In 2023, Coca-Cola was named the top plastic polluter in the world by environmental organization Break Free From Plastic.
Unfortunately for Coke, this distinction wasn’t new; they’d earned the label for six years straight – one the group says is based on a study of the most commonly discarded plastic items found in public places like parks or beaches.
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Now, recent revelations over Coke’s relationship with the plastic bottle have led to swift backlash from likeminded organizations.
Coca-Cola has announced it will scale back efforts underway to improve the sustainability of its packaging – and environmental groups are not happy.
Coca-Cola has modified its voluntary goals. The company had previously set out to use 50% recycled plastic materials in its products by 2030, but now says it will use 35 to 40% and not until 2035.
Additionally, Coke has modified a goal around recycling: originally, the company said it would “recycle the plastic equivalent of every bottle [it] put out into the world.” Now, according to CNN, the company says it will “‘ensure the collection’ of 70% to 75% bottles and cans entering the market every year without naming a specific timeline.”
And while the changes might seem gradual, many sustainability-minded groups are up and arms over what they see as a plastic pollution ticking time bomb – one that’s only getting worse.
The Minderoo Foundation says companies are producing record amounts of plastic despite stated efforts to be more sustainable.
The environmental group Oceana blasted Coca-Cola for its “short-sighted, irresponsible” change, with senior VP of strategic initiatives Matt Littlejohn adding that it “won’t make a dent” in the company’s overall plastic use. Meanwhile, Break Free from Plastic called the latest move “a master class in greenwashing.”
Bea Perez, executive vice president for sustainability and strategic partnerships for the Coca‑Cola Company, defended the company’s shifting targets, calling the challenges around plastic “complex,” adding that it requires Coca-Cola “to drive more effective and efficient resource allocation and work collaboratively with partners to deliver lasting positive impact.”
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