2021-06-02
VOLVIC - After a Libération investigation into illegal dumping grounds of Nestlé Waters in Vittel, the mineral water giant is forced to act more transparently. In Vosges Matin its management admits their responsibility for nine illegal landfills and announces a draft action plan to remove its waste.
This investigation was conducted in France in the framework of the Waterstories.eu project with the support of Journalismfund's European Cross-Border Grants programme. It's a cross-border multimedia project about the European bottled water industry, initiated by We Report, a European network of investigative journalists. Eight members of the network from four different countries are working on concrete cases in France, Germany and Italy, where the most of Europe's bottled water is produced and consumed.
Nestlé's production manager, David Vivier, first admitted that nine landfills are in the territory. Five are open-air landfills for which "the solution would be quick to implement to clean them up". Four are buried sites, in They-sous-Montfort, Saint-Ouen-lès-Parey, Contrexéville and Crainvilliers, on which vegetation has grown back.
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