[Coca-Cola is Scaling Back its Packaging Sustainability Goals, Outraging Environmental Activists
Coca-Cola has announced that it is scaling back its packaging sustainability goals, including a reduction from its previous goal of using 50% recycled material in packaging by 2030 to 35% to 40% by 2035. The company also dropped its goal of recycling the plastic equivalent of every bottle it puts out into the world, replacing it with a new target to “ensure the collection” of 70% to 75% of bottles and cans entering the market each year.
The changes have been met with outrage from environmental activists, who call the new goals “short-sighted, irresponsible, and worthy of widespread condemnation.” The non-profit Break Free from Plastic says that Coca-Cola’s latest move is “a masterclass in greenwashing, ditching previously announced reuse targets, and choosing to flood the planet with more plastic they can’t even collect and recycle effectively.”
The changes come as the company continues to produce record amounts of plastic, with the Minderoo Foundation reporting that companies are producing more plastic than ever despite claimed efforts to be more sustainable. Plastic is a major contributor to pollution, with 33,830 Coca-Cola bottles being found among the top 40 countries surveyed, often in public spaces such as parks and beaches.
Coca-Cola’s decision to reduce its sustainability goals has been met with criticism from environmental groups, with Oceana calling the changes “worrying” and “deserving of widespread condemnation.” The company has, however, pointed to its new bottles made from 100% recycled plastic as a move in the right direction, reducing plastic use by 83 million pounds in the US supply chain alone.
“We remain committed to building long-term business resilience and earning our social license to operate through our evolved voluntary environmental goals,” said Bea Perez, executive vice president for sustainability and strategic partnerships for the Coca-Cola Company. “These challenges are complex and require us to drive more effective and efficient resource allocation and work collaboratively with partners to deliver lasting positive impact.”
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