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Thanks in part to the consumer backlash against wasteful, unnecessary bottled water Nestle's sales figures are declining in the United States, Europe and Australia. The company has recently resorted to unorthodox, nay, illegal measures to maintain its stranglehold over the earth's vital food and water resources.
Thanks in part to the consumer backlash against wasteful, unnecessary bottled water Nestle's sales figures are declining in the United States, Europe and Australia. The company has recently resorted to unorthodox, nay, illegal measures to maintain its stranglehold over the earth's vital food and water resources. Even before the company's share of the bottled water business fell by two percent in the west in 2011, Nestle ripped a page from a James Bond villain's playbook, turning to good old-fashioned espionage to protect its corporate interests.

Last week, the Civil Tribunal of Lausanne, Switzerland, found Nestle guilty of hiring a private security firm to spy on the activities of the Swiss activist group ATTAC, in what has aptly come to be known as "Nestlegate." The tribunal charged the company with "unlawful violation of the rights of the person" after the company hired Sara Meylan to infiltrate and gather information on the anti-globalization group.
This is not the first time a corporation has adopted these tactics, nor, sadly is it likely to be the last. Several years ago, Mother Jones reported that corporations had hired a private security firm run by former U.S. Secret Service agents to spy on environmental groups, and in 2011, Greenpeace sued Dow Chemical Company and Sasol North America for seeking to undermine campaigns against genetically engineered foods and chemical pollution.
While inexcusable and unscrupulous, these actions underscore the effectiveness of activist movements. After all, corporations wouldn't pour untold amounts of money into covert ops if they didn't think their market share was at risk from consumer backlash against their products and practices.
Nestle has long dug into its deep pockets to bend public policy to its will, but its battle against ATTAC reeks of desperation. There's a very fine line between selling out natural resources and tramping upon individual civil liberties, and Nestle appears perfectly comfortable with both.
Luckily, there is something you can do about this. Use your wallet to take a stand against Nestle's shady practices by choosing tap water over bottled, whenever you can. Our Take Back the Tap resources will show you how.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Thanks in part to the consumer backlash against wasteful, unnecessary bottled water Nestle's sales figures are declining in the United States, Europe and Australia. The company has recently resorted to unorthodox, nay, illegal measures to maintain its stranglehold over the earth's vital food and water resources. Even before the company's share of the bottled water business fell by two percent in the west in 2011, Nestle ripped a page from a James Bond villain's playbook, turning to good old-fashioned espionage to protect its corporate interests.

Last week, the Civil Tribunal of Lausanne, Switzerland, found Nestle guilty of hiring a private security firm to spy on the activities of the Swiss activist group ATTAC, in what has aptly come to be known as "Nestlegate." The tribunal charged the company with "unlawful violation of the rights of the person" after the company hired Sara Meylan to infiltrate and gather information on the anti-globalization group.
This is not the first time a corporation has adopted these tactics, nor, sadly is it likely to be the last. Several years ago, Mother Jones reported that corporations had hired a private security firm run by former U.S. Secret Service agents to spy on environmental groups, and in 2011, Greenpeace sued Dow Chemical Company and Sasol North America for seeking to undermine campaigns against genetically engineered foods and chemical pollution.
While inexcusable and unscrupulous, these actions underscore the effectiveness of activist movements. After all, corporations wouldn't pour untold amounts of money into covert ops if they didn't think their market share was at risk from consumer backlash against their products and practices.
Nestle has long dug into its deep pockets to bend public policy to its will, but its battle against ATTAC reeks of desperation. There's a very fine line between selling out natural resources and tramping upon individual civil liberties, and Nestle appears perfectly comfortable with both.
Luckily, there is something you can do about this. Use your wallet to take a stand against Nestle's shady practices by choosing tap water over bottled, whenever you can. Our Take Back the Tap resources will show you how.
Thanks in part to the consumer backlash against wasteful, unnecessary bottled water Nestle's sales figures are declining in the United States, Europe and Australia. The company has recently resorted to unorthodox, nay, illegal measures to maintain its stranglehold over the earth's vital food and water resources. Even before the company's share of the bottled water business fell by two percent in the west in 2011, Nestle ripped a page from a James Bond villain's playbook, turning to good old-fashioned espionage to protect its corporate interests.

Last week, the Civil Tribunal of Lausanne, Switzerland, found Nestle guilty of hiring a private security firm to spy on the activities of the Swiss activist group ATTAC, in what has aptly come to be known as "Nestlegate." The tribunal charged the company with "unlawful violation of the rights of the person" after the company hired Sara Meylan to infiltrate and gather information on the anti-globalization group.
This is not the first time a corporation has adopted these tactics, nor, sadly is it likely to be the last. Several years ago, Mother Jones reported that corporations had hired a private security firm run by former U.S. Secret Service agents to spy on environmental groups, and in 2011, Greenpeace sued Dow Chemical Company and Sasol North America for seeking to undermine campaigns against genetically engineered foods and chemical pollution.
While inexcusable and unscrupulous, these actions underscore the effectiveness of activist movements. After all, corporations wouldn't pour untold amounts of money into covert ops if they didn't think their market share was at risk from consumer backlash against their products and practices.
Nestle has long dug into its deep pockets to bend public policy to its will, but its battle against ATTAC reeks of desperation. There's a very fine line between selling out natural resources and tramping upon individual civil liberties, and Nestle appears perfectly comfortable with both.
Luckily, there is something you can do about this. Use your wallet to take a stand against Nestle's shady practices by choosing tap water over bottled, whenever you can. Our Take Back the Tap resources will show you how.