To what extent would a social and environmental audit help Coca-Cola to answer its critics - Essay Example

An independent study by Exeter University on the sludge released from Coca Cola Company reveals that the sludge that Coca Cola has been dumping on the land has traces of chemicals that are not safe for human consumption. That result invalidates any claim by Coca Cola that the waste material is not harmful to human beings. It exposes Coca Cola’s operations in India as unethical. In fact, Exeter’s research is also supported narrowly by study results from the local state laboratories who have positively confirmed the sludge indeed has chemicals.

These two findings put any claim of honesty by Coca Cola about the state of its operations in India’s Kerala state as unreliable. Coca Cola cannot be trusted to give an audit of itself without attempting to sweep its ethical filth below the carpet to avoid possible repercussions. No man can be a judge in his own case (Layzer, 2011). The reliability of claims by those who oppose Coca Cola’s activities can also be assessed through the prism of facts, exaggeration and hidden interest in the matter.

The study reveals that since the Coca Cola opened up in the region, locals have complained about the amount of water they can access. Since water is such a necessity in human lives, and since the complaints have been there since the company began its operations, claims about the drop in the volumes of water seem justifiable. One can say that the villagers are honest to say that the setting up of the company has affected the volumes of waters in the region. That is because water is a commodity used daily in human life and any event that affects its accessibility is easily noticed.

The locals can also be justified in their claims that their livelihoods have been destroyed since the building of the plant in the region. It would appear that the huge amounts of water needed for sustainability of the lives of locals has been grossly interfered with in the aftermath of