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Nestle CEO Says Water Is Food That Should Be Privatized

Henrin said:
You have a right to life, but do not have a right to anything that helps to sustain that life.
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Silliest comment yet.
 
He's probably right. Although it's clear he has a very vested interest in such a shift, kind of taints the message.

He made a similar argument about work. If you want more work, you work more. If you want more water, you work for it more. If it's handed out largely as a public service, it's never going to be efficient. Same arguments are made for health care in the U.S., etc.
 
Geoist said:
Exactly what vulgar libertarians and conservatives cannot seem to understand. It is a contradiction to say we have a right to life, but no right to access what sustains life.
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Geoist said:
Silliest comment yet.
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My comment was not silly and I'm hardly vulgar for what I said. The right to life deals with actions towards your life from other people, not the resources around you that may or may not be at your disposal.
 
Henrin said:
My comment was not silly and I'm hardly vulgar for what I said.
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'Vulgar libertarianism' is a reference to those who act like the existing marketplace is one that closely mimics how a TRUE free market works. Vulgar libertarians think they just because something is privately owned that it is 'justly' owned.



The right to life deals with actions towards your life from other people, not the resources around you that may or may not be at your disposal.
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There is no point in right to life when you have to ask for permission to use the resources NATURE provides.
 
Thus Cain and Abel, were there only two men on earth, might by agreement divide the earth between them. Under this compact each might claim exclusive right to his share as against the other. But neither could rightfully continue such claim against the next child born. For since no one comes into the world without God's permission, his presence attests his equal right to the use of God’s bounty. For them to refuse him any use of the earth which they had divided between them would therefore be for them to commit murder. And for them to refuse him any use of the earth, unless by laboring for them or by giving them part of the products of his labor he bought It of them, would be for them to commit theft. ~ Henry George, The Wages of Labor
 
Isn't it funny:

When we see a man have to live and work under the permission of a government we say he is being oppressed and denied his liberties.
When we see a man have to live and work under the permission of a landlord we say he is being treated fairly.
 
Helix said:
this is kind of old. dude made the comments in 2005, and stepped down in '08.

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

that being said, water is certainly a right. i don't give a **** if nestle sells bottled water for a profit, but i think we've privatized enough utilities already. i don't want my town water treatment turned into a quest for profits instead of a simple and safe delivery system.
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He is still chairman of the board of directors. (Board Of Directors | Nestlé Global)

In addition to this he is a member of the Foundation Board for the World Economic Forum (The Leadership Team | World Economic Forum - The Leadership Team), a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists (Members | European Round Table of Industrialists), and has attended Bilderberg meetings (http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/participants_2011.html)
 
DrunkenAsparagus said:
You know, it usually helps to actually watch the videos or read the links that people post before you go off on your preconceived notions about them. I didn't see where he called for privatizing water. He did say that everyone should have access to water, but that it should be charged for use like any other utility and assistance should be granted to those who can't afford it. If you give a damn about water conservation, this is a good idea. The cost would be low, but it will help with water usage during times of drought and probably bring down costs by encouraging people to cut down on waste.
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Actually he doesn't care about water for the people so much as he does for Nestle.

In a 2010 interview for BigThink, Brabeck noted: “If Nestlé and myself have become very vocal in the area of water, it was not because of any philanthropic idea, it was very simple: by analyzing… what is the single most important factor for the sustainability of Nestlé, water came as [the] number one subject.” This is what led Brabeck and Nestlé into the issue of water “sustainability,” he explained. “I think this is part of a company’s responsibility,” and added: “Now, if I was in a different industry, I would have a different subject, certainly, that I would be focusing on.”

Brabeck was asked if industries should “have a role in finding solutions to environmental issues that affect their business,” to which he replied: “Yes, because it is in the interest of our shareholders… If I want to convince my shareholders that this industry is a long-term sustainable industry, I have to ensure that all aspects that are vital for this company are sustainable… When I see, like in our case, that one of the aspects – which is water, which is needed in order to produce the raw materials for our company – if this is not sustainable, then my enterprise is not sustainable. So therefore I have to do something about it. So shareholder interest and societal interest are common.”​

Quote is from this article: “Human Beings Have No Right to Water� and other Words of Wisdom from Your Friendly Neighborhood Global Oligarch | Andrew Gavin Marshall

EDIT: Added in Big Think link.
 
radcen said:
Not sure where you get "most people". Except for when I lived in apartments, and water was included in the rent, I've always had a water meter and got charged according to volume of use.

I do know of a handful of cities that do not have meters and charge a flat rate, but they are the exception. And since I work in civil engineering, pretty much every project I have ever designed included a location for a water meter.
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Many places don't do this, especially in the developing world, where water scarcity is a much bigger issue than it is here.
 
Mr. Invisible said:
Actually he doesn't care about water for the people so much as he does for Nestle.

In a 2010 interview for BigThink, Brabeck noted: “If Nestlé and myself have become very vocal in the area of water, it was not because of any philanthropic idea, it was very simple: by analyzing… what is the single most important factor for the sustainability of Nestlé, water came as [the] number one subject.” This is what led Brabeck and Nestlé into the issue of water “sustainability,” he explained. “I think this is part of a company’s responsibility,” and added: “Now, if I was in a different industry, I would have a different subject, certainly, that I would be focusing on.”

Brabeck was asked if industries should “have a role in finding solutions to environmental issues that affect their business,” to which he replied: “Yes, because it is in the interest of our shareholders… If I want to convince my shareholders that this industry is a long-term sustainable industry, I have to ensure that all aspects that are vital for this company are sustainable… When I see, like in our case, that one of the aspects – which is water, which is needed in order to produce the raw materials for our company – if this is not sustainable, then my enterprise is not sustainable. So therefore I have to do something about it. So shareholder interest and societal interest are common.”​

Quote is from this article: “Human Beings Have No Right to Water� and other Words of Wisdom from Your Friendly Neighborhood Global Oligarch | Andrew Gavin Marshall

EDIT: Added in Big Think link.
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Of course he cares about his company's profits. That doesn't mean that he doesn't care about water sustainability as well. Candy and all other byproducts of agriculture require lots of water. Much of Nestle's ingredients, like cocoa and sugar, are grown in areas that are likely to see increased water scarcity in the near future. It's definitely in the company's interest to have sustainable water around the world or their costs will go up pretty significantly. I'm not defending Nestle. They have quite a few questionable business practices, but this is really a non-issue.
 
BMCM said:
The infrastructure and maintenance is paid for by tax money, not by Nestle. The materials and labor to put in the infrastructure was paid for by tax money, not by Nestle. The water you use in your home is paid for by you and brought to your home by tax money, not by Nestle. The water was / is in the ground or taken from a river. Nestle did not create the water in some chem lab or factory. Nestle CEO nor any other company has a claim to the water.
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He's not claiming ownership of any of that water. He's suggesting a policy change in which water would have a free market value.
 
What a bunch of nincompoops you all are. You have completely misunderstood what the CEO of Nestle was trying to say.

To paraphrase, he believes that water should have a market value, so that we are all aware it has a price. In that, he is absolutely correct. Water is a scarce resource, and the free market is one of the best mechanisms we have for managing scarcity.

He goes on to say that we should take specific measures for the part of the population that has no access to this water. I love how none of his detractors remembered to mention this little tidbit.
 
24107 said:
Do you believe water is a basic human right? According to Nestlé CEO water is a foodstuff that should be privatized, not a human right. ​
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If that's what he said then he is a typical left-wing fascist.​
 
We here do pay for water. The water supplying system is handled from the government and the fees are low.

But the way this asshole approaches the matter it sounds clearly exploitative (i.e., rip of the population with high prices for water). High prices in water when the water system is out has occurred in Africa when companies purchased the water supply system and privatized it. They doubled the price of water so as to exploit the situation to their favor to the point that people took to the streets and protested them away.

High prices in water bottles occurred in USA also as a matter of fact. During the heat in Texas area if I am not mistaken a water bottle was up to 5$ a friend of mine tells me. He had to relocate to more water rich areas because of that fact.
 
Peter Grimm said:
What a bunch of nincompoops you all are. You have completely misunderstood what the CEO of Nestle was trying to say.

To paraphrase, he believes that water should have a market value, so that we are all aware it has a price. In that, he is absolutely correct. Water is a scarce resource, and the free market is one of the best mechanisms we have for managing scarcity.

He goes on to say that we should take specific measures for the part of the population that has no access to this water. I love how none of his detractors remembered to mention this little tidbit.
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Bulls eye... especially the bolded section.
 
Mr. Invisible said:
He is still chairman of the board of directors. (Board Of Directors | Nestlé Global)

In addition to this he is a member of the Foundation Board for the World Economic Forum (The Leadership Team | World Economic Forum - The Leadership Team), a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists (Members | European Round Table of Industrialists), and has attended Bilderberg meetings (http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/participants_2011.html)
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it must be a sad existance to have to look at everything in life as something that can be wrung out and manipulated for personal profit. luckily, most of us reject the extreme examples of that mentality.
 
DDD said:
We here do pay for water. The water supplying system is handled from the government and the fees are low.

But the way this asshole approaches the matter it sounds clearly exploitative (i.e., rip of the population with high prices for water). High prices in water when the water system is out has occurred in Africa when companies purchased the water supply system and privatized it. They doubled the price of water so as to exploit the situation to their favor to the point that people took to the streets and protested them away.

High prices in water bottles occurred in USA also as a matter of fact. During the heat in Texas area if I am not mistaken a water bottle was up to 5$ a friend of mine tells me. He had to relocate to more water rich areas because of that fact.
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How do you know the government fees are low? Are they low because you don't object to paying them or perhaps you've done a market scan of your area and feel that you are getting a value compared to other area communities? What is the quality of your water and against what standard is the quality based? When government has to play by a set of rules and then also gets to set the rules of what is acceptable, that is problematic to me. I'd rather have the government set the rules and then make sure that everyone plays by those set of rules.

Think about that.
 
BMCM said:
The infrastructure and maintenance is paid for by tax money, not by Nestle. The materials and labor to put in the infrastructure was paid for by tax money, not by Nestle. The water you use in your home is paid for by you and brought to your home by tax money, not by Nestle. The water was / is in the ground or taken from a river. Nestle did not create the water in some chem lab or factory. Nestle CEO nor any other company has a claim to the water.
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You didn't disprove what chuckberry said, you confirmed it. Chuck didn't say it belonged to Nestle, he said you have to pay for it or produce it yourself (i.e., dig for it in the case of water).
 
AliHajiSheik said:
How do you know the government fees are low? Are they low because you don't object to paying them or perhaps you've done a market scan of your area and feel that you are getting a value compared to other area communities?
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I have never heard anyone ever anywhere in Dardania complain about high water fees in my life. They are that low.

AliHajiSheik said:
What is the quality of your water and against what standard is the quality based?
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I do not have the resources. But since the USA army is here it seems that it made research on this during the early 2000s. According to that research that I only heard about the quality is better than bottle water used in USA and for their troops in Afghanistan.

AliHajiSheik said:
When government has to play by a set of rules and then also gets to set the rules of what is acceptable, that is problematic to me. I'd rather have the government set the rules and then make sure that everyone plays by those set of rules.

Think about that.
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That may be problematic to you but perhaps there is greater trust and good will in different governments rather than USA. What if the one's in charge here set the rules that are great and play by them also?
 
DDD said:
I have never heard anyone ever anywhere in Dardania complain about high water fees in my life. They are that low.



I do not have the resources. But since the USA army is here it seems that it made research on this during the early 2000s. According to that research that I only heard about the quality is better than bottle water used in USA and for their troops in Afghanistan.



That may be problematic to you but perhaps there is greater trust and good will in different governments rather than USA. What if the one's in charge here set the rules that are great and play by them also?
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Maybe, maybe not: Investigation of Drinking Water Quality in Kosovo
 
Peter Grimm said:
To paraphrase, he believes that water should have a market value, so that we are all aware it has a price.
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Most of us are aware of a price to water. Its called a utility bill.
 
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