Belching Out the Devil

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Belching Out the Devil Page 30

by Mark Thomas


  7 El Salvador Turning a Blind Eye, Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation June 2004, hrw.org/reports/2004/elsalvador0604/elsalvador0604simple.pdf

  8 The Coca-Cola Company Response to the Human Rights Watch Report on Child Labor in El Salvador, 13 June 2005, Coca-Cola website, www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/viewpointshrwreport.html

  9 El Salvador Turning a Blind Eye, Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation, June 2004, hrw.org/reports/2004/elsalvador0604/elsalvador0604simple.pdf

  10 Email from The Coca-Cola Company to author

  11 El Salvador Turning a Blind Eye, Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation, June 2004, hrw.org/reports/2004/elsalvador0604/elsalvador0604simple.pdf

  12 Coke Facts: Supplier Guiding Principles, Coca-Cola website, www.cokefacts.com/AroundTheWorld/cit_aw_supplier.shtml

  13 El Salvador Turning a Blind Eye, Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation June 2004, hrw.org/reports/2004/elsalvador0604/elsalvador0604simple.pdf

  14 Get The Real Facts, Coca-Cola website, www.gettherealfacts.co.uk/workplace/workplace.html

  15 El Salvador Turning a Blind Eye, Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation, June 2004, hrw.org/reports/2004/elsalvador0604/elsalvador0604simple.pdf

  16 Get The Real facts, Coca-Cola website, www.gettherealfacts.co.uk/workplace/workplace.html

  17 El Salvador Turning a Blind Eye, Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation, June 2004, hrw.org/reports/2004/elsalvador0604/elsalvador0604simple.pdf

  18 Get The Real facts, Coca-Cola website, www.gettherealfacts.co.uk/workplace/workplace.html

  19 Email from The Coca-Cola Company to author

  20 Get The Real facts, Coca-Cola website, www.gettherealfacts.co.uk/workplace/workplace.html

  21 ibid

  22 Global Workplace Rights Policy, Coca-Cola website, www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/workplace_rights_policy.html

  23 Coke Facts: Supplier Guiding Principles, Coca-Cola website, www.cokefacts.com/AroundTheWorld/cit_aw_supplier.shtml

  24 El Salvador Turning a Blind Eye, Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation, June 2004, hrw.org/reports/2004/elsalvador0604/elsalvador0604simple.pdf

  25 Get The Real facts, Coca-Cola website, www.gettherealfacts.co.uk/workplace/workplace.html

  26 ibid

  27 ibid

  28 ibid

  29 Email to author

  Chapter 7: Dodge City

  1 www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship

  2 Centre for Science and the Environment website, www.cseindia.org/misc/cola-indepth/cola2006/cola-index.htm

  3 ‘Coke, Pepsi Pay Himalayan Fines’, BBC News Online, 17 September 2002, news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2263917.stm

  4 Best Practices in Adult Video website, bpav.org/bp.html

  5 ‘Watch out, Sarge! It’s environmentally friendly fire’, Sunday Times, 17 September 2006, www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article641494.ece

  6 BP 2006 Environmental Statement, www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/V/verfied_site_reports/N_America/Whiting_2006.pdf

  Chapter 8: Let Them Dig Wells

  1 Our Economic Impact, The Coca-Cola Company website, www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/economic_impact.html

  2 CIA Factbook: El Salvador, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html

  3 Speech by Neville Isdell, Coca-Cola Annual Meeting 2008, www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/viewpoints_isdell_annual_meeting_2008.html

  4 ibid

  5 FMLN - Farabundo Marti Liberation Front (Frente Farabundo para la Liberation)

  6 Ashveille Global Report 2003, www.theglobalreport.org/issues/212/environment.html

  7 Get the Real Facts, The Coca-Cola Company, www.gettherealfacts.co.uk/environment/environment.html

  8 www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/pdf/cwp_011608.pdf

  India: A Prequel

  1 ‘To deny voting rights to Indian shareholders - Coke knocks at FIPB doors’, 30 January 2003, www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/01/30/stories/2003013002590100.htm

  2 Multilateral Investment Agreement in the WTO, Kavaljit Singh, July 2003, www.wto.org/english/forums_e/ngo_e/multi_invest_agree_july03_e.pdf

  3 To deny voting rights to Indian shareholders - Coke knocks at FIPB doors, The Hindu BusinessLine, 30 January 2003, www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/01/30/stories/2003013002590100.htm

  4 ‘Kerala’s Plachimada Struggle’, Economic and Political Weekly, 14 October 2006, C R Bijoy

  5 Poison Vs Nutrition, Centre for Science and Environment, www.cseindia.org/misc/cola-indepth/poison.pdf

  6 Minister of Water Resources reply to Lok Sabha (lower House of Indian Parliament) starred question No.2 on 5 July 2004 as cited in Poison Vs Nutrition, Centre for Science and Environment, www.cseindia.org/misc/cola-indepth/poison.pdf

  7 www.coca-colaindia.com/water_management/approach-to-water.asp

  8 ‘Coke may wreak havoc in Plachimada: KSSP’, The Hindu 9 February 2003, www.hinduonnet.com/2003/02/09/stories/2003020905340400.htm

  9 Letter to Shri. V.K Ebrahim Kunju, The Minister for Industry in Kerala from the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd, 28 November 2005

  10 Face the Facts Coca-Cola Update Transcript transmitted 2 January 2004, www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/yy_20040102.shtml

  11 ‘Face The Facts investigates Coca-Cola plant in India’, BBC Press Release, 24 July 2003, www.bbc.co.uk/pressofficepressreleases/stories/2003/07_july/24/face_facts.shtml

  12 ibid

  13 ibid

  14 Letter to Shri. V.K Ebrahim Kunju, The Minister for Industry in Kerala from the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd, 28 November 2005

  15 ‘Coca-Cola Don’t Poison My Well’, Outlook 16 May 2005, cited in ‘Kerala’s Plachimada Struggle’, Economic and Political Weekly, C R Bijoy, 14 October 2006

  16 Letter to Shri. V.K Ebrahim Kunju, The Minister for Industry in Kerala from the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd, 28 November 2005

  17 Email to author

  18 Analysis of Pesticides in Soft Drinks, Centre for Science and Environment, 5 August 2003, www.cseindia.org/misc/cola-indepth/cola2006/pdf/labreport2003.pdf

  19 ibid

  20 ‘HC orders govt to test Pepsi products’, The Tribune India, 11 August 2003, www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030812/nation.htm#1

  21 ‘The Street Fight’, Down to Earth, 15 August 2006, www.downtoearth.org.in/cover.asp?foldername=20060815&filename=news&sid=70&page=1&sec_id=9&p=1

  22 Interview conducted by author

  23 ‘JPC report upholds CSE findings’, Hindu Business Line, 5 February 2004

  24 One Indian crore is a unit of measurement equivalent to 10 million. So the soft drink industry turnover is Rs60,000 million (or US$1.4 billion)

  25 Report of Joint Committee on Pesticide Residues in and Safety Standards for Soft Drinks, Fruit Juice and Other Beverages, parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/jpc/jpc-prsfb.htm

  26 www.cseindia.org/misc/cola-indepth/cola2006/cola_press2006.htm

  Chapter 9: Kuriji

  1 Coca-Cola website, www.gettherealfacts.co.uk

  2 Author interview with Professor Rathore, Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur

  3 ‘Independent, Third Party Assessment of Coca-Cola Facilities in India’, TERI Report, www.teriin.org/coke_files/FReport.pdf, page 123

  4 Email sent to the author

  5 www.vpcomm.umich.edu/pa/key/coke_qa.html

  6 ‘Independent, Third Party Assessment of Coca-Cola Facilities in India’, TERI Report, www.teriin.org/coke_files/FReport.pdf

  7 ibid, p. 124

  8 Letter to the University of Michigan from The Coca-Cola Company, 11 January 2008, www.cokefacts.com/PressCenter/TERI_Michigan_Letter.pdf

  9 Independent, Third Party Assessment of Coca-Cola Facilities in India’, TERI Report, www.teriin.org/coke_files/FReport.pdf, page 22

 
10 Coke Gets CSR Award Amidst Protests, Business Standard, 19 February 2008, www.indiaresource.org/news/2008/1013.html

  11 Deepak Jolly Conferred Communicator of the Year Award, Company News, 21 March 2006, www.afaqs.com/news/company_news/Corporate/13108.html

  Chapter 10: Gas

  1 Coke Facts: The Truth About The Coca-Cola Company Around the Globe, www.cokefacts.com/India/facts_in_keyfacts.shtml

  2 Email from The Coca-Cola Company to author

  3 Interview conducted by author

  4 ‘Independent, Third Party Assessment of Coca-Cola Facilities in India’, TERI Report, www.teriin.org/coke_files/FReport.pdf, page 128

  5 ibid, p. 128

  6 ibid, p. 128

  Chapter 11: The Fizz Man’s Burden

  1 Letter to the University of Michigan from The Coca-Cola Company, 11 January 2008, www.cokefacts.com/PressCenter/TERI_Michigan_Letter.pdf

  2 ibid

  3 ibid

  4 Email sent to author

  5 ibid

  6 Interview conducted by author

  7 ‘Independent, Third Party Assessment of Coca-Cola Facilities in India’, TERI Report, www.teriin.org/coke_files/FReport.pdf

  8 ibid

  9 Letter to the University of Michigan from The Coca-Cola Company, 11 January 2008, www.cokefacts.com/PressCenter/TERI_Michigan_Letter.pdf

  10 TERI report

  Chapter 12: Second Fattest in the Infants

  1 ‘Mexicans living fat, almost like Americans’, Oakland Tribune, 24 March 2008

  2 World Health Organisation, www.who.int/infobase/report.aspx?rid=114&iso=MEX&ind=BMI

  3 ‘Mexicans living fat, almost like Americans’, Oakland Tribune, 24 March 2008

  4 www.ustr.gov/assets/Trade_Agreements/Monitoring_Enforcement/Dispute_Settlement/WTO/Dispute_Settlement_Listings/asset_upload_file565_6449.pdf

  5 ‘In Mexico, Taking Fizz Out of the Cola Giants’, Los Angeles Times, 28 December 2005

  6 ‘Pepsi tackles childhood obesity with videogames in Mexico’, Guardian, 2 January 2008

  7 www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ourcompany/ar/percapitaconsumption_latin_america.html#mexico

  8 Controversial Sweetener Dropped from Mexican Coke Zero, Cox News Service, 18 March 2008

  9 fox.presidencia.gob.mx/en/cabinet/?contenido=18150

  10 Coca-Cola Refuses To Cut Advertising Spending In Mexico, Internet Securities, April 2001

  11 Interview conducted by author with Big Cola lawyer

  Chapter 13: Belching Out the Devil

  1 Huitepec, the Mayan Hill of Water, Coca-Cola’s Raid on a Sacred Mountain, John Ross 7 September 2007, www.counterpunch.org/ross09072007.html,

  2 Author interview with Antonino García

  3 Cola Wars in Mexico, Beverly Bell, In These Times, 6 October 2006, www.inthesetimes.com/article/2840/

  4 fox.presidencia.gob.mx/en/cabinet/development/?contenido=18150

  Chapter 14: We’re On a Road to Delaware

  1 www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/viewpoints_isdell_annual_meeting_2008.html

  2 Information on Ray’s campaign can be found at: www.killercoke.org

  3 Coca-Cola Annual Report SEC Filing 2007, www.secinfo.com/d14D5a.t18P7.b.htm

  4 www.ilo.org/global/lang—en/index.htm

  5 University of Michigan, Press and Media Relations Department, Questions and Answers re: Coca-Cola, Updated 11 April 2006, www.vpcomm.umich.edu/pa/key/coke_qa.html

  6 ‘The Facts: Coca-Cola and Columbia’, The Coca-Cola Company

  7 events.streamlogics.com/pmtv/coke/apr19-06/auditorium/ index.asp at 29:56

  8 www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ourcompany/bios/ bio_76.html

  9 Interview conducted by the author

  10 ‘Make Your Mark With Branding’, Ocala Business Journal, 21 April 2008, www.ocala.com/article/20080421/OBIZ/117317226/1357/obiz&title=Make_your_mark_with_branding

  Postscript

  1 ‘Coca-Cola to cut 256 jobs in Drogheda’, The Irish Times, 29 August 2007

  2 The Coca-Cola Company Press Release, 2 April 2008, www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20080402_timing_of_first_qtr_earnings.html

  3 www.idaireland.com/home/index.aspx?id=659

  4 www.finfacts.ie/irelandeconomy/usmultinationalprofitsireland.htm

  5 ‘Bono, Preacher on Poverty Tarnishes Halo with Irish Tax move,’ 6 Oct 2006, Fergal O’Brien, Bloomberg, www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aef6sR60. DgM&refer=home

  6 ‘Coca-Cola to move production to non-unionised plant’, www.eurofound.europa.eu/euro/2007/09/articles/ie0709079i/htm

  7 ‘Shock over Coca-Cola investment in Wexford’, 2 July 2008, Drogheda Independent, www.drogheda-independent.ie/news/shock-over-cocacola-investment-in-wexford-1431032.html

  Appendix B: Coke Q&A

  Initially I expected the company not to respond to any of the questions I put to them. I had chased Ed Potter, The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Workplace Rights Director. I had even negotiated with company personnel about ‘potentially answering questions’ but all of this faded to nothing and they returned to silent mode. However, Coke did resurface responding to a critical comment piece [by the NGO War on Want] in the Guardian newspaper by way of the letters page. As all other avenues of communication with them had been closed to me, I decided to write to the Guardian too.

  Guardian, Saturday 10 May 2008 Interesting to see Lauren Branston defending Coca-Cola against ‘alleged misdeeds in the past’ (Letters, May 8). Especially as I visited India last month to research the current accusations levelled at the company. Lauren and Coca-Cola have not been able to reply to these serious questions about their business practices. So here are a few of them, in the hope that I can get a reply now. 1) Didn’t Coca-Cola formally sponsor the TERI foundation, which carried out the ‘independent report’ Lauren refers to? 2) Despite this potential conflict, the report noted the company’s refusal to give crucial documents and data needed for a proper assessment of the company; are you going to make this data available? 3) The report says the company’s efforts to deal with the water crisis in Kaladera rely on rainwater harvesting - the company’s much-vaunted solution to its water consumption problems. However, the report also notes that rainwater harvesting relies on rainfall, so can you tell me where this rainfall comes from in a drought-prone area, ie, a place with not much rainfall? Even the report concludes the company’s efforts are ‘unlikely to be meaningful’. 4) The report lists possible options to address the water crisis in Kaladera - one of those is to shut the Coke plant down. Any chance you will follow the report’s advice? 5) Should I send other questions for Lauren to answer via the Guardian letters page?

  Mark Thomas

  London

  The company did not respond to the Guardian letter, however, after a series of emails to the company detailing questions for them, they agreed to provide some answers. You can get a flavour of the correspondence between us from the two emails below.

  Dear Mark, Thanks for your email with another set of questions, which I would like to reassure you that we are working on. I am happy to come back to you once, to all your questions and will endeavour to meet your deadline of the 8th of July, however, I hope you understand that this involves a lot of work, pulling together answers from questions directed to our operations in many different countries around the world on important, and complex issues.

  Moreover, I have to tell you that when you say ‘these are all the questions I have at the moment’, I have to say to you - we will not continue to answer your questions ad nauseam. I would suggest that if you have any further questions you submit them now (and we will let you know how quickly we can come back to you with answers, which will most likely be later than the 8th of July, at this stage).

  Best wishes,

  Lauren

  Dear Lauren

  Thanks for your mail. I understand you’re very busy and that you will need to contact your colleagues abroad for some of the answers. I appreciate your efforts to find these answers. If I do have any other quest
ions I will send them to you in the hope that you will be able to do your best with them.

  Moreover, I should remind you that the Company has responded to precisely none of the questions for the book, some of which were submitted well over a month ago. Thus the use of the term ad nauseam, meaning a sickening or excessive degree, might be more appropriate for example in a phrase like, ‘The Company prevaricated ad nauseam’.

  Kindest Regards

  Mark

  Eventually the Company sent over their responses. Here are their answers reproduced word to word with my questions included. There is one unexpected bonus: when the Company sent over their replies to the allegations about Colombia, they accidentally included their lawyers’ strikethroughs and comments - so you get a chance to see how they finessed their answers and spot the odd line the company deemed unfit for public consumption. Enjoy…and a hearty thank you to whoever left them in.

  Colombia

  Note: Since our bottlers are separate companies that are not controlled by The Coca-Cola Company, the responses below are necessarily based on information available to The Coca-Cola Company and our subsidiary in Colombia. W do not purport to speak for the independent bottlers.÷

  1) Has The Coca-Cola Company *itself * ever issued any public statements or taken out any advertising defending the right to unionize and/or to denounce the violence directed against SINALTRAINAL? If so, may we see a copy of these statements?

  Representatives of The Coca-Cola Company in Colombia meet regularly with Vice President Francisco Santos and members of the Human Rights Office of the Vice Presidency, to keep them informed of our challenges and initiatives, to reiterate the Company’s strong support of efforts to eradicate violence of any kind, including violence directed at union organizers, and to requestthe Government’s assistance inprotecting union leaders inbottling plants and,the timely and thorough investigation of any incidents of violence reported by the trade unions. Company representativesalso have met regularly with the Minister of Social Protection (Labor) and the Defensor del Pueblo (Ombudsman) on similar topics, and with the Minister of the Interior, who manages the government’s protection program for union leaders (with funds from Plan Colombia).

 

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