France’s Strasbourg Prosecutors said on Tuesday that Nestle’s water division, which makes brands like Perrier, will pay 2 million euros ($2.2 million) to end French investigations into illicit wells and mineral water treatment.
The non-prosecution agreement was described as the “biggest concerning the environment signed in France to date” by Frederic Nahon, the prosecutor for the eastern town of Epinal.
The agreement ends initial investigations into the fraudulent and unauthorised use of wells to filter mineral waters, which is prohibited in France, where mineral waters are meant to be naturally occurring.
The Swiss company, which also owns the water brands Vittel and San Pellegrino, will invest 1.1 million euros over two years in environmental restoration initiatives in the French towns where it operates.
The prosecutor argued that Nestle’s cooperation with the investigation, compliance with the law, and lack of any negative effects on public health made the non-prosecution agreement appropriate. He stated that the agreement “encourages a faster conclusion, remediation of the environmental damage, and compensation of several parties, while sanctioning the unauthorised activities that were found.”
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