Nov. 7, 2007 Fiji Water has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions from manufacturing by 25% and offset 120% of remaining emissions through land conservation and renewable energy projects resulting in what the company calls a "net reduction" of carbon in the atmosphere.

By 2010, Fiji Water aims to reduce its CO2 emissions 25%, use 20% less packaging for its products, and source 50% of the energy required for manufacturing from renewables. The company says it will also cut waste from its production facility in Fiji by a third.

Fiji Water is partnering with Conservation International (CI) to develop a carbon offset plan that will also benefit local communities and biodiversity on the island of Fiji. The plan will account for all product lifecycle carbon emissions from raw materials production through post-consumer handling of Fiji Water products.

The partnership with CI also includes a conservation program to permanently protect the Sovi Basin, the largest remaining lowland rainforest in Fiji, from logging.

The bottled water industry has come under fire in recent months for its single-use plastic bottles whicha, though recyclable, often end up in landfills. In an interview with the New York Times, Thomas Mooney, Fiji Waters first senior vice president for sustainable growth, says that the company's offset initiative had been in the works for a while, but the summers media environment prompted Fiji to rethink the value of publicizing its efforts.

FIJI Water's efforts to boost post-consumer recycling rates include advocating for legislation to expand curbside recycling programs and pass "bottle bills" that encourage consumers to recycle. In 2008, the company plans to launch a new section on its corporate website to educate consumers and policymakers about plastics recycling opportunities.

We are a small brand, but we are raising the bar for the entire industry on how we should operate, says Mooney. If wed announced this six months ago, wed be solving a problem no one in our industry thought existed.