i.huffpost.com/gen/585370/original.jpg
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April 17, 2013 at 5:01 am |
Dear Chris,
While we all need to consume water, this Sociopath (your CEO) is Wrong in thinking that this classifies the material as something that needs a price tag as he imagines it. Water, being a universal Need, is distributed through public works systems because it’s a universal Need. Anyone claiming that it requires privatization and higher prices is only out for their pocket book at the cost of humankind. Period. This is the kind of person, the kind of ideas, that need to be fired off into space because his other skills (like convincing people) are put to malicious use against humanity.
Congratulations on recruiting another to boycott your company.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:02 pm
@Jaaz thanks for your comments. Here at Nestlé we take a different view as you can see if you look at the links I have posted. This is a complex issue and it is important that different viewpoints are aired and debated so that societies, the public sector and the private sector can work together to address this crisis. I am sorry to hear you have decided to boycott our products but I am grateful to you for sharing your views with us and the rest of the people on the page.
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April 18, 2013 at 2:51 am
Dear Chris:
This is not a “complex issue.” Water is a human right. Without it we DIE. We do not have a WATER CRISIS. We do not need the public sector charging $10/gallon for FREAKING WATER.
Dear Chris: I am boycotting Nestle.
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April 18, 2013 at 2:53 am
I want to make a correction. I meant to write that the PRIVATE SECTOR wants to charge $10/gallon for water.
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April 18, 2013 at 10:17 pm
Agreed. Chris, through all your PR training can’t change the facts. Your CEO is singing a different tune because his original tune is now against a UN resolution. Yes, the Colorado will not be able to provide for the states it supplies in 50 years, but desalinization is an old technology, and it can be used for public works. Profit as a driver for deliver of basic human needs causes distorted distribution of those needed goods to where the money simply is. Corporations are not now, nor will they ever again be a force for the good of humanity. Your CEO’s view quoted in the video of a CEO being responsible for driving profit and growth (paraphrased) likely has not, and will not change. This is why we must safe guard the last, and most plentiful public resources from the likes of people like him.
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April 17, 2013 at 7:35 am |
Dear Chris from media relations at Nestlé. The link you have given does not work. How very surprising.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:57 pm
@Naomi are you sure? I have checked them all and they seem to be working. If not please go to http://www.nestle.com and you will find a button on the homepage which takes you directly to the chairman’s blog.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:00 pm |
So, Chris – I wonder if your boss understands the difference between one villager doing all the hauling of water and getting paid for it…and Nestle getting involved, and screwing same village from three angles? I think your boss needs to spend about a month in a village that doesn’t have its own well, without a Range Rover or a cell phone. Maybe he’ll come up with a motive other than his own profit.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:04 pm
@inacat. Nestlé’s chairman has been campaiging to get governments and others in power to take the global water crisis seriously for several years now. This campaign takes him all over the world so he has had the chance to see for himself the problems people face in some of the poorest parts of the world and this has influenced his thinking. You can read more about this on his blog on http://www.nestle.com. There is a button taking you to the blog on the right hand side of the homepage.
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April 17, 2013 at 2:09 pm
IF and a very big IF Nestles where so interested in the plight of the third world and water shortage and cereal shortage they would start with an altruistic policy of building desalination plants around the world with water mined in this way Nestles will benefit by increasing those people that will be able to grow crops first to look after themselves then to grow surplus’s and be able to buy products that Nestles produce. That makes commercial sense not only for Nestles but the rest of commercial world we have executives running these companies who are paid to look for future markets to expand their business what are they being paid foe?
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April 17, 2013 at 3:34 pm
@Lester. The 2030 Water Resources Group that Peter Brabeck chairs is looking into different technical solutions; the aim is to find cost-effective solutions to close the gap between freshwater withdrawals and sustainable supply. The extremely high cost for desalination (due to the energy needed) makes it a good solution to supply cities, e.g., in Middle East, but it cannot work for agriculture, where water will be most needed in the future. Thanks for your interesting contribution though.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:26 pm
No your boss and his cronies is as usual paying lip service to a problem they are not looking for a solution to the problem they are looking for a solution on how to get some one else to pay for it. The solution and technology are already available all your greedy boss wants is to take the benefits. I know you are paid to make excuses for him and his cronies but by supporting him you are as bad as he is
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April 17, 2013 at 12:07 pm |
Chris, Nestlé’s declaration saying that “water is a human right but not a free good” is bullshit and hypocrital. As I posted on FB, Nestlé is not stupid enough to say bluntly “water is not a human right”, because that kind of talking is too direct and would create havoc. Multinationals already made big business with mineral waters, now they want to make business with ALL waters on the planet. We do not need multinationals to keep waters clean and drinkable, we just need good will, good habits not to make it worse, and also our tax money should be spent by our leaders also in this field rather than in wars etc. We do not need private corporations to do this. If they make business with water, that means that they own waters. You can only sell what you own. And if corporations own waters, then people will not have free access any longer. Water cannot be owned by anyone on this planet. water is the mother of all life, must be and stay free. If corporations like Nestlé will succeed, this means the end of that essential and basic human right, the right to water, unconditionnally. So, at the end of day, YES; WHAT NESTLE – and other corporations too – TELLS THE WORLD IS: WATER IS NOT A HUMAN RIGHT.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:11 pm
@Maria take a look at this page on our website http://www.nestle.com/csv/water/public-policy . It sets out our belief that better public policy and governance are critical steps towards universal access to clean water. Thanks for contributing your arguments to this debate here and on facebook. You make your points very eloquently and although we may not agree with what you say, we appreciate you taking the time to engage in a conversation with us and others here.
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June 30, 2013 at 3:13 am
Water isn’t a free good already lol.
If water was a human right we would be allowed to use it free of charge. We still have to pay for it therefore if you cannot afford to pay for your water bills you lose your access to water.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:23 pm |
Water is totes a right.
But it’s also a good.
So you know, selling the Atlantic Ocean to Nestle.
Totes alright given this argument.
Bodies of water, lakes, streams, rivers, oceans.
Those are just goods!
Not only this, if you travel across these bodies of water, you’re also using the good.
Also, since these would be GOODS under Nestle’s ownership, it reserves the right to pollute, destroy, extract, and render useless these goods.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:59 pm |
how long before we decide that air is not a free good and charge humans for it.
what of animals? do they have a right to water, or should we find a way to charge them?
they are, as it were, just freeloaders on our system.
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April 18, 2013 at 9:40 am
Spot on! I hope Chris from media relations at Nestle reads this and has another evasive answer for this about all the extremist NGOs (and extremist animals using these resources for free – shocking!).
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June 30, 2013 at 3:15 am
hahaha, humans are already being charged for air.
costs over $10,000 for an oxygen tank.
Oh and Animals actually do have the right to water, because they don’t pay for it. Humans, however, are already paying for it.
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April 17, 2013 at 5:05 pm |
How much does Nestle pay for removing water from local water tables to sell for huge profits at the expense of local environments and ecosystems? Oh, wait – Nestle pay nothing.
So what you are basically saying is that water isn’t a human right, but a corporate one?
Hypocritical psychopaths.
http://documentaryheaven.com/flow-for-love-of-water/
http://www.worldcrunch.com/poisoning-well-nestl-accused-exploiting-water-supplies-bottled-brands/business-finance/poisoning-the-well-nestl-accused-of-exploiting-water-supplies-for-bottled-brands/c2s4503/#.UW7Ul46wzpg
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April 17, 2013 at 7:17 pm
They pay nothing!
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April 17, 2013 at 5:08 pm |
Nestle would provide a valuable service to the world if it would use its vast amounts of money and political & business influence to force water-polluting corporations (paper mills, chemical plants, fracking, leaking oil pipelines, etc) to invest in all the necessary technology & practices to ensure NO pollution of rivers, lakes, aquifers, etc. – and to convince state & national governments to pass laws rewarding people for planting ground covers which do not need fertilizing, given how fertilizers contribute to massive algae blooms which then seriously contaminate fresh water supplies. The Southern U.S. would be a good place to begin, considering the vast amount of chemical pollution taking place in Louisiana, Alabama, etc. and the vast amounts of water pollution from Big Oil in Texas, Oklahoma, and elsewhere from fracking, leaking oil pipelines, etc.
If Nestle would so invest, and publicly and consistently take such actions, then perhaps people would take Nestle more seriously when it claims it is working to protect world water supplies.
Of course, that would mean Nestle would be going up against Monsanto/Big AgriBusinesses, Big Oil, the Chemical Industry and other water-polluting industries, which I find rather unlikely.
However, doing so would indeed cause the public to believe Nestle when it claims to want to help protect potable fresh water. Actions speak far louder than words, and it is only in Actions that the Truth is revealed.
Meanwhile, until I see such actions by Nestle, I join the consumer boycott of Nestle products, just like I have joined the consumer boycott of Monsanto, etc. Corporations depend on sales to consumers to create sustainable profits to remain in business, and I for one refuse to use my money to support any business which causes harm to people in the greedy pursuit of profiteering.
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April 17, 2013 at 7:24 pm |
So is making a profit from exploiting local water tables is a human right? I dig my well and Nestle drains the water table it to sell in plastic bottles so I no longer have access to the water. How is this ok?
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April 18, 2013 at 9:11 am
profit rules.
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April 18, 2013 at 10:57 am |
Hi Chris, thanks for joining the debate. Im by no means a fan of Nestle (If it’s not water its price fixing/melamine/infant formula… the list goes on & on) but appreciate you giving people the chance to voice their opinions to the Director… which I will after a bit more research. Cheers
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April 18, 2013 at 2:14 pm |
Hi Chris. I’ve always wondered how it feels to be corporate scum. Does it hurt when they surgically remove your soul during your Comm degree?
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April 18, 2013 at 2:25 pm |
Chris, does Nestle drug test? Probably not. That’s the only possible way you could say such garbage without throwing up. How does it feel to be a corporate shill? How do you look in the mirror after lying like you do? How do you explain to your kids how low you really are? is it worth the $? Really? Aren’t your parents embarrassed by you? Or did they make you change your name out of shame? It takes a strong stomach to say what you do, and an even stronger stomach to read it. You are the worst kind of whore. You have sold your soul. I tend to doubt if you got much for it tho’.
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April 18, 2013 at 6:40 pm |
Oh Chris, Look at you pumping up your boss in sophisticated (shitty) corporate language. How cool you are ‘acting’ to all the nasty taunts. Such a sad job you have. His Master’s Defender.
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April 18, 2013 at 7:32 pm |
Dear Chris,
No matter how many facts you post and links you give us in a sad attempt to fix our opinion of your self-involved chairman, the fact remains that privatization of water makes it harder for low income people to access drinking water. Putting a price on something that is so necessary is just going to make it harder for those in need to access it. Privatization of water helps fairly distribute it among the people who are already privileged, but what of the millions and billions of people suffering with out it due to factors such as poverty. People in third world countries along with people in our own country suffer and die from diseases causes by lack of access to clean water. How is putting a price on all water going to improve their situation?
I find it disturbing how little your chairman cares for the human race and how much he cares about his bank account. All in all I will be trying my hardest to avoid using any nestle products in the future.
I suppose my anger and disgust shouldn’t be directed at you, you are doing your job and I can respect that. However I hope that Peter Brabeck listens to the public’s outrage and hopefully takes some lessons from it.
Regards,
Haley
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April 18, 2013 at 8:09 pm |
I am in awe of the reasonable and supportive people that companies like Nestle continue to attract to their side, despite all evidence to the contrary. As someone who was an apologist for Big Oil for much too long, I can truly appreciate the skills and patience involved. I assume that Nestle is taking good care of you.
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April 19, 2013 at 5:48 am
I must applaud you for managing to escape that vile sewer with some semblance of humanity intact.
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April 19, 2013 at 5:46 am |
Chris, please just put a bullet in your soulless, inhuman head right now. Evil fucking filth like you have no place upon this earth with the rest of we human beings.
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May 19, 2013 at 3:03 am
Comments like this one (above) are useless. They do nothing for debate, discussion or intelligent thought on a subject and just makes the writer appear ignorant and aggressive ….because of an opinion they don’t like. No-one deserves to die just because they don’t agree with you …. fool!
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April 19, 2013 at 4:28 pm |
Chris, I believe his argument is categorically wrong. He puts water in the same category as oil, coal and uranium, saying that of all of those it’s water that we will run out of first. But oil, coal and uranium are all finite resources. Water is renewable and the supply is limited only by how much we process. If you solve the energy problem, you inherently solve the water problem as (energy hungry) desalination plants provide fresh water from the oceans – a renewable resource 30 times bigger than all freshwater on earth.
It concerns me that he is a leader of the Water Resource Group which is “seeking to bring governments, business and civil society together to find solutions”. How the hell can someone even remotely involved with the world’s leading supplier of bottled water, let alone the CEO of a company that makes 8% of its sales through selling water, provide unbiased advice?
Chris, you have a choice of who you work for. Question whether your skills in media relations are best used to further a megalomaniac like this.
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April 20, 2013 at 3:11 am |
So should I believe what he’s been filmed saying out loud or the contents of a damage limitation exercise, PR vetted blog post? I’m going to go ahead and trust that he believes what he said, if it’s all the same to you.
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May 4, 2013 at 1:04 am
The chairman’s evil empire douchiness I can deal with and accept – would one expect anything less from the Pope of Chocolate? Chris a mid level management, bottom feeding grunt spewing out this vacuous drivel and fatuous corporate speak to justify a position he knows is untenable, regressive and evil AND believing it, now that I have a problem with. What does Chris earn? $40k-$60k tops? Really Chris is it worth it? I have a feeling that in his private moments Chris looks at himself in the mirror, remembers those childhood dreams when anything seemed possible, looks at the poor, spineless excuse of a human being he’s become and Chris cries like a baby. Poor Chris, poor, poor Chris.
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July 3, 2013 at 11:06 pm |
Dear Chris (of Nestle). I went to one of the links as suggested by you… http://www.nestle.com/csv/water/public-policy
There is nothing much in there, except for links to references and blogs which highlight the fact that your CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe is meeting a lot of people and discussing “Water Issues”…. What exactly these issues are and what these discussions are, we will never know.
Obviously, a water bottler – which is part of what Nestle is, is gonna say “Charge for Water – Don’t give it away free”… just like Monsanto will say “Charge for seeds – Don’t give them away”…
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe talks about eating GM foods for 15 years and there being no ill-effects… Remember when cigarette smoking was considered “Good for Health”??? It was much more than 15 years later that they realised how DANGEROUS cigarettes are… SO give it time
Does your CEO also believe that Air should be charged for and not given away for free??? I guess he would, if Nestle started a Gas Bottling plant as well….
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April 16, 2013 at 7:36 am |
A dangerous mad man.
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April 16, 2013 at 8:19 am |
Extreme unacceptable silliness
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April 16, 2013 at 8:20 am |
Unacceptable views
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April 16, 2013 at 9:00 am |
What a selfish, greedy, evil man. I have come to the conclusion that the chairman of Nestle is indeed evil and my boycott of their products will not only continue, but I will suggest that other people boycott their products. On the same list as Monsanto (the list of companies that somehow personify evil by placing the importance of their profit margin above the importance of the safety and wellbeing of people, a list of companies that will fall hard and fast when people realise what they have done and what they are trying to do.)
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April 16, 2013 at 8:34 pm |
Hear hear, Kevin! It’s so massively frustrating that too few people realise just how seriously evil these companies are. If only everyone would boycott them they’d soon wither and die – just as they deserve. I’ve been trying to get the message across, as probably you have, for many years but find that it often doesn’t sink in enough to change people’s consuming habits. I fear that by the time the penny drops such demonic businesses will have achieved the world domination they seem to be striving for.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:20 pm |
Dear Kevin and Bee, I work in media relations at Nestlé. I would like to offer some clarification of our views on this issue. Of course access to water is a basic human right, there is absolutely no doubt about that. The interview in the video is a clip from a documentary, taken out of context, edited in a way that we view misrepresents the point the chairman was trying to make. That is, the water you need for life and personal hygiene is a human right, it must be made available even to those who cannot pay. But water to fill a swimming pool, irrigate a lawn or wash a car is different. People water for these purposes should bear the cost of the infrastructure needed to supply it. We of course respect your right to express your views on this subject and we welcome the opportunity to discuss them on Keith’s blog.
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April 18, 2013 at 8:02 am
Chris, I’m sorry but I’ll have to be blunt and maybe disrespectful, but honestly, I find your tone very patronising and quite frankly very annoying. Do you sincerely think we are as stupid as your greedy hellboss thinks we are?? Get yourself a job with meaning, do something for humanity instead of helping arseholes like your boss destroy it. There are two options: One option is that you sincerely believe that precious Nestle is a company with an altruistic mission, in which case you are simply not the brightest bulb in the box and option two is that you do realise that Nestle is a vile company, in which case you are selling your soul to the devil. Congratulations either way!
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April 18, 2013 at 9:06 am
Hey Chris (from Nestle)
How much water does Nestle think a person should be allowed for *life and personal hygiene”? Who decides?
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April 18, 2013 at 12:54 pm
Since water is naturally occurring and is not manufactured, individuals and corporations should not be able to own any part of it for use in profit. They can charge for the SERVICE of water filtration, processes etc. (which is why there are distilled drinking water for sale), but they should not be able to own bodies of water or natural water sources. Water cannot be treated like oil or gas or precious metals, which are NOT essential to basic human health/survival.
If Nestle signs a binding legal document (no loopholes, no statute of limitations, no territorial limitations, recognized universally) that says it will never (the company, subsidiaries etc) try to own water in this way, then I can see how the advocacy of your CEO has some merit and I can take him seriously when he says he wants to raise awareness and solve this problem.
But it’s difficult to give the benefit of the doubt when there is a proprietary and financial motivation solely for the profit of Nestle. This is an issue that involves all humans worldwide, and giving one or a handful of corporations the power to determine the cost of a basic human need is irresponsible and disastrous.
We must be more responsible with our water usage; it must be regulated by government, and citizens must pay to maintain the infrastructure and services needed, depending on the different ways they use water. The solution is better governance, research, innovation and management. But definitely not by Nestle or any big corporation who stands to profit from it.
The solution is easier said than done, but it is possible. Nestle must find a better way to represent itself in this PR crisis they’re having.
And am I wrong in thinking that an advocacy is not something PROFIT from? An advocacy is an altruistic cause that one believes in, and actively promotes. It’s not a tool to convince governments to award corporations contracts or projects.
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April 21, 2013 at 4:32 am
Nice try Chris, but the boss here does clearly say that water is a ‘foodstuff’ like any other and should be privatised like any other foodstuff. He is obviously talking drinking water here.
And somehow, I don’t think your boss considers private swimming pools excessive, I’m sure he owns a few himeself. And if a rich person’s swimming pool means a poor person’s thirst, well that’s just business isn’t it.
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April 23, 2013 at 12:00 am
I haven’t read the original comments made by your chairman yet, or seen the video, so my comment so far is merely in response to your comment here Chris. Please clarify, Chris, when you say people who fill personal swimming pools with water should pay (I agree), will Nestle also be expected to pay hugely for the water consumed in making bottled water (unnecessary given tap water is fine) and confectionery (luxury items), formula milk (usefulness highly debatable)? Or will you as a corporate be able to wriggle out of that?
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May 4, 2013 at 1:06 am
Oh I don’t know Chris, I think Keith made his point clearly emphatically and powerfully, he’s a cunt. We got it.
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June 30, 2013 at 3:17 am
I disagree Chris.
If water was a human right it would be free.
I have to pay for my water usage at home, therefore if I cannot pay my bills I lose my water.
If my water access can be taken from me I do not have the right to access water.
haha
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April 18, 2013 at 2:57 am |
” People water for these purposes should bear the cost of the infrastructure needed to supply it.”
Dear Chris:
WE ALREADY HAVE THIS IN PLACE. It’s called “Taxes”. We do not need the private sector deciding what is “needed water” and what is not. Please go fly a kite.
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April 16, 2013 at 10:55 am |
WHAT A DICK!!!
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April 16, 2013 at 11:21 am |
I don’t understand the point being made here. Water is already a service to us all that we pay for. Like gas, electricity, broadband. None of those are a human right, yet we already pay for our access to those services as we do for water. What difference does making it a “human right” make?
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April 16, 2013 at 12:51 pm |
You can stay alive without gas, electricity, broadband, but not without water.
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April 16, 2013 at 12:56 pm |
Isn’t the point that we (and you) NEED water: without it we die.
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April 16, 2013 at 2:03 pm |
Water already IS a human right.
From the Universal Declation of Human Rights:
“Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”
A person doesn’t necessarily need gas, electricity or broadband to live. Without water, people will die. This is why governments must do all they can to prioritize and ensure accessibilty to clean, safe, drinking water, at a bare minimum. Also necessary for food preparation, bathing, sanitation, etc.
Privatizing water distribution would threaten accessibility to this basic human need. History has repeatedly shown that privatization drives up prices, and reduces accessibility, among other disadvantages. The reasons for why this happens are obvious to some – the priority of business is always first and foremost to make profits. Newspapers operate in a free market, capitalistic fashion, and their primary purpose is to sell newspapers, with fair and unbiased, unsensationalised accounts of what people needing to be informed about often taking a back seat to the versions which will sell best.
It is more difficut to argue that information about the world around us is a necessity which must be protected from the pitfalls of free market morality. The necessity of water, however, is straightforward, hence the outrage at Nestlé lobbying governments to spread misinformation which just so happens to be profitable to them.
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June 30, 2013 at 3:20 am
“1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.””
Since when did America have the right to medical care? hahahahahahahahahahaha
I mean, the only thing America has the right to when it comes to Medical care is the right to accumulate lots of debt really easily…
Also, the point stands. If you do not pay your water you will be cut off. THAT MEANS YOU DO NOT HAVE A RIGHT TO WATER!!
If you had a right to water, it would be free and unable to be disconnected.
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April 16, 2013 at 2:10 pm |
Water sustains life; gas, electricity and broadband don’t.
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April 16, 2013 at 2:35 pm |
The difference is that we can live without gas, electricity and broadband, so they are to some extent choices. I’ve never heard of anyone living for more then a few days without water.
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April 16, 2013 at 3:27 pm |
You really do miss the point here, Simontaylor. You obviously live in an urban area where you are paying for the service of getting water to your home. Can you live without gas, electricity, broadband? Of course you can. Can you live without water? Of course you can’t.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:08 pm |
I believe the difference is that we don’t need gas, electricity and broadband to survive, but we do need water. Therefore it is a human right, it shouldn’t be bought and sold because without it we die.
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April 16, 2013 at 5:23 pm |
so what you dont seem to grasp is, even in the ‘rich’ western world certain qualities are expected in SAFE drinking water BY LAW.
It is illegal to pollute a water course (for example)
now lets have some INVESTIGATIVE digging into,
how many units of water NESTLE get paid for by charities and OTHER UK fund raising initiatives like ”comic relief”’ to be shipped over to the disaster zone or humanitarian crisis.
no wonder decent LONG TERM STRATEGIES for providing water to third world countries are never normally looked at (let alone BUILT)
And to be clear, i mean Sustainable systems
(sewage into biogas then into fertilizer)
(solar thermal desalination)
here is an example of infrastructure thats needed, DEFINATELY NOT profiting large overbearing head in the sand people like Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck
http://twitpic.com/8ltqaz
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April 17, 2013 at 12:28 pm
Dear Neiall, I work for media relations at Nestlé. Please take the time to look at this page on our website http://www.nestle.com/csv/water/community-engagement which shows the ways in which we engage with communities on this issue. We make donations of water to disaster relief. We work with partners like the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, providing water and sanitation facilities in the Ivory Coast for example. There is always more that can be done and you are right that there needs to be more investigation of long term strategies for providing safe clean water to people wherever they are in the world.
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April 16, 2013 at 6:21 pm |
So when the bottled water companies come into your area and drain the aquifers (without paying a dime, mind you) so you have to conserve water – say maybe have a gallon limit to your use, or have the price raised significantly – you will be just A-OK with that? Or maybe a mining company decides you have copper in your area and they have a little problem with acid mining runoff , or even an iron mine with some issues with leakage from their tailings piles and your locality has to have water trucked in, at great expense as Hibbing, MN does. When they kill the wild water we all suffer.
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April 18, 2013 at 3:07 am
Cynthia, not sure where you are getting your info. I live in Hibbing, MN & have for 22 years. (was rather surprised to see it mentioned here!!) My water comes from my well which is 20 feet from my house. The town water supply is groundwater, as well. We are healthy, and our water is actually rather good! Its important to get your information correct before you post. Spreading misinformation doesn’t help any cause.
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April 18, 2013 at 4:04 am
Of course they have to pay. It’s expensive to set up all the infrastructure, and man the plants.
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April 18, 2013 at 1:09 pm
Chris, I am impressed by your willingness to defend the indefensible. Perhaps with your great P.R. experience you should consider submitting your resumé to Kim Jong Un.
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April 16, 2013 at 6:25 pm |
It’s very simple really, Simon. When water becomes scarce, which it will – and sooner rather than later if the Nestles of this world have their way, then you will have to pay more for it. You may end up unable to afford the water you need. This is already not an abstract question.
If water is a “right” then there is some obligation on governments to ensure that all have access to it. If it is not a right, then the market rules. The market is already having these effects in some countries, as the article says.
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April 16, 2013 at 6:31 pm |
By privatizing it, they can charge individuals for collecting rain, as some countries have already tried in South America, or by putting a meter on taps, as they have in many countries in Africa. The majority of the world’s freshwater is already owned by a small handful of corporations and that’s why you are paying for it.
It’s a human right because you need water to live. Water, oxygen and calories… the (MOST) basic needs to live longer than a few days.
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April 16, 2013 at 11:43 am |
It is illegal to cut off a water supply in the UK without a court order. It’s not illegal to cut off broadband.
The main point being made is that people should never be priced out of having water, something which Nestle’s chairman apparently disagrees with.
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June 30, 2013 at 3:24 am |
I bet if you don’t pay your bills that court order is really easy to get.
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April 16, 2013 at 12:02 pm |
CAPITALISM IN FULL SWING !
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April 17, 2013 at 3:32 pm |
Too right mate!
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April 16, 2013 at 12:06 pm |
So I guess the UN is an ‘extremist NGO’ too … http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35456#.UW0-a7VTCSo
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April 16, 2013 at 12:31 pm |
Water is God given to all mankind, it is people who want to make a ‘fast buck’ like Nestle that make me mad. Water IS a human right, as human beings we can only survive 3 days without it, i will no longer buy nestle products and will advise all my friends to do the same. how would Peter Brabeck survive without water, maybe he needs to walk in the shoes of those who struggle to find water before making his outlandish claims.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:31 pm |
Dear Linda, I work for media relations at Nestlé. I am sorry to hear that the views of our chairman, as represented here on the blog have made you angry. I would ask you to take the time to look at the section on water on our website http://www.nestle.com/csv/water which shows the actions we are taking as a company to try to help address the global water crisis.
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April 16, 2013 at 12:33 pm |
@ simontaylor – are you being deliberately obtuse? Water SUPPLY is what those of us not fortunate enough to have an uncontaminated well, spring or other natural source close at hand have to pay for. Also, it is quite possible to live without gas, electricity or broadband! Have you ever tried living without water?
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April 16, 2013 at 12:34 pm |
In the interview he actually says while he doesn’t think water is a right….that we have to make water available to those who don’t have access to it.
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April 16, 2013 at 12:52 pm |
Difference is that if you take away all that stuff you won’t die within a matter of hours or days (unless you’re also homeless in winter etc). And no, it’s not treated exactly the same. If you don’t pay your broadband bill you simply get cut off, this is not the case with water:
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/consumer_w/consumer_energy_and_water_supply_e/consumer_water_supply_e/consumer_problems_with_paying_your_water_bill_e/if_you_dont_pay_your_water_bill.htm.
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April 16, 2013 at 12:53 pm |
In the UK, it’s covered by taxes, and it’s probably that we pay to support the infrastructure that supports the provision rather than the provision itself. Globally though…. http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/human_right_to_water.shtml
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April 16, 2013 at 12:56 pm |
Simon its not a hard concept. Not all human rights are absolute. The right to life is an absolute right. We need water to live hence the reason why making this a human right is important. Another reason is that people in the UK are lucky to have access to clean drinking water. When do you ever hear of someone dying off dehydration or thirst. Making the ‘right to water’ a ‘human right’ will ensure governments around the world feel the pressure to provide this resource to people. I know that there will be a lot more involved but this will be a step in the right direction!
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April 18, 2013 at 4:32 am |
People, wise up. No corporation is taking your drinking water away. You just have no right to fill your swimming pool up at someone else’s expense.
Meanwhile, the feds have declared that they have authority over the puddles (literally) in your yard, and the breath (literally) from your lungs.
Stop falling for these distractions.
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April 16, 2013 at 1:16 pm |
@Simontaylor: you can live without gas, you can live without electricity, and you can even live without broadband. Good luck living without water…
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April 16, 2013 at 1:43 pm |
Water is a basic human right as is the sun and the air we breathe.
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April 16, 2013 at 1:47 pm |
Perhaps Nestle should encourage women to pay Menstruation Tax. I mean why should women be encouraged to do anything that is natural? Like Breast Feed. Even though statistics prove that it is healthier for mother to breast feed her child and healthier for the child. Maybe we should encourage Nestle to privatize the production of human excrement as well! I mean come on- this is insane!!!!!! As insane as saying “Water isn’t a human right”
Ok so water isn’t a Human Right but it’s Nestle’s right? Nestle have the right to dictate who gets to drink water and who doesn’t ?Nestle has the right to tell women how to feed their children? Maybe we should all stop believing in our gods and pray to Nestle.
Water is a Human Right as it’s my human right to have the opinion that Nestle’s Chairman Peter Brabeck is a cold hearted, greedy inhumane dictator that should be locked up and have all his human rights taken away from him. See how he likes that!
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April 17, 2013 at 8:23 am |
I completely agree with you Lindsey!
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April 17, 2013 at 12:39 pm |
Dear Lindsey, I work for media relations at Nestlé. There is no way that we would ever dictate who gets to drink water and who doesn’t. As you will have seen from my answers to some of the other comments our chairman believes the water you need for life and for personal hygiene is a human right. The problem is that when people think that water is “free” they don’t manage it properly. In the Indian Punjab, for instance, everybody pumps up water from the underground aquifer – mostly to irrigate the fields. There are virtually no limits; electricity for the pumps is provided for free by the government. As a result, water tables are falling by up to one metre per year according to the National Geophysical Research Institute.
Everybody, particularly the farmers withdrawing most of this water, know that they are destroying their livelihood. But with water as a free good, even if an individual decides to reduce the amount withdrawn by pumping, this individual knows that the neighbours and neighbouring villages will pump up anyway. Water as a free good leads directly to what is known as the ‘tragedy of the commons’; exploited by all, protected by none. Thanks for your contribution to the debate by the way. It is good to get the chance to discuss these issues, whatever the forum.
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April 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm
So let me get this straight Chris. You as a spokesperson for Nestlé has just written that water should not be free because normal people will just use it all up and not conserve because they are worried that their neighbors will use it all up? And that they are *gasp* using water to irrigate crops? Heaven forbid that the poor can use free water to grow their own free food. Then how will multi-national conglomerations of heartless, disgusting, “we only care about our profit margin” assholes like your CEO. There was no editing when he said that there are 2 views on water. One is that water is a foodstuff and should be priced accordingly, and then the extreme opinion is that water is a basic right for all humans. How is that the extreme opinion? May god have mercy upon your soul for working/protecting such a disgusting man and corporation.
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April 17, 2013 at 3:30 pm
That’s time preference for you. People living hand to mouth will tend to put present gain before future prosperity because, whether you marketise the resource or not, they will not be able to meet their basic needs and live comfortably.
Obviously the resource should be collectivised and marketised. People are probably suspicious of a private company’s interest in this. Fair enough that your chairman has a personal view, but if it’s only a personal view, he should defend it himself rather than sending out paid up mouthpieces. (Props for declaring your interests though).
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April 17, 2013 at 5:12 pm
@ Chris, citing one incident in the Punjab does not mean that the whole world operates in the same way. You suggesting that Nestle can “step in and save the day” in that region of the world is corporate arrogance.
To justify allowing an egregiously for-profit corporation to commodify a basic human necessity in order to make money from the suffering of others is the lowest form of human indecency.
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April 18, 2013 at 5:05 pm
@Chris… So what is your suggestion? Should farmers pay Nestle or other private entities for irrigation water in Punjab? How on earth can you solve water use for an essential purpose (agriculture is usually the only source of livelihood for these farmers who as you put it… mismanage water resources) really by privatising it? Oh, I know, they shouldn’t do farming. They can just do some income diversification. Really Chris, have you ever lived in a developing country. I am Indian. I invite your Chairman to live in an Indian village just for a week. You should pass the message on…… if just to understand the absolute absurdness of your chairman’s views and your inane attempts at justifying them.
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April 18, 2013 at 7:21 pm
So instead of water being exploited by all, it should be exploited by a few? Like the wealthy and corporations? What gives them the right?
Tragedy of the commons is real, so here’s no easy solution. Frankly I think we should be talking about overpopulation and solutions to that, as a root problem here. Do humans have a right to produce as many new humans as they want? You see there are difficult inter-related issues here.
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April 26, 2013 at 4:53 am
1) what are the odds that the National Geophysical Research Institute is funded, indirectly of course…by Nestlé?
2) letting water evaporate whilst irrigating agriculture is bad… But sticking water in plastic and letting it sit on the shelves of Costco is not?
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April 16, 2013 at 1:52 pm |
simontaylor: Perhaps the difference is that we NEED clean water to survive. We don’t need gas, electricity or broadband.
“On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights.”
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April 16, 2013 at 2:06 pm |
simon, you’re right to say that gas, electricity, and broadband aren’t human rights because they aren’t necessary in order to live (see: electric cars, cottages and camps without electricity, and the entirety of human existence before 2001).
water is different because you actually can’t live without it. that’s what makes it a right. recognising it as a right means preventing people and companies from hoarding it and denying access to others in order to turn a profit (which is what Nestlé does). when we pay for municipal water now, we pay for the systems that clean it and distribute it (unless the municipal system has been privatised, and then we’re also paying for the company to profit). sharing the costs of the infrastructure and operating of a municipal (and public) system between everyone actually ensures that everyone can access water, regardless of who they are.
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April 16, 2013 at 2:08 pm |
he sounds like a fuckin communist to me, just my opinion. 😉
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April 16, 2013 at 2:33 pm |
this is another evil corporate CEO who is only interested in making money,. Stop buy Nest’le products and stop buy bottle water. You have to hurt them in there pockets to make change
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April 16, 2013 at 3:09 pm |
A human cannot live without water. A human can live without gas or electricity or broadband. This is why water is a basic human right.
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April 16, 2013 at 3:19 pm |
simontaylor: In most countries, tap water is a government utility. You pay for the water to be of a certain quality and available at the turn of a knob. In places where water is got from rivers/streams/wells etc, it is up to the people to fill it up in buckets or pump it for their use and of course they don’t pay for that water.
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April 16, 2013 at 3:21 pm |
what a negligible person
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April 16, 2013 at 3:38 pm |
The difference is the conditions set upon the delivery system. When something is considered a universal right (like sanitation or power is) the companies or municipalities that deliver those services are treated a monopolies that exist for the public good. This ensures that everyone has at least theoretical access. If water is just commodity with no social value other than to turn a profit ( like an mp3 player or some headphones) then letting children die of dehydration is perfectly acceptable. That’s the difference.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:01 pm |
No providing clean water is a service. Water itself is not. Before privatisation of the publicly own water boards you paid for the service of providing water, you paid for the pipes,the treatment works, and the sewage works. You did not get the local authority saying that they could not collect rain because it was the wrong sort of water, leaves on rails seems to come to mind, since everything has gone private, most people have a water meter, and pay for the water. The private company will also charge the user for replacing old pipework. Do you not think that this should been taken out of the profits these companies make year on year. In Bradford Yorkshire water asked Bradford Council to contribute to repairing a leaking pipe under a road at a busy road junction BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT AFFORD TO DO IT. If you believe that you’ll believe pigs can fly
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April 16, 2013 at 4:03 pm |
Because humans can live without gas, electricity and broadband, but we need water to survive for any amount of time. And if we let it be endlessly capitalized on until it is depleted, we will all die.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:14 pm |
We can live without gas, electricity or broadband – lots of people do.
We can’t live without water.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:24 pm |
Gas and electric and broadband are not a necessity but a luxury. (Did I even need to say that). If we took your electric and gas (I wont even mention the broadband) somehow I dont think you would die. Unless of course you are a truly ignorant twit.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:32 pm |
Well having destroyed the milk industry in Tanzania, and done immense damage across Africa with powdered milk, I would never normally by Nestle products anyway.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:35 pm |
Corporate Extremists .! Insanity prevails ..be a charge for breathing the air if they could get away with it …don’t they even care about themselves or their own families when they re destroying the planet
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April 16, 2013 at 4:42 pm |
What is this bloke on? The earth has been here for over 4.7 billion years as so the resources it produces. It will be here another 4 billion years at least. No human really has a right to demand anything from any other human and unless its a service provided by them. We as humans are creations of what our solar has created.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:46 pm |
Meh, why give this guy a forum, really. And this “boycott” that’s been on since 1977… well, that seems to be working doesn’t it. I’m against bottled water, makes no sense to me except when local water sources are fouled, and in those events, water should be provided by the municipal government and aid providers, not by commercial entities. Nestle’s chairman is a nitwit with old ideas but his company DOES actually provide products that a) people use a lot and b) that are actually high quality and safe to use. But why give him yet another forum?
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April 17, 2013 at 12:52 pm |
Dear Hamish, I work for media relations at Nestlé. We would argue that commercial entities can have a useful role to play in effective water management and stewardship, working with public bodies. You can read about the collective action we have become involved in here: http://www.nestle.com/csv/water/collective-action. Thanks for your comments about our products too.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:46 pm |
You are not paying for the water, you are paying for the water to be cleaned, filtered and delivered to your kitchen by pipes and pumps, its easy to give it less value when you don’t have to walk miles to go to the nearest water source. And people are starting to treat electricity and broadband as human rights, if some can think that is a right when children are dying from drinking contaminated water there is something very wrong with their perspective.
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April 16, 2013 at 4:49 pm |
there is no point being made, merely justification for nestles, water is not a human right, it is an animal and vegetable right, animals dont have direct debit cards, neither do plants, all living things require water, it is a universal of life on the planet, herr whatever his name is is a full on stupid person, boycott nestlés, their baby formulas are for feeding pigs not children
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April 16, 2013 at 4:51 pm |
Simon Taylor: the difference is that the potable water in most cities is supplied by a municipal utility which is owned by, and run for, the people on a not-for-profit basis. Wherever private companies have taken over the water supply system, prices have skyrocketed and there has usually been a massive uprising. Access to water is indeed a human right, as is access to air. http://www.thenation.com/article/politics-water-bolivia#
Also, if water is privatized, the company can actually sue to prevent citizens from collecting their own rainwater on their own property, because the company “owns all rights” to the water in the area.
Or perhaps you don’t believe that poor people have the right to exist?
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April 16, 2013 at 4:58 pm |
Anything that is essential to sustain life is a right! Whether we pay for something does not take away that status. Polluters of air and water have no right to do so. People have the right if they choose to grow or raise or hunt for food, and dig a well or filter river and stream water for consumption. Unfortunately, we cannot create our own pure air, so pollution must stop!
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April 16, 2013 at 5:00 pm |
The point is….last time I checked we were all born on the same planet which supplies water for our existence. Why should any one corporation, government or person have exclusive rights to it?! Wait! I know…let’s buy our air from corporations too!
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April 16, 2013 at 5:06 pm |
water is not in the same category as the others you mentioned. we cannot live without water. we CAN live without electricity,gas,broadband. it is not an ESSENTIAL to our survival. might as well make us pay for our air we breathe as this is another essential . human beings have done very well in trying to control and degrade everything that is available to them
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April 16, 2013 at 5:33 pm |
Simon Taylor – try living without water. You will die. There are alternatives for gas, electricity and broadband – if you go without them, you will not die. With water rates, we pay for the water to be clean, and we pay for the sewage to be treated properly so that it doesn’t make us ill.
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April 16, 2013 at 5:40 pm |
Water is not like broadband, it’s like air. We cannot physically survive without it. Air doesn’t need a distribution mechanism – water does, and thats what we pay for. I’d say a home is a human right, but we still pay for it, so no one’s saying all access must be free – just that we have to retain certain rights, and the right to the means of survival is one.
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April 16, 2013 at 5:51 pm |
inb4 thousands of ignorant Americans just sign the petition despite not being European citizens…
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April 16, 2013 at 6:01 pm |
@simontaylor It needs to be a human right, because otherwise unless you can pay, you won’t get any water, and that’s not a very healthy way to be.
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April 16, 2013 at 6:01 pm |
simontaylor: obviously you can live without gas, electricity, and broadband. You can’t live without clean drinking water. Making water a human right means corporations can’t deny water to someone who has no money.
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April 16, 2013 at 6:23 pm |
Simon- I believe you can live without broadband and electricity…and both are not found “in nature”.
I’m confused by your comment bribing governments in poor countries to spread false rumors of formula vs breast feeding should be alarming.
This man is an elitist ass
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April 16, 2013 at 6:35 pm |
What this will lead to Simon is ‘not being allowed to catch rainwater in a bucket’. In many states in the US you cannot have a gutter flowing into a water butt to catch rainwater because THAT belongs to the State and if you are caught trying to collect (steal) rainwater you can get a heavy fine…..THAT’S what this is all about.
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April 16, 2013 at 6:50 pm |
We don’t pay for the water, a natural birthright as an Earthling; we pay for its distribution, a service.
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April 16, 2013 at 7:02 pm |
I can’t believe what I’m reading! Water isn’t a right or a privilege, it’s a necessity. Humans can’t survive without water. This man is a greedy, over-privileged, disconnected autocrat, whose only interest is making money. He couldn’t care less about the welfare of his fellow man.
He thinks jobs for everyone and fair distribution of labour is wrong. He thinks there should be fewer jobs and those lucky enough to have one should work longer hours. This would mean more people living in poverty (and fewer customers for his products – has he considered this?).
I can only conclude he believes the world to be over-populated and his solution is to reduce our numbers by starving people to death or allowing them to die from drinking dirty water, as many do every day in many parts of the world.
Thankfully, organizations like WaterAid disagree with Mr Brabeck and are making great strides to bring fresh water to those who need it. Perhaps Mr Brabeck should leave his ivory tower and see how some people are forced to live thanks to his, and others, policies.
What a thoroughly despicable man.
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April 16, 2013 at 7:08 pm |
I just found out I have bought my last Nestle product. What a poor excuse for a human being. Any company acting like this deserves to go out of business. You certainly won’t get any more of mine.
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April 16, 2013 at 7:43 pm |
We live in a world dominated by a few global company’s have been turned into criminal organisations by ruthless business leaders prime examples are Banks who are into money laundering and fraud. Petitions do not work boycotts marginally effective but mass emailing will throw them into chaos by closing down their computer systems
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April 18, 2013 at 7:27 pm |
Their IT dept’s will get their technology running smoothly again in no time. Use your public voice on the internet, as people are doing here. Spread the word online. Spread this post, and others like it, around to more people. Our words here don’t go away so easy.
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April 16, 2013 at 7:54 pm |
simontaylor, you are forgetting the subsidies on water, basic food, sometimes even gasoline, agriculture, and other stuff. To say it is a human right is to say that the state has to ensure it’s distribution not as a product of the market where profit is the motivation but as a basic need, where the public interest (supported by tax paying) is motivation. Of course there is a still a price to pay off on it, because it does not mean that because I pay taxes that I have to pay all cost made by agriculture use of water. Above the basic service and infrastructure everybody has to pay according the consumption they made of this service.
What people like the chairman of Nestle is trying to do is to change distribution system so he can earn money by selling water. I think is a perfect option for business, and could be also ethical correct although I do not trust in his good will. But yet I think pipped distribution is better option in must cases, and yet we have other options like natural gather of rain water, recycling systems, etc. If there should be a free market system it should be fair for everyone. All options should be counted, and normative factor accounted, it is not the same chances a new ecologic company is getting to sell a filter than this big company to sell bottle water. The ecological foot print must also be taken into account, etc. etc.
So is yet a very broad issue, I do not condemn one system or redeem the other, but look up to fair distribution of resources that belong to everyone. One way or the other, in one system or in the other.
The concept of fairness is a very broad to explain it here in a short answer. Let say as I said there is nothing to be fixed but still there are true concepts that everybody has to choose in life. Whatever they mean for them, if this person has profit in mind, is perfect, but true profit is not to accounted in a fixed way either. Is more a process that they do not understand. Fairness as well, is not a fixed thing is yet a process. One which sometimes you are on top and sometimes you on the bottom to explained in a easy way…
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April 16, 2013 at 10:52 pm |
I think it is important to remember that many bottling companies buy water sources such as lakes, and forbid members of the surrounding communities to drink and use this water. When activists feel that water is a “right,” they mean the access to nearby water. This is particularly an issue in countries that don’t have many sources of clean water.
I read once about a town in India on a freshwater lake, but the people in the town could not have the water. The price of bottled water from their own lake (which their ancestors had been at long before the bottling company) was so high the people couldn’t afford it. You were more likely to see someone in this town drinking coke-a-cola than water. This is wrong on so many levels. And this is what people are upset about, I think.
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April 16, 2013 at 8:34 pm |
Iain Duncan Smith could survive 3 days without water
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April 16, 2013 at 8:38 pm |
I cant find the part where he says its NOT a himan right in his blog. Read it.
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April 16, 2013 at 10:15 pm |
“In a candid interview for the documentary We Feed the World, Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck makes the astonishing claim that water isn’t a human right.”
What the hell? So as long as we buy water we can have it? Seems to me water and humans were on this planet long before big business was. All our needs were provided for on this wonderful(well at least it used to be) world we live in. We had earth to grow food and water to sustain us. To say that it is not our right to have water is almost like saying that we are owned by big corporations! I for one will not be buying another Nestle product until I see or hear of a retraction to this asinine comment.
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April 16, 2013 at 10:47 pm |
We’ve boycotted bottled water in our house for several years now, but have a hard time convincing friends to do the same. The terrible truths of bottled water are not widely known in America and take a backseat to less important issues. People freak out about buying only organic foods, but they ONLY drink bottled water because it’s “safer” than our absurdly clean tap water. It is sad to me when convenience becomes more important than the well-being of others.
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April 18, 2013 at 7:31 pm |
I agree. I’m in a suburb of Chicago but we have well water. It’s clean and it’s fine. But many neighbors get trucks to deliver bottled water to their homes because our area can’t access Lake Michigan’s water, which is perceived as better. Ridiculous. Just drink what comes out of the faucet, it’s not much different from what’s in those bottles.
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April 16, 2013 at 11:10 pm |
What’s next? Air?
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April 16, 2013 at 11:21 pm |
What is wrong with us today. The tories in the UK, The Rothchilds in the US and now this bastard. Why do we evil, rich, inbred, money worshiping cunts rule us? Its time for a global left wing revolution.
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April 16, 2013 at 11:47 pm |
We already pay for water in North America. Get a bill every month for it. It’s hard to go down to a polluted lake and drink it straight. Basically this loser wants to get his cut and jack up his profit margin. Pure evil.
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April 16, 2013 at 11:51 pm |
There are two ways that people have rights. One presumes the concept that God grants inalienable rights. The other is that governments grant you rights, either by withholding doing things to you or occasionally by taking responsibility to give you things. Generally speaking, God isn’t watching out to make sure people or animals in some African nation don’t die of drought. People die. So those inalienable rights may seem obvious in one sense but they don’t just happen.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:06 am |
Not surprise at all! He is just being idiot on camera and display is evil minded business
But check water companies in UK thanks to (late Mrs Thatcher )and their stock holders they worse. All round the world where public utility privatised have same this kind of evils.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:04 am |
Water is not a corporate right….!
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April 17, 2013 at 2:25 am |
….i absolutely don’t like his point of view, nor want to support Nestle, however he actually never said in the interview that “water is not a human right”……or did i miss that very comment?….i know that water being a human right is not his point of view….i get that…& contrary i believe it is a human right, just for the record…
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April 17, 2013 at 2:36 am |
I would sign this petition, even though i live in CANADA, NOT Europe!!!
Let’s ask everyone on the planet with internet access how they feel about it!!
This guy is nuts!!!
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April 17, 2013 at 3:24 am |
How much for a couple of liters of filtered air?
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April 17, 2013 at 3:30 am |
Peter Brabeck is out of his fucking mind. Water was here before this sociopathic fuck was even a little drop of sperm in his daddy’s pecker.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:16 am |
Put him in sahara desert alone for a fortnight with just a bag full of nestle bars and infant food….and lets see if this man survives without water.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:38 am |
See the powerful movie Blue Gold on world water rights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKcf-RBHirw
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April 17, 2013 at 4:47 am |
I will NEVER buy a Nestle’s product again…so take that and stuff it up your sweet Chairman’s spot where the sun doesn’t shine!!!
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April 17, 2013 at 4:49 am |
Sorry moderators…but this just irks me beyond belief and I am nearly 70 yrs old!!!!
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April 17, 2013 at 6:01 am |
Any volunteers for the ass kicking committee?
»:-(
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April 17, 2013 at 6:12 am |
That is not, in fact what he said. It helps if you speak German, but even the English subtitles don’t support the position you’ve proposed. He is saying that everything has a value and people should be aware of it, be that water, good, education, healthcare. Giving access to the part of the population that is less able is a different issue. Confusing the two is a mistake. It’s actually a very Swiss attitude and it’s how their healthcare system works, One of the reasons that the Swiss live longer than anyone else in Europe, are by and large happier. Oh, and they have the lowest unemployment rate pretty much in the world.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:47 pm |
Dear Stephen, I work for media relations at Nestlé. Thanks for your contribution to the debate on this page. You are correct neither the video, nor the subtitles, accurately represent the chairman’s views on this issue. If you are interested in reading what he actually thinks, please take a look at his blog here: http://www.water-challenge.com/default.aspx
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April 17, 2013 at 6:21 am |
What a horrific and damaging way of thinking.
Give up your job and go and learn about the world you foolish, ignorant and intolerable man.
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April 17, 2013 at 7:11 am |
All living beings have the right to water – plants, animals, human beings. Greed has to stop, before we all die of thirst.
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April 17, 2013 at 8:18 am |
It is ETHICAL to oppose this with whatever means at one’s disposal.,
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April 17, 2013 at 9:02 am |
This man is the perfect example of the pschopath in the boardroom that Jon ronson describes in his book ‘the psycopath test’. Nothing satisfies these people’s desire to fill the black hole in their personalities. They can’t comprehend other people other than as a resource to feed off. Runaway capitalism leaves the door wide open for these people.
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April 17, 2013 at 9:11 am |
It is perhaps ok for a head of a profit making company to say so; his job is to market their products well. At the same time it raises a big question mark on the org’s social responsibility. I am sure the idea has been inculcated in mind of all its people and they must be working for its success too, perhaps unaware of its consequences. I AM GOING TO MINIMIZE consumption of its products for sure.
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April 17, 2013 at 9:24 am |
Basic human needs: air, food shelter… and water. What a douchebag this cretin is. He doesn’t deserve any of the above if he denies others of their needs.
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April 17, 2013 at 9:27 am |
I hope he drowns in his f***ing water!!! Never buying Nestle again!
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April 17, 2013 at 10:16 am |
Thanks for the link.
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April 17, 2013 at 10:31 am |
[…] https://keithpp.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/nestle-chairman-says-water-is-not-a-human-right/ […]
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April 17, 2013 at 10:51 am |
http://doltd.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/nestle-chairman-says-water-is-not-a-human-right/
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April 17, 2013 at 11:07 am |
पानी ,हवा; धूप यह प्रकृति की देन है इसका निजिकरण का बिरोध होना चाहिए । तथा यह सदैव मानव अधिकार की बस्तु है ।यह उद्योग जगत के अधिकार में नहीं होना चाहिए ।
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April 17, 2013 at 11:17 am |
Now tomorrow few corporations will start saying that breathing AIR is not basic Human Right..after Water next is AIR..
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April 17, 2013 at 12:05 pm |
Horrible, horrible human being.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:55 pm |
Considering water is something all human beings need to survive Mr. Brabeck and Nestlé are just flat out wrong not to mention morally corrupt.
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April 17, 2013 at 12:56 pm |
There is no debate. If you don’t see water as a human right, you must be Darth Vader. I hope there is a time when you have all the money but can’t eat it, or keep yourself alive with it. Then and only then will things turn around… probably when it’s way too late.
In the mean time, hopefully evil encounters evil itself.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:10 pm |
So, when are we rocking the boycott?
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April 17, 2013 at 1:22 pm |
Water is a utility, not a commodity. After seeing what commtitization has done for medicine I shudder to think of corpotations owning water. However what should I expect from a company that shamelessly undermines natural baby feeding? Ueah I’m a long time boycotter.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:26 pm |
Does this sound like the plot to Tank Girl to anyone else? I hate using comics as proxies, but look at how well that turned out.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:27 pm |
I will ensure that my friends, family and coworkers see this. I will no longer buy Nestle products. The world would be a better place without corporations like this. May you guys be reincarnated into poor African people with no clean water to drink.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:39 pm |
People vote with their dollars. I know people who drink nothing but bottled water. They are driving up the cost of doing this and thereby creating a situation where big companies will do whatever they can to privatize water because it will be profitable.
If no one bought bottled water, big companies would not be heading in this direction because there would be no profit.
STOP voting for privatization of water. STOP buying bottled water!
It’s not ‘their’ fault. It’s ours. We’re voting for it with our dollars.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:45 pm |
Water is life! It can not be imprisoned in market/marketing. It is not anyone property> NESTLE is violating life-rights of people and nature and this video just shows us that the enemy has a face and an address! This is what we fight when we fight for a radical friendly, free and equal world
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April 17, 2013 at 1:45 pm |
The Nestle official is correct. We don’t have a “right” to water — there’s so much water, in so many places, and so many people. When the variables in that relationship turn unfavorable, the people have to move, change or die. What we DO have, is opportunities — to be part of the flow of water through the community of life, to drink and use it wisely, to husband and steward the resource…and to prevent fictions like Nestle and their decision makers / spokespeople from OBSTRUCTING OUR OPPORTUNITY in the name of THEIR FREEDOM TO DO WHATEVER THEY LIKE. All we have to do is get together and do it.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:18 pm |
Exactly. If we vote with our dollars (buy not buying bottled water) they will forget about it because there will be no profit in it.
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April 17, 2013 at 1:55 pm |
Obviously, People need to be mindful and “Conservative” of their water usage; what INFURIATES me Chris, is When Corporations Like Nestle think they need to “Police” the world and all the while make a HEFTY profit!!! LOCAL people can Police THEMSELVES!!! If Nestle wants prove themselves such “Humanitarians” then their “Help” to save the Global water sources, should be COMPLETELY voluntary and NOT for profit!!! Nestles’ profits should come from their SHELF PRODUCTS. ie: packaging, production, shipping, filtering of water if thats the product they’re supplying but THAT brings me back to the point YOU tried to make, Chris…. that some people in India are pumping their aquifers dry with Free supplied govt pumps and No one limits them…. Well WHO is going to Limit NESTLE????
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April 17, 2013 at 2:18 pm |
Dear Chris of Nestle: I’m reading through this forum and couldn’t help not to notice that this whole discussion fetches much farther than a sole discussion about water. It relates to the global problem which sees us receding to a feudalistic, class-divided society where the rich have enormous wealth and the poor are starving or are made to slaves, thanks to modern capitalism and global corporate greed. Companies like Nestle, Monsanto, BASF are concisely destroying the world, the nature, leading us to a scary, apocalyptic future that we thought was only a Sci-Fi movie imagination. Unfortunately, I have to be pessimistic…I know that we, the ordinary people, can’t change anything! Your & companies like yours are just way too strong & powerful and will do anything to sustain that. One big regret I have is that you and your CEO-s won’t see your descendants suffering the consequences of your destruction. The biggest regret however is that my children will suffer too. Please don’t even try to reply to this and I’m not going to continue posting on this forum either. I know that, somewhere deep, beyond your bonuses and incentives you get for trying to justify above mentioned crimes, you know that what I’m stating is true. I could have as well just put up a shorter post which I will conclude my statement with instead: – Let’s just have a quick look on how much your CEO “earns” and with what possible reason can anyone justify that kind of wealth when people are starving and dying in wars orchestrated by your class. Every discussion stops right there…
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April 17, 2013 at 2:20 pm |
Chris we all know you are there for a paycheck and its obvious you will defend this greed monger of a boss and say whatever it takes to keep your job.You have been sucked in by the wolves like a lot of sheep in this world.Its people like you that support these greed mongers and make life miserable for the poor and unfortunate.Shame on you.Just remember,there will come a day when you and the upper crust you work for will be standing at the pearly gates waiting to get in.Well guess what,,,you’re going to wait a long time.You all cannot commit these crimes against humanity for the sake of the almighty dollar and expect to live in the hereafter.
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April 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm |
Ah I would boycot , seriously , but their hot chocolate is soo good
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April 18, 2013 at 12:19 pm |
Really? Is Nestle the only company on the planet that sells hot chocolate? Stop being a lazy f*ck and find a fair trade brand at your local health food store.
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June 29, 2013 at 3:10 am
I would boycott, but I like Nestle products too much.
Sure there are other brands.. but none like Nestle!
Who gives a damn if a head of a company wants to have more control over things like water?
Unless you are a country like America (who loves the Rich and hates the poor) Nestle won’t be able to do what it wants.
Not that water is a human right anywhere.
Is the water in your home free? Unless it is rainwater the answer is no. If it came out of your taps then you get the luxury of paying for water. Although, you could always just go to Maccas and ask for a free cup of water. Or use a tap in someone elses yard… but someone still ends up paying for it.
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April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm |
Read the Linkedin blog and remain unimpressed. The message is clear: the most prudent method of conservation is to commodify. Indeed, this must be the case because big business has proven this to be true when compared to the limited benefits of ‘education.’ Restrict access to the many so the commodity can be enjoyed by the few instead of educating all so it can be enjoyed by all. Must make sense to the shareholders.
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April 17, 2013 at 3:39 pm |
@A, I’m disappointed that you we weren’t able to convince with the arguments on the Linkedin blog but grateful to you for taking the time to read it. This is a complex and important issue so the more these arguments are shared and tested, the better the answers will be.
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April 17, 2013 at 2:38 pm |
thanks for sharing
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April 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm |
How can anyone take a position against breastfeeding? Certainly there are situations in the world where mothers are undernourished, but their milk is still far superior to anything Nestle puts out, and eliminates the rick of polluted water.
If he travels the world so much, and understands the situation, then I can’t understand his position.
Oh, wait, I guess I can….it’s called greed.
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April 17, 2013 at 3:25 pm |
Me and my girlfriend have been boycotting Nestle for a while now. They still use slaves for fuck sake, actual slaves. That’s where all the that cocoa and sugar comes from. I don’t think he even has the right to mention human rights because of this fact. And as for organic things being better than GM, organic food has ALL of the nutrients in it so we get the most out of the food, GM products have much less goodness in them. And the human race couldn’t be less dominant to nature now if it tried. Because of the cosy lifestyles we’ve lived for the past hundreds of years we DEVOLVED and lost all our natural survivability. Our immune systems are weak to natural water because we’ve had it cleaned for too long, we can’t fight the cold as much etc. The moment a natural disaster comes along we’re ended. The only thing this man has said in this entire video is that he wants more money.
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April 17, 2013 at 3:30 pm |
That fascist Chris needs to take his comments somewhere else. He is barking up the wrong tree on this page. If he wants to be a corporate stooge, that is his business,but he needs to take his lies and disinformation somewhere where people believe it.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:04 pm |
I’m sorry chris that you have given your life to a com pany and can’t think for yourself. Here are your words copied from the message board below. “Here at Nestlé we take a different view as you can see if you look at the links I have posted.”
This in turn makes my point exactly you sold yourself and your mind to your company. Be a free thinker! I know its difficult with all the fluoride and other poison you drink on a daily basis to comprehend this so I digress.
Wtf is wrong with the world. We are not your slaves or test subjects!!!!!
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April 17, 2013 at 4:04 pm |
Next someone will be telling us that air is not a human right.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:11 pm |
This isn’t a human rights issue. It’s a primal existence issue. Without water there is nothing. If this CEO ran the world, those who can’t afford water would die.
Reclaim marshes, rivers, streams, lakes, and aquifers worldwide from private, corporately owned land. Clean up all the wasted, polluted areas. Then everyone can have water.
Charge the corporations A LOT for the use of water in manufacturing [anything]. Then we will start to see what we can and cannot live without.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:12 pm |
The public, in league with the governments, should be regulating the water for corporate use. Not the other way around.
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April 17, 2013 at 4:39 pm |
Dear Chris from media relations at Nestle,
I understand your actually paid to do this, but what about your personal views as a human being? Do you actually believe this stuff your forced to write? If so I can only feel sorry for you.
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April 17, 2013 at 5:07 pm |
I and my family have never to my knowledge bought anything by Nestle since 1977. This just gets worse.
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April 17, 2013 at 5:07 pm |
[…] https://keithpp.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/nestle-chairman-says-water-is-not-a-human-right/ […]
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April 17, 2013 at 5:07 pm |
[…] https://keithpp.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/nestle-chairman-says-water-is-not-a-human-right/ […]
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April 17, 2013 at 5:16 pm |
[…] https://keithpp.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/nestle-chairman-says-water-is-not-a-human-right/ […]
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April 17, 2013 at 5:20 pm |
[…] Link to Article with Video […]
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April 17, 2013 at 5:27 pm |
So what is next, Oxygen?
His comments sound like what someone else once said, “Let them eat cake.” And that person literally lost her head!
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April 17, 2013 at 6:09 pm |
He’s right. Rights are what others cannot take from you, NOT what they must give to you. There is NOTHING ‘astonishing’ about that claim unless you live in Venezuela.
And the entirety of human progress has been us trying to distance ourselves from nature, to give ourselves longer, higher quality lives.
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April 17, 2013 at 6:19 pm |
[…] Link to Article with Video […]
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April 17, 2013 at 6:51 pm |
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April 17, 2013 at 6:57 pm |
Wow, shocking. Thanks for writing this article!
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April 17, 2013 at 6:57 pm |
Well Chris From Media Relations, I tried to post a comment on the Nestle blog, but it didn’t work. Just in case you are still following this, here are my comments:
This is an interesting debate to be sure. However, there is one point that I think is crucial. Water is a human right. As such there should be no charge for access to adequate, safe, clean, water. EVER.
I do agree that there needs to be regulation so that water is not wasted and measures taken at every level – individual, community, state, as well as corporate – to ensure this. The first step is education, not deprivation. Untargetted subsidies, as you point out, do not seem to work; providing water free up to the level of basic needs seems a better idea.
If Nestle is serious about water conservation, I was wondering if you could please tell me what measures have been taken worldwide to reduce water consumption in your many processing plants, and whether you have undertaken any educational initiatives in the communities where you operate, with your employees as ambassadors. I know I certainly haven’t heard of any in the Pacific NorthWest.
Could you also confirm that none of your top-level executives have private swimming pools at any of their residences? That would not fall under “basic human need.”
I enjoy quite a few of Nestle’s products, and would prefer not to boycott, or encourage others to do so, if Nestle is in fact promoting water conservation out of anything other than self-serving profit-centred policies. However, that does not seem to be the case.
I look forward to a response.
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April 17, 2013 at 7:28 pm |
Obviously, being an utter asshole and working for a really crappy company are human rights, and this douche bag CEO has accomplished both. You know what, Nestle products in general are second rate, barely as good as Hersheys at a higher price, and far inferior to other brands that don’t cost much more. All the P.R. blather by Nestle flunkies doesn’t change a thing. Crappy company, crappy CEO—It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I buy any Nestle products again.
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April 17, 2013 at 9:00 pm |
Chris is just doing his job but as the chairman said, his alliance and responsibilities are to his enterprise. Perhaps Chris believes his own PR but it is clear by the chairman’s own admission that he is not concerned with the welfare of any population outside his share holders. I suspect the Chairman was born rich and therefore has no ideas what it is like to go without essential resources. The disconnect speaks volumes about who Nestle’s values. I fore one am glad to know his true stance and will be sharing this as much as I can. Our only power against greed and corporate tyranny is our purchasing choices. That is why I will no longer be buying Nestle products, a list of which can be found on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestlé_brands
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April 17, 2013 at 9:44 pm |
Chris, Just who is going to make the determination as to if I am using water for a human right as you say or for a non human right like washing my car, You and your boss? We all pay for the delivery of water by the taxes we pay, we are not actually paying for the water it’s self. No one OWNS the water.
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April 17, 2013 at 9:48 pm |
Chris, regardless of your employer’s position, or any interpretation of it, there is one key point here in all this back-and-forth that you either knowingly reject or simply fail to understand. To me, this is abundantly clear:
No private, for-profit entity should, for ANY reason, have exclusive rights to access/distribute/sell a naturally occurring resource that is neccessary to sustain human life. The value of that resource should NOT be determined by the “free market” on a for-profit basis.
The value of this RESOURCE (not foodstuff) differs greatly all over the globe, determined solely by access/ availability of naturally occurring sources (lakes, rivers, rain) or man-made delivery systems (wells, reservoirs, etc). Your employer helped to provide water and sanitation services to Ivory Coast as an investment/public relations opportunity in a country where COCOA used in Nestle products is produced….. cheaply. Please don’t try to spin it as altruism.
NESTLE has NO BUSINESS setting or facilitating the monetary valuation of water. PERIOD!!
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April 17, 2013 at 10:51 pm |
My company will end distribution of all nestle products, effectively immediately.
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April 17, 2013 at 11:23 pm |
It’s every person in the world’s right to have free clean drinking water. Who does this idiot think he is. The world doesn’t need people like him. He should be locked up. I’ll never buy Nestles products again.
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April 17, 2013 at 11:31 pm |
spam them hard
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April 17, 2013 at 11:35 pm |
I will NEVER buy nestle products again either. AND will advocate to stop others- what an egotistical, arrogant, powermonger. That little power- big in his small world- went to his little head moron. You chris are part of the problem- a selfish- ego-driven blind greedy human– representing your own interests or whomever BUYS you. Better start EDUCATING yourself and growing a SOUL .
you curse yourself with such ignorance– you are clueless. Glad though you exposed your mindset– obviously gives us the chance to stop BUYING your products. wow- nestle needs to dump you quick and try to make some REPAIRS to this one !
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April 17, 2013 at 11:57 pm |
@ Chris
The very premise of a debate regarding the privatization of water, as you suggest, implies that it is within Nestle’s ‘future business-agenda’. Instead of hiding behind snide corporate/legal lingo that portrays a ‘legitimate’ facard of your operations, why not be a little more open with your future plans in the same way your CEO was?? I may be mis-informed (and please link me if you have information contrary to mine), but I believe you have current projects in the US regarding exportation of fresh drinking water from the US Great Lakes for a tidy profit.
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April 17, 2013 at 11:59 pm |
Thats really put me off Nestle products, Nestle are no different to “certain” big I.T. companies who download Linux for free, stick a badge on it then sell it to people while complaining about Linux being free. Nestle should pay the government of the country in which it takes the water from by the litre as afterall that government can use that money to create jobs just like this fool in Nestle “wants”, Chris will Nestle pay for every Litre it takes and if not why not? I bet he don’t answer this question and if he does I bet its answered like a politician.
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April 17, 2013 at 11:59 pm |
[…] me as worthy of talking about here. Nestle chairman Peter Brabeck said that water needs to be privatized. I almost thought it was a joke. Then I searched further and saw it was not. With all of the water […]
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April 18, 2013 at 12:12 am |
What he does not realise is that world existed long before Nestle was born , and long after it will die…who is he to hold an opinion on the same. first water , then rivers , then mountains , are we going to have Mount Nestle instead of Mount Titlis …it shows the shallowness and stupidity of the rich man thinking that he can conquer nature , when he cant even live a second , if someone decides to cut off air in the atmosphere….anyways , perpetual concept of a corporation is greatest fallible idea which makes them feel infallible. boycott their products , and we need to get back to nature. we all know that first nations of every continent survived without disease for 40000 years, and yet with so called new world , and so called technology , we are still struggling on strange diseases …and such morons who think they can play god…
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April 18, 2013 at 12:30 am |
Here’s a man that thinks everything has a price and it can be bought and sold to the highest bidder. Well tell you what. I am just waiting to hear that human organs are not a person’s right to decide. That corporate canada will decide. Mr Nestle knows what he is saying is rediculous but because media comments he just laughs which is what he does to those that actually do work for their minimum wage paychecks. He doesn’t really work he calls it work but he just likes to tell people what to do. That’s why he’s rich and were not. We have a concience and I suspect Mr Nestle thinks he owns that too. Just sayin…
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April 18, 2013 at 12:43 am |
So here it is: CLEAN water today are being SOLD and BOUGHT for a certain prize. Why? Because what’s supposedly to be “STILL CLEAN WATER” in our river systems and oceans are being polluted by those big factories owned by big capitalists like Nestle!
The world is filled with IRONY.
CLEAN water should be already ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. Why do we need to pay a price in exchange for it?
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April 18, 2013 at 12:44 am |
Mr. CEO pretty much says, “give us the water so we can suck the money out of anyone who has any and we will help the poorest ” . Half of that would surely happen and the rest will be angles for him and others to get what little the poor have too.
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April 18, 2013 at 12:54 am |
When will Nestle decide that air should be sold?
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April 18, 2013 at 1:57 am |
THIS MAN IS AN ASS….. THE WORST KIND OF AN ASS because he wants to hurt people he can’t control. BRABECK wants to MAKE AS MUCH MONEY as he possibly can…. he wants power. that is why he is a MONSTER
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April 18, 2013 at 1:58 am |
There is no such thing as bad publicity, unfortunately.. however Nestle products aren’t so great, i’ll enjoy trying the alternatives, many at a cheaper price. stick it, waterboy
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April 18, 2013 at 4:06 am |
Can you say “Boycott Nestlé?”
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April 18, 2013 at 4:41 am |
Oh dear there are a number of ruffled feathers kicking around here. I would suggest pouring some cold water on things, or having a shower or three but that may somewhat inflame the situation.
Water is one of our 4 natural elements and since neither wind, fire have been productised then it’s open to debate that Water should. Yes I know earth has; but after all we do live in an imperfect world.
We could robustly debate the development of fire and wind as “commodities” that changed society and helped shape our development. Wind powered ships plied the oceans and fire was and is a fundamental tenant to human growth. Water should equally be ranked in this category of a “product, service or right” to the development of individuals and the absence of such resources will clearly cause a collapse in any society.
As far as I can see their is no right to water, just as their is to a greater extent no right to air or sunlight. I find it difficult to see how it’s inclusion as a right can be managed as in many countries the absence of water or the onset of drought could thus be a breach of international law, against whom and on what basis? Would Force Majoure not apply?
I don’t agree with the premise that all “products” should have a quantifiable value, after all what value would love have ?
The more intense and important question is how does society manage critical resources. Nestlé suggest that “privatisation” will help address squander and poor estates management. I find these elements too disconnected. What we need is a good debate away from Rhetoric around the real
Situation.
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April 18, 2013 at 4:56 am |
Dear Chris From Media Relations: I am very well versed in water privatisation, spend lots of time and mind in the fight for clean water, and preach against people like you all day long. I have a question for you: what exactly did you take in exchange for your soul? And was it worth it– or do you know yet? (Oops– that was 3 questions– sowwy.) And also– go fuck yourself.
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April 18, 2013 at 5:59 am |
i totally not to buy a nestle product,,,,,,,
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April 18, 2013 at 7:17 am |
Dear Chris from media relations. As I see you have had a busy day replying to comments that concern consumers have. I’m wondering if you are getting tired, and running out of excuses for your dick head boss.
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April 18, 2013 at 7:49 am |
How interesting that many of you think water is free. Here in Australia, if you own a home, you pay water rates. And you pay for what you use; tap water for drinking/cooking/showers, garden, pool filling, car-washing..jumping around under the sprinkler in summer..whatever.
If you own a home and rent it out, part of the rent paid goes (usually), to helping you cover your quarterly water rates bill.
I think Nestle’s general attitude, however, is ridiculous, water is absolutely a human right, and should never, ever be withheld from a single person on the planet, under any circumstance. But we all do actually already pay for it in one way or another, so to even intimate that we should pay more, or that it should be differently managed is absurd.
We pay for the service that brings us our water, and the upkeep of that service. But you cannot OWN water. That’s an undeniably foolish concept.
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April 18, 2013 at 7:51 am |
This is not a complex issue it is a simple issue. As usual Corporations want to confuse the issue by asking questions that they would never ask unless it meant a higher profit margin. What a world it would be if one day a corporation woke up and said something like “hey we sure are filling up landfills with our waste. lets spend our profits this year and find a cleaner way to do business.” or “lets pay everyone that works for us across the globe a more fair wage out of our profits so that globalization doesnt displace any jobs and everybody gets a fair shake.” or “lets give our employees a 3 day work week with the same pay to reduce stress and make them happier. Then they won’t need so many of our pills!”. You can be assured that no CEO or chairman is up all night worried about you. Access to safe drinking water is a right and us humans will find a way to manage it without the help of big business. Infact if we bypass corporations and spend our money, resources and effort on this issue we can make sure nobody ever has to be thirsty. Us human being people have the potential and ability to show compassion and reason. Corporations are considered legal people’s by law that consume money to survive and do not understand compassion. The real issue for nestle is that without money to drink, corporations will fall and they need you dependant on them in order to be relevant and flourish. The desperation of Nestlé to sustain itself on its lifeblood money is the only reason this issue has arisen in their eyes. Remember folks, we can only really depend on each other, we need water but we certainly don’t need corporations.
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April 18, 2013 at 8:51 am |
This man is a prime example of everything that is wrong with the world , men like him have helped create the mess humanity is in , what an absolutely corrupt & immoral person . A pox on him & a pox of this crummy company
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April 18, 2013 at 9:00 am |
I have boycotted Nestle to the best of my ability (too many companies) since 1977. I shall most certainly continue to do so. I shall also continue to encourage others to do the same. The formula instead of breast milk is still a major problem which Nestle is mostly responsible for.
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April 18, 2013 at 9:35 am |
You’re a friggen clown hopefully people see this and stop drinking Nestlé products and put you out of buisness.
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April 18, 2013 at 9:45 am |
So due to the outrage the comments of the chairman created he sent the media relations people to go into the net and shut people up…..
I live in a third world country and we are lucky enough to have a manual water pump….coz we don’t have tap water supply coz the government couldn’t build one.
In some places it is worst… so nestle is basically saying… pay us and we’ll ensure supply…. ok… so how do they expect a
country that can’t even build it’s own water system do that???
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April 18, 2013 at 9:49 am |
So due to the outrage the comments of the chairman created he sent the media relations people to go into the net and shut people up…..
I live in a third world country and we are lucky enough to have a manual water pump….coz we don’t have tap water supply coz the government couldn’t build one.
In some places it is worst… so nestle is basically saying… pay us and we’ll ensure supply…. ok… so how do they expect a country that can’t even build it’s own water system do that???
And now i am working in middle east… and their desalination process causes kidney stones coz of high mineral content… but in their case it can’t be helped….coz there’s no rain here.
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April 18, 2013 at 9:54 am |
[…] comment on a wordpress reblog of the article lead me to an article by the CEO himself invoking the “tragedy of the commons” that […]
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April 18, 2013 at 9:58 am |
Crazy, insane people that control a natural need on our lives. Something has to be done. What next? They going to start arresting us for growing tomatoes in our yards?
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April 18, 2013 at 10:37 am |
Water comes from the heavens, free. We pay taxes, municipal taxes and water bills for it to be piped into our homes. Bottled water causes a shortage of water. And at a 1000 times plus more expensive than tap water …………… ! People the world over are still starving to death. Now you want them to die of thirst as well ? Or go to jail/gaol for stealing water to live ? Rather grow your company selling passes to Heaven, you are obviously are in direct contact.
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April 18, 2013 at 10:51 am |
Wow you all bad mouth the Nestle PR guy, instead of actually contacting the Director… way to talk loud “without saying nothing”
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April 18, 2013 at 10:55 am |
Lol, If I see Nestle on anything I ignore it, have for 20+ years. It’s like dog shit.
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April 18, 2013 at 11:14 am |
[…] [keithpp] […]
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April 18, 2013 at 11:28 am |
Hi Chris. I used to work in reception next to Fred in Gatwick office so we may have met. Without reading the link, how can water be a human right but not a free good if money is not a human right. Surely that’s a paradox.
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April 18, 2013 at 11:34 am |
We are moving toward a renewable energy future where all food and water will be provided and largely produced with the aid of AI machines. It should be obvious that in such a future not only will water be free and regarded as a right, but so too largely will food. Sharing the goods of nature will be normal. The ‘economy’ then will need to focus on higher needs. To coin a phrase, the chairman stumbles clumsily backwards into a future he cannot imagine.
And in the language of the street…..what an arsehole he is.
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April 18, 2013 at 11:55 am |
Dear reader what are you doing to address your responsibility for our water shortages? One aspect I have not seen addressed here is that it is possible to increase water table levels via reforestation and caring for the local ecosystem. Understanding how water is part of nature’s system is crucial: http://www.cbd.int/en/business/case-studies/replenishing-groundwater-through-reforestation-in.
Also check out Sepp Holzer.
I suggest the population of each country holds their government to account for how fresh water is used and maintained. Nature can also be used to cleanse and recycle water: http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/04/04/from-wastewater-to-drinking-water/
I’m not an expert on this matter but I’m making it my business to learn as quickly as I can about alternatives to the methods we have been living with and roll my sleeves up to take action. Permaculture offers solutions that are well worth investigating check out http://www.geofflawton.com offers an overview
I also think it is important to keep the internet neutral so that we can have these types of discussions with people from around the world. This is another area that is facing being carved up to create greater financial benefits for particular groups.
Wake up the world needs you to take responsibility! Are you going to wait until water is something we (the world) are fighting over?
We need you!
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April 18, 2013 at 12:40 pm |
Hi Chris from Nestle. I actually watched the interview and looked at the material you linked. I was very impressed by the sophisticated position put forward. I was sorry to see the poor quality of discourse put out by these bullying lefties – though I did find your ability to maintain a civil and rational tone fun. The contrast really puts them to shame. I’ve been undecided about getting a Nespresso machine for a while (they really do make excellent espresso) and this has tipped me in favour of it. I’ll go buy one tomorrow. Have a nice day.
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April 18, 2013 at 1:17 pm |
Seriously can you please do some research before you start calling for this guy’s head? I am not a fan of Nestlé (they make caramacs for one thing!) or their polices, but PB’s views have clearly been misrepresented in this piece.
Frankly very sloppy journalism.
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April 18, 2013 at 1:17 pm |
If someone kidnap him, and let him not have a glass of water 48 hours I wonder how much he is going to value a glass of water? So privatising water resources are create exact situation for common people who not be able to pay for water. What a huge dick head, no more Nestle thanx.
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April 18, 2013 at 1:42 pm |
What else would you expect from Nestle CEO? Their products are really average and it is a long time that I am not buying any. And I teach my kids to do the same. It only took a bit of time reading their labels to take my decision.
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April 18, 2013 at 2:23 pm |
Basically what he’s saying is that only some humans have the right to benefit from the planet’s resources. Yeah? Fuck you too ! You are just another fucking enemy to this beautiful planet. Exploiting the resources to enslave others is just pure evil, and this is one of those assholes that has become one of the devil bitches. Fuck nestle and assholes like this coward.
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April 18, 2013 at 3:00 pm |
It truly is disturbing and insane to even consider the thought that water isnt a human right. It is the reason why there is life on this planet. Without water we wouldnt be here and to consider privatizing it is insane. We as humans/consumers shouldnt even be buying bottled water….period! If we all just used a refillable stainless steel bottle we could fill that bottle over 900 times for the same cost as one bottled water. We could easily shut down the bottled water sector and gmo sector by just not buying their products. Yes its cheaper than organic but what would you rather be putting in your body real food or a food like product? What would you rather be doing contributing to the environmental and health problems from buying plastic bottles or would do you care about your own health as well as the planet. The thing about plastic bottles in general is that they start to break down at room temperature, hot as well as cold. We are ingesting chemicals because we as humans are lazy yet complain about these problems yet dont do anything to make it better .Fast, cheap and easy isnt always the best and i cant for the life of me thing that this is just how things are meant to be. Its truly unacceptable and privatization is whats ruining economies. Everything that is privatized is for profit . Take prisons for instance….now that they are privatized do you think that they want those cells empty?? At 100000.00 per inmate a year they want them full. Now we have super prisons that house thousands of people and majority are there because of misdemeanors and end up spending more time inprison than a person who commited a more serious felony. The world is messed up and in my opinion this planet has a small group of people that are trying to make short term exteme profits which is whats going to ruin the economy and the planet. Greed is a disease of the mind and it really should be recognized as a disease because its greed that has ruined the economy and has destroyed this planet. There is a bright side….i am an inventor that is on a mission. I plan on utilizing the mass global consuption of the product my invention/innovation will be on and donating majority of my royalties to the foundation i am establishing called Uniting the World Foundation. Im also developing an app that makes my invention and foundation interactive allowing the users of the app to decide on where the money goes. Basicilly my philosophy is do the opposite of what governments and large corporations are doing and you will be successful. Look me up in FB my name is Steve Archambault, add me on Twitter Arch_Steve We need to make so serious changes if we want to save this planet and ourselves from governments and corporate greed. I mean look at what they are trying to do by privatizing water….whats next the air we breath???
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April 18, 2013 at 3:31 pm |
Dear Chris,
You’re not fooling anyone (not even yourself, but that’s my guess) into believing that there is ANYTHING right about M. Brabeck’s statement.
However I have to admit it is quite impressive to see how consistent and extremely diplomatic your answers are ! Never seen such a polite load of ###, either. Honestly, thumbs up, man.
Yes… I know it’s your job (jeez, hard to believe such jobs exist) to blurp out this politically correct B.S. and make your boss look less like a soulless monster.
I just want to tell you : I don’t want to be any part of it (so – thanks, efforts appreciated but – don’t bother replying to this comment).
Because, despite the misleading “Dear Chris”, this comment is not adressed to you (ha ! gotcha).
This is for all the people out there, who took the time to write and share their appallment regarding this – as you like to call it – debate.
I am VERY satisfied to realize that your soullessness hasn’t contaminated them and that they care enough to actually try to reason with you (pointless fight, right?).
People, I am SO PROUD to read your comments. Just keep on shouting what you KNOW to be right.
A nice day to all (but Nestlé, of course)
Amy, from Brussels,Belgium
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April 18, 2013 at 3:32 pm |
This is an evil wicked person. Water is Most Important for ALL life. This man is sick. May he did not have a mother.
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April 18, 2013 at 4:43 pm |
After reading/viewing these posts… I am making a conscious effort and choice to boycott Nesté. This includes ALL their products… SHAME on you! Capitalism is alive and well in your world!
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April 18, 2013 at 4:45 pm |
Chris ANSWER my question: Nestle should pay the government of the country in which it takes the water from by the litre as afterall that government can use that money to create jobs just like this fool in Nestle “wants”, Chris will Nestle pay for every litre it takes and if not why not?
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April 18, 2013 at 4:52 pm |
Chris should be fired: Worst media relations person ever.
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April 18, 2013 at 4:56 pm |
Rich people being such udder and complete morons never seizes to amaze me.
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April 18, 2013 at 5:02 pm |
Dear Chris, after listening to the comments of your leader, I will know be searching the internet for lists of products Nestle’ makes and be boycotting them ALL. I hope millions of others do the same. Go fuck yourself.
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April 18, 2013 at 5:15 pm |
While living in Johanesburg sveral years ago we met people from the World Food Programme. Evn back then they were fighting Nestle against GMF and bottled water and Infant Formulas. It is something I feel very strongly about. I actively discourage my children and grand child from buying bottled water. I’m lucky I live in a part of Scotland that has plenty of clean water and private wells. We do not know what its like here to have a water shortage. So there should be no need for the bottled water propaganda but still people buy it. I have lived in Romania where the domestic water is filthy and bottled water a necessity. Rather han clean up they sell up. Water is a human right. I believe that Nestle should be boycotted
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April 18, 2013 at 5:55 pm |
Lets all BOYCOTT their products they forget that the average person buy your products everyday if we stopped then their will be no more NEStle
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April 18, 2013 at 5:59 pm |
Dear Chris,
The monetizing of water is as predatory and immoral as monetizing air. When you start paying your daily oxygen bill you’ll see how insane this whole thing is and your statements are. Nestle can eat my … dust!
Anybody denying someone access to water out of purely economic reasons is the denial of a basic human right.
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April 18, 2013 at 6:36 pm |
This is a comment that should be a crime, what will be next? The right of the sunlight? Bad publicity for the firm. I WON´T BUY ANYTHING ELSE FROM NESTLÉ!! I PROMISE.
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April 18, 2013 at 7:16 pm |
Why do we allow psychopaths like this chairman-person to climb to to the top in business and politics? Why, why, why??
I think it’s about time we say enough is enough. Fuck you Nestle!
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April 18, 2013 at 7:25 pm |
Chris,
Re your TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS:
This was an essay by ecologist Garett Hardin. He later said the title should have been ‘The Tragedy of the Unregulated Commons’, to prevent the accusation, implicit in your useage, that the common people are incapable of acting together to manage their own resources. In fact, there are multiple examples of such community preservation efforts worldwide; achieved, funny enough, often with the help of the NGO’s your CEO so despises.
In his comments on work, it is clear that your CEO believes that the privatization of water would add another major and valuable industry to the Nestle corporation.
Regarding his statement on responsibility to his workforce (a common appeal to nobility of many CEO’s is that they keep the world prosperous) it is hard to square that with his admiration of the factory at the end, which he admires as being very highly robotic, with (I think I quote him directly) ‘almost no people’.
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April 18, 2013 at 7:46 pm |
Jane b says how can anyone have these selfish thoughts and ideas please boycott all Nestles products
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April 18, 2013 at 8:09 pm |
Iwill not ever buy any of your Nestle’Products again. you should be boucotted.
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April 18, 2013 at 9:00 pm |
Chris what kind of toxic organisation are you working for? I was cringing with embarrassment for this ill informed man. Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. You hear on the news every day the morbidity and mortality of Children in third world countries who do not have access to drinking water and the numerous diseases manifesting from lack of water or dirty drinking water. I will definately be boycotting Nestle. Who does this man think he is?
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April 18, 2013 at 9:10 pm |
I find it curious that in this debate Nestle products for baby food doesn’t appear to come up. I personally find it sick enough that Nestle has the nerve to coerce & pay corrupt governments and their midwives into convicing mothers in countries with poor water supplies & water purifying systems to give their children baby milk instead of breast milk (despite the extensive evidence that breast milk is far superior in every way) without Nestle finding the need to take over the water supplies as well -haven’t they caused enough damage & been responsible indirectly for many many postnatal deaths over the last 20 years? God knows how many peoples lives they’ve taken away – Chris you make it sound somehow that your company is providing favors somehow – how you live with your conscience & how the other many people in your company live with theirs beats me, but I guess that power & money corrupts and having a job is better that not having a job. Just please stop trying to convince other people to buy into your crap.
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April 18, 2013 at 9:33 pm |
Stop buying Nestle products and your health will improve immediately. Start questioning capitalism, which views the finite resources of the our planet as commodities, and the whole world’s health will improve.
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April 18, 2013 at 9:45 pm |
This stinks……I am sure he wouldnt have the same attitude if he was poor or in need of water…he needs nothing and can indeed have anything he wants….
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April 18, 2013 at 10:44 pm |
TWATS
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April 18, 2013 at 11:44 pm |
Please insert links such as these:
for Canadians http://www.canadians.org/water/index.html [click on “Take Action”] & http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/fluoride/index.html & http://cof-cof.ca/
for internationally: http://www.blueplanetproject.net/
Thank you!
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April 19, 2013 at 12:19 am |
Hi Chris.
Thank you for posting the link to your CEO’s blog, explaining and expanding on the meaning of the above video (which has clearly been taken out of context). I wonder how many people who are attacking him based on the comments in the video have actually bothered to read through the blog. I find Peter’s comments in his blog quite balanced.
In no way am I defending Nestle or patronising anyone who has problems with the company. Peter clearly explains (in his blog) what his stance on water as a human right is and thoroughly points out the difference between water as a human right and water as a ‘good’ in the sense of providing clean and sanitised water to areas where there is a shortage.
A few people have commented saying that there are plentiful areas where water is clean and safe and have asked why Nestle needs to be considering the issue because of this. Unfortunately, our species is ever expanding and not everyone has the inclination to use said clean, natural water with fairness and equal to others (The Punjabi example in Peter’s blog is an example of this). Human nature doesn’t always cause everyone to act for the benefit of others. Those of you who refer to Nestle as ‘evil’ and ‘without a soul’ seem capable of understanding this concept.
From reading Peter’s blog and researching the examples he makes within it, I find the video in THIS blog to be biased and edited to make it look like Peter’s opinion contradicts those in HIS own blog. I tried looking around the net for the rest of the video to put it in context but couldn’t find it. I would have thought that the person writing this blog would have provided a link to it so the full discussion could be seen. The absence of a link to the rest of the documentary makes me presume that the excerpt shown is edited to show Peter in a biased light.
Finally, I would just like to say that insulting Chris and making presumptions about his moral standing and choice of job doesn’t make me take any of said comments seriously. It is a very playground like idea to insult someone rather than make valid points that refer to the debate at hand.
Take care everyone and I hope (even though you may not agree with my points) that if anyone replies, they can do so without having to make personal insults about me.
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April 20, 2013 at 6:06 am |
Good point, personal attacks won’t work….
But I still don’t like the mantaility of “I know what’s best for you.” People in power positions have financial gain in mass situations. Fixing water problems around the world would be finding a cheap way of cleaning water on-site. But selling water bottles is putting a expensive and never ending band aid on the problem. I want to see this guys plan to fix the worlds polluted water problem instead of continuing to contribute to the problem.
The only way we can keep our freedom is to hold these people to the light in what they do to keep other companies down in the local market.
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April 19, 2013 at 1:02 am |
[…] See on keithpp.wordpress.com […]
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April 19, 2013 at 2:24 am |
“We’ve never had it so good”. That applies to the “well to do”. What about the billions of people who aren’t a CEO? What an ignoranamous!
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April 19, 2013 at 2:30 am |
Why am I not surprised by this outrageous claim? As a kid living in a third world country, I’ve personally experienced Nestle sales girls dressed like nurses with a basket of Nestle products – condensed milk especially – telling mothers how these sweetened condensed milk was good for their kids….!
I’ve boycotted Nestle for decades and Nestle has not learnt a thing – I’ve seen Nestle in the least developed nations today doing the same as what it has done …! BOYCOTT it is the only way!
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April 19, 2013 at 2:36 am |
Thanks for the report and comments. No point in entering the debate. Much simpler merely resolving not to buy a Nestle product again!
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April 19, 2013 at 4:19 am |
Chris from media relations your just another puppet of the scummy corporate world!!! There is nothing you can say to convince me and many of the people who can see through Nestles bullshit!!! Sociopaths, sociopaths, sociopaths!!!! Will Nestlé use sustainable palm oil by 2015…more lies. No water and air=death. It should be free and not profited from!! I can certainly survive without Nestlé! Boycott Nestlé!!
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April 19, 2013 at 5:20 am |
Oh HELL NO!
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April 19, 2013 at 9:23 am |
[…] Here’s a disturbing clip that reminds us why citizens, rational governments and NGOs must keep corporations in check (via Keithpp’s Blog): […]
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April 19, 2013 at 9:28 am |
Intentions are not good. Scary future.
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April 19, 2013 at 9:31 am |
[…] Nestlé chairman says water is not a human right | Keithpp’s Blog. […]
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April 19, 2013 at 10:39 am |
Hey Chris, good on you. You keep on plugging away with courtesy in the face of hysterical lunacy. I hope you’re getting over-time for that. There is no reasoning with these idiots, give it up if they’re not paying you extra for it. Nestle could be breast-feeding baby harp seals and these loonies would still hate you for it. Logical, rational discussion doesn’t come into it. In fact, loonies like this really aren’t interested in rational discussion at all, they’re just looking for someone to hate. Have a good weekend 😉
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April 19, 2013 at 11:36 am |
Greed!
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April 19, 2013 at 1:17 pm |
Bunch of idiots on this blog. If you’ve spoken to this chairman in person then you have a right to comment about him. If not, then you don’t have an argument. You are all making a demon of this man without even bothering to look further than this page. Are you all so stupid to not understand how media is twisted to make a story?
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April 20, 2013 at 12:46 am |
There has been some evidence for sometime that Nestlé as a company has caused negative impacts on several societies and people. With a bit of digging, you can find more information. Nestlé are obviously trying to twist the story too, and I’m afraid on this one, I’m going to side with the blog.
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April 19, 2013 at 1:37 pm |
1. Never ever gonna buy shit from Nestle
2. Water is a gift from mother nature for all people that live on it without a price dumbfuck
3. This illuminati fucker who owns Nestle and wants to make profit from wather wich is free, should be shoot dead on sight
4. I will boycott you in supermarkets, the place where you sell most of your shitty , GMO , full of cancer products
5. U’r to much brainwashed just like many others in the food, pharma, oil industry dude, quit your job, money is not everything
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April 19, 2013 at 1:54 pm |
Hi
I posted a comment last night to Chris and it hasn’t appeared this morning. Last night it said that the post was being moderated but now it seems to have disappeared. Can anyone tell me why this is please?
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April 19, 2013 at 1:55 pm |
Nevermind the last post. My post is there after-all. Sorry.
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April 19, 2013 at 2:52 pm |
Hi, Chris —
If I understand correctly, your chairman is on record as saying that ‘water is a human right, but not a free good.’
I think my primary concern with how messed up that is, is the fact that it’s self-contradictory: a human right is, by its very nature, something that is free.
And of course it goes far deeper than that: it’s not just a human right but, as has been pointed out countless times in the previous comments, a necessity for human life. While Nestle of course has every right to offer me a product that makes a necessity more attractive — bottled water with a sexy label, for instance — it has no right to tell people that the original core necessity itself, such as water, must be paid for.
A human right is not, nor can it ever be, a commodity. Kindly inform your chairman that the wider spread his attempt at monetizing human rights becomes, the more people will stand against him and everything that the company sells or represents.
As with the growing numbers, my family is now among those who will no longer buy Nestle products because this issue. As you sound like an intelligent person, I’d point out the obvious trend developing here and suggest you cut bait, leave Nestle, and join with a company or organization that supports, rather than obscenely trying to cash in on, human rights.
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April 19, 2013 at 3:29 pm |
Hi everyone, I’ve read through all the comments, and the links posted by Chris, and I’m a little confused.
In the LinkedIn article, the Chairman of Nestle says clearly that water is a human right, and that everyone should be universally given free access to the minimum amount set by the World Health Organisation (e.g. 25 liters per day), then only charged for water consumption above this level.
How is this a bad thing?
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April 19, 2013 at 3:49 pm |
[…] Nestlé chairman says water is not a human right […]
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April 19, 2013 at 5:54 pm |
WHAT? Water is not a human right?! Nestlé the nerve!!!
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April 19, 2013 at 6:32 pm |
[…] Πηγή: keithpp.wordpress.com […]
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April 19, 2013 at 7:55 pm |
How abt bottling air also
Can u imagine the profits
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April 19, 2013 at 8:14 pm |
I jsut wanted to say to this Nestle horror: “You are not a human, right?”
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April 19, 2013 at 9:04 pm |
fanta babies now this. wow if you need any more reasons to boycott nestle
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April 19, 2013 at 9:35 pm |
Peter Brabeck, ‘Chris from media relations’ and in fact anyone whom ever promoted the company in question, in any way, will never see a single cent of my money, for as long as I am alive. You are a disgrace to the human race.
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April 19, 2013 at 11:22 pm |
Well, you’re a fuckwit, Peter Brabeck, and your kind needs to wiped from our planet.
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April 19, 2013 at 11:42 pm |
frightening, that he is the chairman. He speaks with such assuredness, the old story…..the fish rots from the head.
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April 20, 2013 at 12:26 am |
Dear Chris at Nestle:
How exactly does one go about buying (or selling) the rights to water? Who owns water, and on what basis?
Thanks,
Dom
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April 20, 2013 at 2:18 am |
Nestle – you obviously have our best interests at heart, and, in a happy confluence, what’s good for Nestle is also good for us – indeed, for the planet as a whole. With this in mind, I’m imploring you to devise a way to also privatise air, thus ensuring its most efficient and fair delivery to those of us who breathe it.
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April 20, 2013 at 4:43 am |
Forgive me if I sound judgmental, but in the end, to treat water – a necessity of life – as a commodity that can be withheld pending payment, is extortion.
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April 20, 2013 at 5:06 am |
Another point, if I may: Nestle’s chairman claims that water is not a right for the individual, yet reserves for himself and his corporation the right to buy and sell it. It seems to me that this concept of a “right” is not based on the merit of being a human individual, but on possessing wealth and power. I can’t regard that as just.
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April 20, 2013 at 5:35 am |
Water must be a common property( everybody’s right) .Government should take this responsibility, that safe water should be available to all. Nestle one liter bottled water costing around Rs 15 in India how many people are able to purchase?. What about poor and vulnerable whose earning per day is less than Rs 50.A person needs 3-4 liters of water per day. What ever he earns he should spend on water only , what about other needs like food, education ,health etc.
This is a very good example that, how a corporate thinks.Stop using the Nestle products… Logo of Nestle is a Nest with Birds,Is it natural or man made?…
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April 20, 2013 at 9:07 am |
Since I am allergic to gluten (along with other food allergies), Wonka candy products were one of the main ones I would buy when I had a sweet tooth. I say WERE because with this kind of attitude I am not buying any again unless they change their tune. There is absolutely no spin Nestle can put on this to make it sound good. You have lost a lifelong customer. I will miss those bottlecaps I used to buy weekly in particular. Goodbye Nestle.
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April 20, 2013 at 10:05 am |
[…] Πηγή: keithpp.wordpress.com […]
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April 20, 2013 at 11:18 am |
I will not buy Nestle products from now on, and i will show this to my family and friends and urge them to do the same. This guy has dangerous and seriously selfish views on nature and what we are entitled to as a birthright and what we are not. Water and air are the ESSENTIALS to life. God help us.
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April 20, 2013 at 2:45 pm |
[…] ein paar Tagen stieß ich auf ein englischsprachiges Blog, dass an den Dokumentarfilm “We feed the world” erinnerte. Das ist der östereichische […]
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April 20, 2013 at 11:03 pm |
[…] https://keithpp.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/nestle-chairman-says-water-is-not-a-human-right/ […]
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April 21, 2013 at 2:10 am |
Fixing water problems around the world starts with re-forestation and re-establishing plant life/eco culture. Once you get trees and vegatation to grow, you start to retain moisture, this year on year is a cumulitive process. There are a number of places around the world now, where projects have turned over-grazed and over farmed desert areas into fertile, moisture packed areas again, that sustain nature AND us.
We have it in our power to fix our food and water requirements.
Companies like Nestle just want to control water as a profitable resource. They use the word “crisis” about our water supply.
Let me tell you what the crisis really is.
GM Crops that are nowhere near as good as non GMO.
Poor farmers sold GMO with a promise that they will fix everything. The only thing they fix is the profits for companies like Monsanto.
Massive global deforrestation to grow Soya (which itself is really bad for you and for animals as feed).
Hundreds of millions of gallons of Pesticides used, that kill all living organisms in our soils.
Over grazing land.
Mono crop culture.
CAFO and the disease and filthy waste that pollutes our water.
Even our ancestors KNEW we have to crop rotate or we destroy soil. Once soid is dead, it erodes, water runs off, the land dries up, the rivers flood and we are left with a barren unusable land. This affects everything around it and “down stream”.
Nestle and all the big Agriculture, GM and food suppliers are all in it together.
There are solutions out there, but hey, guess what. These solutions will not make their shareholders any money.
So, instead they scare-monger and make you believe they have the answers with their products.
Sorry but the answer has been there all the time, for 3 billion years, this planet has sustained life, all we have to do stop putting value on their products and put value and worth into our ecosystem, the very system “they” are milkin dry and charging us for.
Dear Nestle.
Water was here long before you. It was free then, it should remain free now. Some things just can’t be turned for profit.
If you had a single molecule of decency, and you really wanted to do something about ensuring water supplies, you would look into working with our ecosystem instead of raping and pillaging it.
Start here: http://www.whatifwechange.org/
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April 21, 2013 at 4:13 am |
[…] Πηγή: keithpp.wordpress.com […]
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April 21, 2013 at 5:11 am |
Nestle guy, you’re not to popular on your own blog
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April 21, 2013 at 7:22 am |
Hi after reading both the article and the comments below I have to say I am stunned that someone in such an elevated position could possibly make these claims. Privatisation is not always the answer to problems in Scotland (UK) our railways were privatised and all that happened was trains cost more and the service became awful with companies adding tenders which although cheap ment we all suffer for lack of any real service. Privatisation leads to big companies making profit but real people suffer. I must say tho I am slightly disappointed in the comments levelled toward Chris personally being awful to someone doesn’t make your point stronger it di bases your position Chris has a right to make a living for his family and in this economic climate good jobs are hard to find I personally feel he has been very brave coming on and commenting despite knowing he will ultimately be blamed for the thoughtless comments of his boss. So please keep the debate going as it needs to be highlighted but not at the expense of Chris who although seems to agree with his bosses rubbish is as entitled to his opinion as the rest of us.
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April 21, 2013 at 8:51 am |
Hi Chris from PR,
I’m sorry this must be a dreadful headache for you, you must need a glass of water. I guess that comes from working for a company with such dubious ethics.
I feel obliged to admit that I am one of those extremists who thinks that water is a human right. You chairman believes I am on the extreme Left, like the UN and the World Health Organisation must also be.
I do feel obliged however to draw attention to the most telling part of your Chairman’s speech, and that is his comment: “It is important to give something a value so that we are all aware that it has a price.”. Compassion has a value, wisdom has a value, love has a value, air has a value, children have a value. Would your chairman say that these things are only attributed a value then they may become a marketable commodity?
If Nestle are willing to publicly state and have a man who thinks things only have value in order to be sold, what a peculiar image you are sending out about your company.
Your Chairman would be wise to acknowledge that marketing has a value, and PR has a value, but it appears he is not aware of their price.
Good luck with sorting out the shitstorm, and remember, you are personally responsible for defending his views on this, if you have any moral objections at all to what he is saying, value yourself, and go and work for a company who is trying to improve the world, not sell it.
Kind regards
@HeardinLondon
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April 21, 2013 at 9:54 pm |
of course Nestles wants to control the water, water is in everything you can add things to water like birth control mind control, control the world without firing a shot very clever
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April 21, 2013 at 9:15 am |
Nestle, Philippines also control coffee seedlings, they recommended their ways(wrong) just for profit .. shame on them
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April 21, 2013 at 1:01 pm |
[…] kan du lyssna på intervjun som ligger bakom nyheten. Avsnittet om privatisering av vatten kommer två minuter in i intervjun. […]
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April 21, 2013 at 8:22 pm |
I will boycott them, boycotting is a human right, there is no need for me to take my precious water and add it to their hot coc mix its not that damn good anyway! People dying of thirst and this idiot is saying water is not a human right, you are so wrong buddy
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April 21, 2013 at 9:37 pm |
It’s a pretty difficult company to boycott. So many coffees, not just instant (I’m not getting rid of my Nespresso machines, they’re just too good!). Then there’s confectionery, including Rowntrees, cereals, I doubt anyone could actually boycott Nestlé in their day to day life.
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April 21, 2013 at 10:14 pm
I’m almost certain I don’t currently have any Nestle product in the house, despite the wide variety of goods. Pretty easy to avoid them if you take a bit of care to make note of the company making what you buy, and at least take a quick look at the list of their products to keep in mind when you shop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestl%C3%A9_brands
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April 22, 2013 at 7:02 am
At least now that I KNOW about what the head of Nestle thinks and feels, I can START avoiding the products. Being AWARE is the start of the CHANGE of HIS and NESTLE@S thinking and behaving. Once enough people begin to BOYCOTT Nestle goods, and share their reasons why on Facebook, things will begin to change and eventually a paradigm shift will occur when a tipping point is reached. Please, don’t give up trying to change things for the better just because it seems impossible….it will only be impossible if people give up or are apathetic. BELIEVE in your own power to make a good difference. Suddenly you will find you are in the MAJORITY and not a lone voice in the wilderness anymore. May there be hope and happiness, harmony and humanity, fun and FAIRNESS, love and laughter, sanity and safety, peace and plenty, and blessings and joy throughout the planet and universes.xxxx
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April 21, 2013 at 10:15 pm |
In all of this, I could see “Tank Girl” writ large.
There is no excuse for this man or his warped logic
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April 21, 2013 at 11:45 pm |
Nestlé is draining Lake Michigan from it´s freshwater and are shipping it to China. Remember I heard about this some year ago.
Nestlé is one of the most evil companies out there.
I do belive that Monsanto is no.1 on that list.
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April 22, 2013 at 12:55 am |
Hey, people are 90% water. Let’s just squeeze the water out of them and sell it.
Your loving Corporate Vampire, Nestle CEO
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April 22, 2013 at 9:58 am |
Does Peter Brabeck know that water is irreplaceable, and finite. No life form rich or poor can live without it. it just shows that all he is after is profits at any cost. His call for the privatization of the precious liquid should be opposed the world over. Water is a human right. Those who refute this are running away from the responsibility of making it accessible to all, which is a right
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April 22, 2013 at 3:15 pm |
Unless you live near a clean lake or river, water has a cost. There is a public cost to purify water. and distribute That is paid for with taxation.
The problem that I see with bottled water is that I have to buy it because there are not enough public water fountains. When I was a child there were water fountains everywhere. Now I do not expect to see them anywhere so when I am out and about I am forced to buy a bottled water product.
On the issue of nature and humanity. Well, humanity is part of nature and is not separate from nature. But also to say that Nature is always good is incorrect. I don’t think that we can say that we “improve” on nature, that is false, but we have learned how to irrigate crops, to make buildings that are more resistant to earthquakes and there are many more example of this.
To stay directly on topic though: let’s bring back public water fountains!
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April 23, 2013 at 2:18 pm |
I don’t live in Europe but would like to sign the petition. Can you start a worldwide one?
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April 23, 2013 at 3:17 pm |
To Nestle, Pharmaceuticals, other multinationals involved in this kind of venture, Chris – devils advocates or otherwise – and anyone else that thinks there is ever a scenario where the fundamentals of life are a commodity to be traded,
If a family has to choose between water and food, or water and medicine, or water and clothing, an education, or a roof over their heads can there ever be a justification for placing them in that predicament? Surely the only time this could ever be justified is if the wealthiest of the world, including their CEO’s and board members, and our nations leaders alike, faced those same challenges on a daily basis.
Until they have to choose between their children and then deny their other/s of such a basic necessity, they cannot think its okay to expect the same of another parent.
Think this doesn’t happen? Spend a day or two at your nearest university attending lectures on international public health.
The truly sad part is that the knock-on effects are so much bigger and worse than the death of a child.
Think about it.
As a parent what wouldn’t you do to protect your family? What wouldn’t you deny another to save your child’s life? Who wouldn’t you join to ensure your children lived long enough to have a chance at a different life to the one forced on you? You’d move? Without water? You’d buy it? With what? You have exhausted everything you have just to get this far. It took a few short months for the local militia to take over management of the wells and pipe ways within travelling distance…and now you’re in debt to them because yesterday you got twice your water allowance because one of your children had diarrhea. She still does but they won’t give you any more without payment.
Don’t forget the interest.
I have heard both sides of the argument. the thing is; it takes solid transparent accountable governments to uphold, regulate and sustain such ventures. Supermen (and women) need only apply. There cant be a chink in the system at any level.
Open any newspaper in any nation and you will see this failure at every level. Every level. And that’s only the stuff they’ve been caught out on.
Without a big paradigm shift by the policy writers, board members, company owners, the generally wealthy (and those that choose to smooth over or nullify their actions – don’t tell me you don’t have a choice Chris, you wouldn’t have a job if they were supermen); our future is absolutely terrifying.
Sarah H. Ma.Int’l.Pub.Health U.Syd.
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April 28, 2013 at 1:07 pm |
[…] Nestlé chairman says water is not a human right […]
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May 3, 2013 at 10:50 pm |
Clean Water is a basic human Right.
However, also there is no free lunch (or drink).
The problem is how to purify & deliver. The public sector is best suited for defining what is clean water; while typically highly inefficient at doing so. It is also good at enforcement that what is delivered meets the specifications.
If you can have true competition to deliver water, as a product, of a defined quality, you are going to make it more affordable to produce and distribute.
And if you do not trust corporations not to be corrupt, is there any reason to believe the public sector is above corruption?
In this scenario, you are using the one to police the other, rather than blindly trusting either.
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May 22, 2013 at 4:07 am |
I’m done with Nestlé too.
Palm oil, powder baby milk, children work, GMO support, 100% beef horse meat, overpriced-and-not-at-all-eco-friendly coffee and tea capsules, junk food, lack of ethics, arrogant leaders. What’s next?
What a true 21st century company. That’s too much.
It’s not that hard to avoid Nestlé products. To eat healthy food just avoid what is advertised on TV.
I’m passing the word around for if we are in that mess it’s because we didn’t do anything to prevent it, see how our blind trust has led us.
Put your money where your mouth is, join the boycott. Or don’t complain that you’ve been lied to.
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June 28, 2013 at 11:34 am |
In one sense he is right. Water is not a human right. Air is not a human right. It is up to our own bodies to gather oxygen by breathing. We have no “right to it”
In a crude intellectual or philosophical way, nothing is a right.
On an emotional level, he is wrong of course.
He is also wrong from a legal point of view as the human right to water was enshrined in law in 2010.
You should note that this law was enshrined after “many years of debate” indicating that the Nestle chairman is not alone in his position.
Further to that, of the 193 members of the UN only 122 have formally acknowledged the “right to water”, ie, only 63% of COUNTRIES agree it is a human right.
Take from that what you will.. x
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June 28, 2013 at 11:37 am |
Water is privatised here in the UK by the way (since 1989) and there do not appear to be many problems with that situation at all.
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November 18, 2013 at 8:32 pm |
What about the millions of gallons that are lost each year, because the private companies – still subsidised by government – would rather just charge everyone else for the wastage (and thus keep profits at a nice margin) than make investments in infrastucture to reduce wastage, and therefore improve ‘efficiency’ (that godawful neoliberal term)
You are naive to assume that ‘there do not appear to be many problems’ with water in the UK. I think that the only way it would ‘appear’ like that, was if you weren’t observing it in the first place, thus making it not ‘appear’ in the first place!
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June 29, 2013 at 8:35 pm |
I have to wonder just where exactly the privatization and commodification of things ends, if at all. its the same problem with copyright and patents. I can imagine an extreme scenario where a few people at the very top have more money than every government in the world combined and own literally everything.
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June 30, 2013 at 3:43 am |
The amount of hubris it requires for anyone to believe that just because we are humans we are entitled to anything is astounding. Water nor anything else is a human right. We take acquisition of what we need or want. This concept that we should just altruisticly be provided for is so ridiculous that I can’t believe people rally behind it. How can we expect people & companies to just give us what we want because we think it’s a good idea no matter the cost because they happen to have some money!? What a joke! If you want free water then go get it yourself dig a well clean and purify the water so you don’t die from parasitic infection and if you want to give it away for free then do so. But all this talk about what nestle should do but shouldn’t get paid for is foolishness. Why don’t you go and feed some starving people and not make any money doing it and see how many meals you can provide before you simply become one of the starving people. Someone has to pay for it, period. The first rule of sustainability is that it must be sustained! Doesn’t matter if the technology is there someone has to pay for and keep paying for it.
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June 30, 2013 at 4:24 pm |
Nestlé will need a global military to US down. Peter Brabeck, you and your cronies will lose the war, but because of your profit based sinister and in-humanitarian belief system, we ALL, on this planet, will suffer terribly, but you are too ignorant and unenlightened to comprehend such a notion. I feel sorry for you and yours.
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June 30, 2013 at 6:02 pm |
Sounds like GREED to me. Has money made you stupid?
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July 25, 2013 at 11:07 pm |
[…] πηγές:1, 2 […]
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September 15, 2013 at 9:57 pm |
[…] https://keithpp.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/nestle-chairman-says-water-is-not-a-human-right/ […]
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August 29, 2015 at 9:45 pm |
[…] Nestlé chairman says water is not a human right | Keithpp’s Blog […]
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February 4, 2017 at 2:08 am |
[…] Nestlé chairman says water is not a human right | Keithpp’s Blog […]
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February 4, 2017 at 2:10 am |
[…] Nestlé chairman says water is not a human right | Keithpp’s Blog […]
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February 4, 2017 at 2:18 am |
[…] Nestlé chairman says water is not a human right | Keithpp’s Blog […]
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November 7, 2017 at 11:30 am |
[…] *AVOID NESTLE* In a candid interview for the documentary We Feed the World, Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck makes the astonishing claim that water isn’t a human right. He attacks the idea that nature is good, and says it is a great achievement that humans are now able to resist nature’s dominance. He attacks organic agriculture and says genetic modification is better. keithpp.wordpress… […]
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