Coca-Cola Faces Backlash After Revising Reusable Packaging Commitments

ATLANTA, December 3, 2024 – La Coca-Cola ​The company is ​reviewed by environmental organizations following its decision to reduce its reusable packaging ​targets. The alcohol giant had previously promised that by 2030, 25% of its overall volume ​of beverages would be sold in reusable or notifiable ​containers. However, recent reports indicate that ​this ​commitment has been eliminated in silence from the company’s official communications.

In 2022, Coca-Cola announced an ambitious ​goal of significantly increasing the ​use of reusable containers, with the aim of distributing a quarter of its beverages ​worldwide ​in glass ​or plastic bottles that are either repairable or reimbursable, or ​through reusable container source distributors by 2030. This initiative was welcomed by environmental groups as a positive step towards reducing plastic waste. However, the company’s latest environmental objectives, published ​on December 2, 2024, clearly fail to mention this ​25% reusable ​packaging target.

Environmental groups expressed deep disappointment at Coca-Cola’s revised position. Oceana, an organisation dedicated to the ​conservation of the oceans, criticized the company for ​abandoning its objectives of reduction and reuse, ​in particular in light of the blocking of ​international negotiations on a plastic treaty. Matt Littlejohn, Senior Vice-President of Ocean Strategic Initiatives, described Coca-Cola’s decision as ​”short-sighted” and “responsible,” noting that it ​could bring billions of single-use plastic bottles that contaminate oceans ​and waterways.

In addition to ​the controversy, Los Angeles County sued Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in October 2024, accusing both companies of ​misleading ​consumers of the recycling of their plastic ​bottles and ​minimizing environmental ​damage caused ​by ​plastic pollution. The application states that Coca-Cola’s marketing practices have created a false impression of environmental responsibility, while the ​company’s actions contribute significantly to plastic waste.

The environmental ​impact of Coca-Cola is a long-standing concern. ​The company ​produces more than 3 million tonnes of plastic packaging per year, or more than 110 billion plastic bottles per year. Environmental ​audits have repeatedly ​identified ​Coca-Cola as the world’s first plastic ​polluter, ​often found as a litre on beaches and oceans. ​Despite previous commitments to increase the use ​of recycled materials and improve ​recycling efforts, recent adjustments to ​company policy suggest that these environmental responsibilities should be removed.

In response to the regression, Coca-Cola stated that it remains committed to environmental ​sustainability and is committed to increasing the use of recycled materials in its packaging. The company plans to invest in reusable packaging in markets where the necessary infrastructure exists. However, critics argue that these measures are insufficient and that the ​company must take more substantial ​measures to deal with the growing plastic pollution crisis.

The review of Coca-Cola’s ​reusable packaging targets ​is part of the fight against plastic pollution. Recent negotiations for a United Nations treaty to reduce plastic waste ​had encountered major obstacles and countries struggling to reach consensus on binding measures. In this context, ecologists point out that corporate leadership is crucial to achieving significant change. They call on Coca-Cola to ​meet its previous commitments and to play a proactive role in reducing plastic waste in order ​to protect the environment for future generations.