Nestl is facing mounting pressure as Perrier water sales have taken a nosedive, while a high-profile environmental case against the Swiss company has been postponed amid growing public scrutiny.
Perrier, once the sparkling jewel in Nestl's bottled water crown, is feeling the sting of a major consumer backlash.
Following revelations of environmental misconduct byNestl Waters, sales of Perrier have taken a sharp dive down 14 percent since January and a staggering 23 percent compared to this time last year.
The slump follows investigative reports by Le Mondenewspaper and Radio France, which uncovered serious breaches in Nestls water bottling operations.
The fallout has been swift. While the bottled water sector overall is seeing a modest rebound up 2.5 percent in early 2025 thanks to amilder springPerriers decline is notably out of step with the rest of the market.
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Consumers switching brands
This isnt a sector-wide crisis, said Christophe Lekieffre, general delegate of the Syndicate of Spring and Natural Mineral WatersSESEMN. The market is growing again, and clearly consumers are simply switching to other brands.
While still and sparkling water sales dipped slightly in 2024, the broader market hasnt suffered nearly as much as Perrier.
The drop in Perrier sales once a household staple signals that brand loyalty is no match for environmental concerns in todays market.
Nestl court case post-poned
The backlash comes amid a growing legal headache for Nestl.
A high-profile trial, where Nestl Waters faces charges forillegal waste dumpingin the Vosges region, was due to begin this week.
However, a court in Nancy has postponed proceedings to November due to late summons and an unexpectedly large list of witnesses.
Nestl is accused of maintaining four massive illegal dumps, containing over 470,000 cubic metres of waste roughly equivalent to 126 Olympic swimming pools.
French government accused of top-level cover-up in Nestl water scandal
The waste includes everything from plastic and demolition debris to vehicle parts and glass.
Prosecutors say the environmental damage is serious, withreports of microplasticscontaminating surface and groundwater, harming ecosystems and potentially human health.
The company maintains that the waste predates its ownership and claims to have cleaned up most of the affected sites.
The court proceedings are expected to delve deeper into the practices highlighted in a recentSenate report, which also accused state bodies of a cover-up.
Originally published on RFI
