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21
May
Leading environmentalist accuses Harrogate Spring Water of ‘blatant, utterly uncaring hypocrisy’
Environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt has accused Harrogate Spring Water of ‘blatant, utterly uncaring hypocrisy’ in a blistering attack on the company.
Sir Jonathon, a former director of Friends of the Earth who has acted as King Charles III’s environmental adviser, said Harrogate Spring Water’s plans to destroy 500 trees to expand its bottling plant were a “cut-and-dried case of deforestation” by a company that has pledged to be deforestation-free.
North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning commitee rejected the firm’s expansion plans on April 17.
It did so even though a professional planning officer at the local authority recommended approval.
Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French multinational Danone, has yet to say whether it will appeal the verdict – a move that could land taxpayers’ with a hefty legal bill.
In a blog post, Sir Jonathon said:
I hate greenwashing companies almost as much as I hate the out-and-out, don’t-give-a-shit planet-trashers. So, when I heard what Danone was up to at its Harrogate Spring Water bottling plant, I found myself swearing out loud.
Twenty years ago, local school children in that vicinity planted a four-acre community woodland. It’s much loved. A lot of those kids, now grown up, still live locally, still feel deeply connected. But Danone/Harrogate Spring Water care nothing about that. They need to expand their bottling plant, so the woodland’s trees have to go – and council officers at North Yorkshire Council have recommended that local councillors should approve the proposal.
So: a cut-and-dried case of deforestation. Replacing an established woodland with an industrial development. 1,300 objections have been submitted by people unpersuaded by Danone’s promise to plant 490 new trees very close to the woodland that will be lost – as well as a further 3,000 trees around the district.
And this is where the greenwashing kicks in: Danone is committed to being 100% deforestation-free in its supply chains by 2030 – and claims to be more than 97% of the way there. And it bangs on and on about its forest positive credentials.
Sir Jonathon's blog went on to say the plans were part of a wider pattern of corporate behaviour.
He said:
This kind of blatant, utterly uncaring hypocrisy goes on day after day – and the whole idea of corporate sustainability now finds itself at a very low ebb indeed.
A lot of corporate sustainability-related activity isn’t very useful anyway. A report from IBM last year showed that spending on sustainability reporting exceeds companies’ spending on sustainability innovation by 43%. And without that innovation, no amount of often formulaic, box-ticking reporting will make a dime of difference.
'Consistent with Danone's commitments'
Harrogate Spring Water already has outline planning permission to expand its factory on Harlow Moor Road, meaning the principle of development has been established.
But its subsequent reserved matters application, finalising the details, has now been rejected twice, and it cannot proceed until it is ratified.
Harrogate Spring Water has six months from the council’s decision to decide whether to appeal.
Asked if it will do so, a spokesperson said: “We remain confident in our plans and will carefully consider next steps.”
The company has said the scheme will create 50 jobs and inject £17 million a year into the northern economy.
Asked to comment on Sir Jonathon’s blog, the spokesperson said:
Throughout the planning process, we worked constructively with council officers and listened closely to community concerns, including committing to creating a new, publicly accessible two acre woodland connected to the Pinewoods, planting 491 native and more mature trees, and delivering around 3,000 trees across the district – six times more than would be lost.
These plans are consistent with Danone's commitments globally to sustainable, responsible development, including its renewed forest policy.
Ultimately, our goal remains to balance sustainable development and economic growth with care for the local environment and community.
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