El Salvador: Expansion of SABMiller's plant, bottling for Coca-Cola, reportedly threatens access to water of locals; SABMiller responds
El Salvador is the country in Central America with the lowest water availability. The country also has no legislation recognizing the human right to water. In 1999, a bottling plant, producing for Coca-Cola, arrived to Nejapa. Since then, Industrias la Constancia, part of SABMiller, has enlarged the plant. According to a report from Alianza por la Solidaridad, if the latest request for enlarging the facilities is approved, the aquifer will be depleted in 27 years. The report also concludes that the negative social and environmental impacts of the bottling plant exceed the benefits for the local communities. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited SABMiller to respond to allegations regarding access to water.
The Business and Human Rights Resource Center also invited Coca-Cola to respond; Coca-Cola referred us to SABMiller´s response.
Full articles only available in Spanish here. The response is available in English below.