As per the global brand assessment conducted under the name ‘Break Free From Plastic,’ Coca-Cola has been named as the worst plastic polluter for the fifth year in a row. The other top three polluters in the list of global plastic pollution are PepsiCo and Nestle. Quite surprisingly, Coca-Cola is one of the sponsors of COP27 which held its 27th Conference on Climate Change in Egypt in November 2022.
Several climate activists expressed their dissent when COP27 announced their partnership with Coca-Cola in September 2022. They had a valid point as the company was found to be the worst plastic polluter in the last 5 consecutive years. Coca-Cola is estimated to produce around 120 billion single-use plastic bottles every year on average.
Image: Will Rose/Greenpeace
It must be noted that as much as 99% of this plastic is derived from fossil fuels which worsen both the plastic problem and the climate crisis. The company has failed to acknowledge this issue and has yet to figure out how they are going to solve the whole problem.
The Global Coordinator of Break Free From Plastic accused governments around the world of inaction to reduce plastic pollution and instead allowing such companies to greenwash their image on global platforms. PET and HDPE are the raw materials for most of such plastic waste and these are derived from fossil fuels such as natural gas and crude oil.
Also Read: Big Brands Have Failed to Meet Sustainability Targets
Earlier in March 2022, United Nations Environment Agency hosted negotiations around a framework to deal with plastic pollution, though the talks have not been implemented at the grass root level. In 2018, the United Nations launched New Plastics Economy Global Commitment which extended voluntary sign-up by consumer companies.
This was targeted toward companies that were known as the biggest plastic polluters. As per a report conducted in 2022, it was found that the set targets will not be completed for the upcoming years. It is quite evident how miserably we are failing the environment.
Via: EuroNews