Coke in India
Coca-Cola is Guilty of:• Causing Severe Water Shortages in Communities Across India.
• Polluting Groundwater and Soil Around its Bottling Facilities.
• Distributing its Toxic Waste as ‘Fertilizer' to Farmers.
• Selling Drinks with High Levels of Pesticides in India, including DDT - sometimes 30 times higher than EU standards.
Communities living around Coca-Cola's bottling facilities are facing severe hardships. A majority of the community members affected by Coca-Cola's indiscriminate practices are also some of the most marginalized communities in India - Indigenous Peoples, lower castes, low-income and agricultural day-laborers.
Women forced to walk long distances for water due to the actions of Coca Cola.
Water and land is central to agriculture and over 70% of Indians make a living related to agriculture. Water scarcity and polluted soil and water created by Coca-Cola has directly resulted in crop failures - leading to a loss of livelihood for thousands of people in India. More than half of India 's population lives below the poverty line , and disrupting farming is a matter of life and death for many in India. Ironically, communities most impacted by Coca-Cola's bottling operations cannot even afford to buy Coca-Cola products.
Coca-Cola's indiscriminate pollution of the common groundwater source is a major long-term problem. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to clean the groundwater resource through technology, and future generations are now subjected to drinking polluted waters courtesy Cola. Or they can install water pipes to their homes and pay for clean drinking water, which most cannot afford to do.
Distribution of toxic waste as fertilizer to farmers around its bottling facilities has created a public health nightmare. The long term consequences of exposure to the toxic waste is not yet known and the worst is yet to come.
Thousands of people all across India are protesting Coca-Cola's operations in India . Led primarily by women, Adivasis (Indigenous Peoples), Dalits (lower castes), agricultural laborers and farmers, a significant grassroots movement has emerged in India to hold Coca-Cola accountable for its crimes in India and internationally.