Coca-Cola says it will not phase out its plastic bottles. Roberto Machado Noa / LightRocket / Getty Images
Despite its status as the world's No. 1 corporate plastic polluter, Coca-Cola won't be phasing out its single-use plastic bottles anytime soon.
<p>The reason? Customers like them too much, the company's head of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability" target="_self">sustainability</a> Bea Perez told <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51197463" target="_blank">BBC News</a> at the World Economic Forum in Davos Tuesday. Perez said that customers value the bottles because they are lightweight and easily reseal, and argued that getting rid of them would hurt sales.</p><p>"Business won't be in business if we don't accommodate consumers," she said.</p><p>Instead, the company plans to focus on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/recycling" target="_self">recycling</a>. It has promised to recycle as many bottles as it uses by 2030, to use 50 percent recycled materials in packaging by that date and to work with nonprofits to better collect its waste.</p><p>"So as we change our bottling infrastructure, move into recycling and innovate, we also have to show the consumer what the opportunities are. They will change with us," Perez said.</p><p>However, environmental groups have argued that recycling is not the most effective solution to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastic-pollution" target="_self">plastic pollution</a> crisis. In a statement emailed to EcoWatch, <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/" target="_blank">Greenpeace USA</a> Plastics Campaigner Kate Melges explained exactly what she thought was wrong with Perez's reasoning:</p>
<blockquote>It is mighty convenient for the world's worst plastic polluter to insist that people want their single-use plastic around. Coca-Cola continues to show how out of touch it is with the environmental crises communities around the world are facing. The solution is not to simply swap one throwaway material for another or continue to fall back on recycling. The solution is for Coca-Cola and other consumer goods giants to fundamentally rethink how they're bringing products to people, centering systems of reuse and package-free options. We cannot afford the levels of inaction that Coke has shown thus far. Soon, the company will realize just how sick and tired people are of its plastic addiction.<br><br>As long as companies like Coke keep pushing the myth that their bottles are being turned into new bottles over and over again, we are never going to solve the plastic pollution crisis. In the U.S., only 29 percent of plastic bottles are collected for recycling, and almost none of that is being made back into bottles. Instead, Coke's plastic bottles are being made from fossil fuels, which is a fact they'd rather not talk about.</blockquote><p>Coca-Cola currently produces around three million tonnes (approximately 3.3 million U.S. tons) of plastic packaging every year, according to BBC News. That comes to 200,000 bottles a minute. And currently, many of those bottles are not getting recycled.</p><p>For two years in a row, the <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/" target="_blank">Break Free From Plastic</a> movement <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coke-pepsi-plastic-polluters-2641090767.html" target="_self">found</a> Coca-Cola to be the brand best represented among the world's plastic waste. Their most recent October 2019 <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2019/" target="_blank">report</a>, based on litter collected in 484 cleanups in more than 50 countries and on six continents, found that Coca-Cola left more waste than the next three companies on the list ― Nestle, Pepsi and snack-maker Mondelez ― put together.</p><p>Worldwide, people use <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/recycling-plastic-reality-2615116844.html" target="_self">one million plastic bottles every minute</a>, and 91 percent of them are not recycled. Some of that unrecycled waste joins the more than <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/8-million-metric-tons-of-plastic-dumped-into-worlds-oceans-each-year-1882012563.html" target="_self">eight million metric tons of plastic</a> dumped into the world's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">oceans</a> every year, threatening <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>.</p><p>"[C]orporations urgently need to do more to address the plastic pollution crisis they've created," Von Hernandez, global coordinator of the Break Free From Plastic movement, said in October. "Their continued reliance on single-use plastic packaging translates to pumping more throwaway plastic into the environment. Recycling is not going to solve this problem."</p>
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Greenpeace activists at the Suwung landfill in Bali, Indonesia. Jurnasyanto Sukarno / Greenpeace
The biggest food, drink and consumer brands—including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Unilever and H&M—joined a global campaign on Monday to tackle plastic waste.
The "New Plastics Economy Global Commitment," spearheaded by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was "cautiously welcomed" by some environmental groups, who say the initiative does not go far enough to halt the planet's mounting plastic crisis.
<p>
The pledge was signed by more than 250 businesses, governments and other organizations around the world, under a vision of eliminating unnecessary and problematic plastics, as well as building a circular economy for the material. It sets a 2025 target to make 100 percent of all plastic packaging either reusable, recyclable or compostable.
</p><p>
The announcement was officially unveiled at the start of the fifth-annual
<a href="https://ourocean2018.org/" target="_blank">Our Ocean Conference</a> in Bali, Indonesia. The <a href="https://newplasticseconomy.org/projects/global-commitment#whos-involved" target="_blank">signatories</a>—which also include L'Oreal, Walmart, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pepsi" target="_self">PepsiCo</a>, SC Johnson, plastics producers Amcor and Novamont, the governments of Austin, Texas, the UK, Chile and more—will report on their progress annually. Their targets will be reviewed every 18 months and will become increasingly ambitious over time.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="13558" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="N3X2261576683788"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056814856513482752" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today we announce the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Over 250 businesses, governments and other organisati… https://t.co/f7S0emusdY</div> — New Plastics Economy (@New Plastics Economy)<a href="https://twitter.com/NewPlasticsEcon/statuses/1056814856513482752">1540799271.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
In a
<a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/line-sand-global-commitment-eliminate-plastic-pollution-source" target="_blank">press release</a>, UNEP head Erik Solheim called the global commitment "the most ambitious set of targets we have seen yet in the fight to beat plastics pollution."
</p><p>
The commitment is supported by the
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank">World Wide Fund</a> for Nature (WWF), and is endorsed by the World Economic Forum and The Consumer Goods Forum, which represents about 400 retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries, and 40 universities, institutions and academics.
</p><p>
<span></span>"This Global Commitment is a step-change we urgently need in order to move from a linear to a circular economy. We want to act and lead by example. We will do our part to ensure that none of our packaging, including plastics, ends up in the natural environment," Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider said in a press release emailed to EcoWatch.
</p><p>
<span></span>Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Danone were recently identified as some of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/worst-plastic-polluting-companies-2611144880.html" target="_blank">world's biggest producers of plastic trash</a> in global cleanups and brand audits organized by <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/" target="_blank">Greenpeace</a> and the <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/" target="_blank">Break Free From Plastic</a> movement.
</p><p>
"While elements of the EMF Global Commitment are moving in the right direction, the problem is that companies are given the flexibility to continue prioritizing recycling over reduction and reuse," Greenpeace Indonesia global project leader Ahmad Ashov said in a statement provided to EcoWatch. "Corporations are not required to set actual targets to reduce the total amount of single-use plastics they are churning out. They can simply continue with business as usual after signing the commitment."
</p><p>
"Our recent report '<a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/publication/19007/a-crisis-of-convenience-the-corporations-behind-the-plastics-pollution-pandemic/" target="_blank">A Crisis of Convenience</a>,' reveals that 11 of the largest consumer goods companies' current plans allow them to increase their use of single-use plastics and none have set clear elimination or reduction targets," Ashov added.
</p><p>
Greenpeace is calling on the signatories to deliver on all of the following actions:
</p><ul class="ee-ul">
<li>Set ambitious and accountable targets to reduce single-use plastics.</li>
<li>Act immediately to eliminate excessive and problematic plastic packaging.</li>
<li>Prioritize investment in reuse and alternative delivery systems.</li>
<li>Embrace transparency and report annually on their plastic footprint.</li>
</ul><p>
<a href="https://oceana.org/" target="_blank">Oceana</a> similarly said that "recycling and vague promises are not enough to solve the plastics crisis."
</p><p>
"I hesitate to even call today's corporate announcements a step in the right direction. Plastic pollution has grown into a major global crisis for our oceans, and it threatens our health. To have an impact, these companies must reduce the amount of single-use plastic at the source—in the factory—before it gets to consumers," Oceana chief policy officer Jacqueline Savitz said in an emailed statement.
</p><p>
<span></span>"It's not rocket science," Savitz continued. "Our grandparents lived without plastic and these companies must discontinue their unnecessary use of plastic. Every company that signed the declaration should commit to a meaningful, time-bound and specific percent-reduction of the amount of plastic it is putting into the market, and to find alternative ways to package and deliver its products. A circular economy is a nice utopian idea, but this crisis is unfolding today, and we need to see meaningful commitments to end the plastics crisis these companies have created."
</p><p>
Pavan Sukhdev, the president of WWF International, commented that "the plastics crisis can only be solved with the combined efforts of all key players in the system."
</p><p>
"WWF therefore endorses the The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment as we consider it an important step forward to join the efforts of businesses and governments around the world towards system-wide solutions," Sukhdev concluded.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e82c5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OLOLHZ1576683788"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056047917864230912" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Complex and Frustrating Reality of #Recycling #Plastic https://t.co/biv2TMR4WI @PlasticPollutes @PlasticOceans</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1056047917864230912">1540616418.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Coke bottles found on Mull Beach in Scotland. Will Rose / Greenpeace
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé were identified as the world's biggest producers of plastic trash in global cleanups and brand audits, a new report from Greenpeace and the Break Free From Plastic movement reveals.
Over the span of nine months, an international team of volunteers sorted through 187,000 pieces of plastic trash collected from 239 cleanups in 42 countries around the world.
<p>
The
<a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2018/" target="_blank">results</a>, released Tuesday, shows that these multinational food and beverage giants were the top 10 offenders:</p><ol class="ee-ol">
<li>Coca-Cola</li>
<li>PepsiCo</li>
<li>Nestlé</li>
<li>Danone</li>
<li>Mondelez International</li>
<li>Procter & Gamble</li>
<li>Unilever</li>
<li>Perfetti van Melle</li>
<li>Mars Incorporated</li>
<li>Colgate-Palmolive</li>
</ol><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="18ae0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="YO1G951576662680"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049660885868924928" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: @Coca-cola, @PepsiCo, and @Nestle have emerged as the top corporate polluters from 239 brand audits acros… https://t.co/QuCnYnjbOo</div> — Greenpeace USA (@Greenpeace USA)<a href="https://twitter.com/greenpeaceusa/statuses/1049660885868924928">1539093631.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The organizers behind the effort are calling out these brands for their contribution to plastic pollution.
</p><p>
"These brand audits offer undeniable proof of the role that corporations play in perpetuating the global plastic pollution crisis," Von Hernandez, global coordinator of Break Free From Plastic, said in a press release emailed to EcoWatch. "By continuing to churn out problematic and unrecyclable throwaway plastic packaging for their products, these companies are guilty of trashing the planet on a massive scale. It's time they own up and stop shifting the blame to citizens for their wasteful and polluting products."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODcwMjkxMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NjEwMDk3OH0.M5_GvDFZPKMaXzWYVJHmOIkvWvtowbSwte38-KFHgdg/img.jpg?width=980" id="196e5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="39ad3f2005e7530e6b9597d5655da3fe" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Greenpeace Southeast Asia conducts plastic brand audit activity at Wonnapa beach, Chonburi province on World Cleanup Day, September 15, 2018.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Greenpeace</small>
</p><p>
In the U.S. specifically, a total of 70 cleanups determined that Nestlé, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola were the worst corporate plastic polluters, in that order.
</p><p>
The three companies have each pledged to cut their packaging waste. Coca-Cola has a global
<a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/press-releases/the-coca-cola-company-announces-new-global-vision-to-help-create" target="_blank">goal</a> to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of its packaging by 2030. Nestlé <a href="https://www.nestle.com/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/nestle-recyclable-reusable-packaging-by-2025" target="_blank">aims</a> to make 100 percent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025. PepsiCo has a <a href="http://www.pepsico.com/live/pressrelease/pepsico-to-more-than-triple-recycled-content-in-its-plastic-bottles-to-50-p-in-the-european-union-by-2030?sf196839220=1" target="_blank">goal</a> to design 100 percent of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable or biodegradable and to reduce its packaging's carbon impact by 2025.
</p><div id="17056" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="WK30OX1576662681"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);
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width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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width:100%;">
<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);
display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">
</div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoZcPL6B6_H/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Greenpeace International 🌍 on Instagram: “All around the world, Greenpeace volunteers are hard at work conducting cleanups and brand audits to determine which corporations are the…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>
Awareness about the global plastic waste crisis is growing worldwide. Governments around the world have taken steps to
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/eu-plastics-ban-2573215290.html">ban single-use plastics</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/beat-plastic-pollution-2573622594.html">individuals are pledging</a> to reduce their plastic footprint.
</p><p>
However, the organizers of the recent report are asking: Shouldn't corporations that package their goods in plastics shoulder some of this responsibility, too?
</p><p>
<span></span>"We all have a role to play in tackling plastic pollution. But the reality is, individual consumers are already bearing the burden of this crisis," Greenpeace content editor Ryan Schleeter wrote in a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/18876/these-10-companies-are-flooding-the-planet-with-throwaway-plastic/" target="_blank">blog post</a> about today's report. "We're swapping plastic bottles for reusable glass and metal, ditching disposable straws, avoiding unnecessary packaging in our grocery stores, and cleaning up our beaches as best we can. But there's only so much we can do if companies don't step up and provide more sustainable choices."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="139c3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CD5HGC1576662681"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049657287772639232" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Plastic on Remote #SouthAtlantic Beaches Up 10 Fold in 10 Years #PlasticPollutes @plasticpollutes
https://t.co/ig6yeFf5at</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1049657287772639232">1539092773.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Pexels
Coca-Cola is "closely watching" the cannabis drinks market, the world's largest beverage company said Monday in an online statement.
Coke announced its interest after a report from Canada's BNN Bloomberg said the soda giant was in "serious talks" with Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis, a medical marijuana producer and distributor, to develop drinks infused with cannabidiol, or CBD.
<p>
CBD, a cannabis extract that does not have the psychoactive elements of marijuana, is used to treat a variety of medical conditions and ailments.
</p><p>
The oil has boomed in popularity as a growing number of states and countries, including Canada, legalize sales of cannabis products for recreational use. The CBD market is <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/forecast-indicates-cbd-global-market-projected-to-experience-continued-significant-growth-678632383.html" target="_blank">forecast to grow to $2.1 billion by 2020</a>, a dramatic increase from last year's market value of $202 million, according to Hemp Business Journal. Canadians can legally buy and consume cannabis starting this Oct. 17.
</p><p>
Coca-Cola and Aurora would likely develop drinks to ease inflammation, pain and cramping, the BNN report said. The beverages would be unlike the cannabis-infused drinks that <a href="https://hightimes.com/news/molson-coors-plans-brew-non-alcoholic-cannabis-infused-drinks/" target="_blank">beer makers</a> are planning to produce that would likely give drinkers the same buzz from inhaling marijuana.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e30ac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3MUYUM1576662698"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1041953706252685317" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverage company, could be the next industry giant to jump into the cannabis drinks… https://t.co/kpBlxiyUP0</div> — QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake by Bloomberg)<a href="https://twitter.com/QuickTake/statuses/1041953706252685317">1537256096.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Coke is diversifying its product portfolio, with recent investments in the <a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/multiple-coke-brands-bubble-up-in-fast-growing-sparkling-water-c">sparkling water</a> category and <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a9563cf6-b82f-11e8-bbc3-ccd7de085ffe" target="_blank">coffee</a>. Demand for sugary sodas has declined <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soda-sales-study/u-s-soda-sales-drops-for-12th-straight-year-trade-publication-idUSKBN17L2HN" target="_blank">year upon year</a> over the last decade as consumers become more health conscious.
</p><p>
In response to the BNN report, Coca-Cola said it has "no interest in marijuana or cannabis."
</p><p>
"Along with many others in the beverage industry, we are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world," the company added. "The space is evolving quickly. No decisions have been made at this time."
</p><p>
Following the BNN report, Aurora's stock spiked 17 percent and Coke's also jumped slightly, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-coca-cola-jointventure-aurora-cannabi/coke-aurora-in-talks-to-make-cannabis-infused-drinks-bnn-bloomberg-idUSKCN1LX17K" target="_blank">Reuters</a> noted.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="76bed" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4D3BW61576662698"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1021606442518888448" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">How to be in the know with #CBDoil
#cbd #weed #marijuana #health #theconversation
@conversationuk… https://t.co/C8V1dKJGo9</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1021606442518888448">1532404931.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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How Coca-Cola and Climate Change Created a Public Health Crisis in a Mexican Town
18 July 2018
Health + Wellness
San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Tjeerd Wiersma from Amsterdam, The Netherlands / CC BY 2.0
A lack of drinking water and a surplus of Coca-Cola are causing a public health crisis in the Mexican town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Some neighborhoods in the town only get running water a few times a week, so residents turn to soda, drinking more than half a gallon a day on average.
<p>"Soft drinks have always been more available than water," Maria del Carmen Abadía, a 35-year-old security guard, told The New York Times. </p><p>Abadía and her parents are some of the many in the town who suffer from diabetes as a result of their limited drinking options. The mortality rate from diabetes in Chiapas, the region of Mexico where San Cristóbal is located, has increased by 30 percent from 2013 to 2016. It follows heart disease as the region's second leading cause of death, killing 3,000 a year. </p><p>Scientists say that part of the town's water woes is due to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a>. </p><p>"It doesn't rain like it used to," Ecosur research center biochemist Jesús Carmona told The New York Times. "Almost every day, day and night, it used to rain."</p><p>The lack of rain means the artesian wells that supplied the town in the past don't get enough water.</p><p>But residents also blame a local Coca-Cola factory, both for the product it sells and the water it diverts. The factory has a deal with the federal government allowing it to extract more than 300,000 gallons of water a day at the extremely cheap rate of 10 cents for every 260 gallons.</p><p>"When you see that institutions aren't providing something as basic as water and sanitation, but you have this company with secure access to one of the best water sources, of course it gives you a shock," clean water nonprofit <a href="http://en.cantaroazul.org/" target="_blank">Cántaro Azul</a> director Fermin Reygadas told The New York Times. </p><p>Part of the problem is that the deal between the plant, owned by Femsa, a company with the rights to bottle and sell Coca-Cola in Latin America, and the federal government benefits both at the expense of the town itself. </p><p>"Coca-Cola pays ... money to the federal government, not the local government," Kettering University social scientist Laura Mebert told The New York Times, "while the infrastructure that serves the residents of San Cristóbal is literally crumbling."</p><p>Anger at the company led to protests in 2017 demanding the plant shut down. Demonstrators marched on the building wearing masks and holding crosses that said "Coca-Cola kills us." </p><p>Tensions also derailed attempts by Femsa to build a wastewater plant last year, something San Cristóbal still lacks.</p><p>Coca-Cola <a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/company-statements/the-coca-cola-company-statement-on-san-cristobal-chiapas-mexico" target="_blank">released a statement</a> in response to The New York Times article, saying the bottling plant paid market rate for the water it used and that the company had worked with locals for a decade to build water tanks, rooftop rain collectors and develop water conservation projects. </p><p>"We also agree too much sugar isn't good for anyone, and that is why we are taking actions around the world to help people drink less sugar from our beverages," the statement said, adding that 45 percent of their Mexican product portfolio was low or no sugar. </p><p>The company, however, has a history of presenting misleading information about the health benefits of its products. </p><p>As recently as 2015, it was uncovered that Coca-Cola funded the Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) to argue that exercise, not limiting calorie intake, was the best way to lose weight and stay healthy. In documents <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coca-cola-obesity-public-health-2548323725.html" target="_self">uncovered in March</a>, the company even said it saw the GEBN as a "weapon" in a "growing war" over the causes of weight gain. </p><p>Similarly manipulative tactics are partly responsible for the proliferation of Coca-Cola in Chiapas. </p><p>In the 1960s, Coca-Cola and Pepsi put up billboards in indigenous languages often showing people in the traditional dress of the native Tzotzil people. </p><p>Coca-Cola has since been integrated into local culture and religion. In the nearby town of San Juan Chamula, worshipers in local churches pray over chickens and bottles of soda. Many Tzotzil people even believe the beverage has healing powers. </p><p>"Coca-Cola is abusive, manipulative," local activist Martin López López told The New York Times. "They take our pure water, they dye it and they trick you on TV saying that it's the spark of life. Then they take the money and go."</p>
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</p><div id="f7a3e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="COMZ4B1576663384"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="846903505273049091" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Bottled Water Companies Pay Next to Nothing to Siphon Freshwater From Pristine Lake https://t.co/GCCn1SrGXE @OurWaterCounts @WaterAidAmerica</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/846903505273049091">1490752505.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Coca-Cola Sees Public Health Debate as 'a Growing War,' Documents Reveal
16 March 2018
Health + Wellness
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola intentionally funded the Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) as a "weapon" in a "growing war between the public health community and private industry" on the causes of obesity, according to a press release sent to EcoWatch by consumer group U.S. Right to Know.
The quotes come from documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Request filed by U.S. Right to Know that formed the basis for a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The study's authors focused on the documents because they definitively proved that Coca-Cola funded the GEBN with the intention of influencing public health debate in their favor.
<p>"[C]onclusions about the intentions of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/food/">food</a> and beverage companies in funding scientific organisations have been prevented by limited access to industry's internal documents," the abstract said. The revealed documents therefore allowed the study's authors to draw those conclusions. </p><p>The documents further revealed that Coca-Cola intended the GEBN to appear as an "honest broker" in the national conversation on obesity, but that it's actual purpose was to "promote practices that are effective in terms of both policy and profit," the abstract said. </p><p>The GEBN was a non-profit dedicated to promoting the idea that exercise, not calorie counting, was the key to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/weight-loss" target="_self">weight-loss</a> and health. It was presided over by scientists from the University of Colorado, the University of South Carolina and West Virginia University. The group imploded after a series of events initiated when <a href="https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/coca-cola-funds-scientists-who-shift-blame-for-obesity-away-from-bad-diets/" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported in August 2015 that it was funded by Coca-Cola. Then, in November of that year, The Associated Press obtained emails showing that the soft-drink company had played a major role in shaping the group's mission and branding, even instructing it not to use blue in its logo, to avoid associations with Pepsi, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emails-reveal-cokes-role-in-anti-obesity-group/" target="_blank">CBS reported</a>. The <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anti-obesity-group-funded-by-coke-global-energy-balance-network-disbanding/" target="_blank">group disbanded</a> a week later. </p><p>When the scandal broke, Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent told the Associated Press, "[I]t has become clear to us that there was not a sufficient level of transparency with regard to the company's involvement with the Global Energy Balance Network. Clearly, we have more work to do to reflect the values of this great company in all that we do." </p><p>The newly-released documents, however, suggest that transparency was never the goal, and that the shadiness of the GEBN's funding reflected the company's values rather accurately. </p><p>Even though Coca-Cola has tried to buy scientific weight for its claims that exercise is more important for combating obesity than diet, the scientific consensus actually runs the other way, The Times reported in the article revealing the source of the GEBN's funding. According to the <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/soft-drinks-and-disease/" target="_blank">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a>, drinking sugary drinks regularly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, gout, heart disease, and obesity. </p><p>The authors of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health study expressed concern that Coca-Cola is borrowing tactics from another industry attempting to sell unhealthy products.</p><p>"Coca-Cola's proposal for establishing the GEBN corroborates concerns about food and beverage corporations' involvement in scientific organisations and their similarities with Big Tobacco," the abstract said. </p><p>Just because the GEBN disbanded doesn't mean Coca-Cola has stopped trying to influence public policy. In February, U.S. Right to Know <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/02/21/us-right-know-sues-cdc-documents-about-its-ties-coca-cola" target="_blank">sued</a> the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for documents about its relationship to the soft-drink giant. Former CDC chief Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, who <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/31/582099166/cdc-director-resigns-due-to-complex-financial-entanglements" target="_blank">resigned</a> in January after it was revealed she'd bought shares in a tobacco company, also had ties to Coca-Cola. As Georgia Public Health Commissioner she had co-run with the company an anti-obesity program called Georgia SHAPE that promotes exercise but doesn't mention diet, U.S. Right to Know <a href="https://usrtk.org/tag/global-energy-balance-network/" target="_blank">reported</a>.</p>
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</p><div id="c22d8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4Y0B1N1576663692"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="698659238206427141" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Soda Companies Turn Attention to Developing Countries as Sales Fall Flat in the West https://t.co/MlqQE4A3Rv @nytimeshealth @africarenewal</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/698659238206427141">1455408317.0</a></blockquote></div>
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64 percent of bottled water comes from municipal tap water sources.
By Julia Conley
Bottled water companies have relied on predatory marketing practices and exorbitant lobbying efforts to sell Americans on the inaccurate belief that pre-packaged water is cleaner and safer than tap water—a notion that is costing U.S. households about $16 billion per year.
In a new report entitled "Take Back the Tap," Food & Water Watch explains that 64 percent of bottled water comes from municipal tap water sources—meaning that Americans are often unknowingly paying for water that would otherwise be free or nearly free.
<p>A gallon of bottled water costs about $9.50—nearly 2,000 times the price of tap water for municipal taxpayers.</p><p>"When bottlers are not selling municipal water, they are pumping and selling common water resources that belong to the public, harming the environment, and depleting community water supplies," reads the study.</p><p>The bottled water industry has an enormous environmental footprint, using about four billion pounds of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics">plastic</a> for packaging in 2016—which required an energy input equal to at least 45 million barrels of oil.</p><p>Nestlé also depleted California's scarce water supplies during its recent historic drought, using up water that could have been used by nearly 2,200 households per year.</p><p>Though bottled water companies and lobbying groups for the industry like the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) promote their products as healthier than tap water, the study finds that attempts by Americans to avoid pollutants by relying on bottled water are also misguided:</p><p>Most people also do not realize that the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water">drinking water</a> that they can get from their tap for a fraction of the price of bottled water actually comes with more safeguards than bottled water, since the federal government requires more rigorous safety monitoring of municipal tap water than it does of bottled water.<br></p><p>Bottled water companies including Nestlé and Coca-Cola have succeeded in selling their products through predatory marketing tactics.</p><p>The industry frequently targets low-income groups, people of color, and immigrant communities—people who may have lacked or still lack access to safe water—for their marketing campaigns. In 2014, Nestlé spent upwards of $5 billion advertising its Pure Life brand, with $3.8 billion going to Spanish-language TV ads.</p><p>The IBWA and bottled water companies have worked tirelessly to make sure their products can easily reach consumers. The National Park Service banned bottled water in the nation's parks in 2011, successfully preventing about two million plastic bottles from entering the waste stream per year until the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-bikeshare-2474011772.html" target="_blank">reversed</a> the ban in 2017—after years of increased lobbying expenditures by the industry.</p><p>The report urges the passage of the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability (WATER) Act, which would dedicate federal funds to renovate the nation's public water infrastructure to ensure renewed public confidence in tap water, and avert a water affordability crisis.</p><p>"The WATER Act will simultaneously deliver water justice to the millions of people in the United States who lack access to safe water, while creating nearly a million jobs," according to the report.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="45e41" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="F7EWKI1576662937"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="964162810627395587" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Update on Nestlé: Michiganders Mobilize to Take Back Public Water https://t.co/IUIr2BD7Sd @foodandwater @foe_us… https://t.co/CaLTph3LmR</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/964162810627395587">1518709301.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/02/20/research-exposes-16-billion-bottled-water-industrys-predatory-marketing-practices" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p><p><em>Note: Following the publication of this post, the International Bottled Water Association informed EcoWatch that they released a <a href="http://www.bottledwater.org/public/IBWA%20Statement%20FWW%20Feb%202018%20report%20FINAL_0.pdf" target="_blank">statement</a> addressing Food & Water Watch's report.</em></p>
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By Eva Perroni
Film is an incredible tool for effecting change in the food system with its unique ability to educate, inspire and grow the movement for sustainable food and farming. Film can transport viewers to unseen territories, from Colombian coffee-growing regions to the bottom of the ocean, and unveil the stories, struggles and triumphs of those working in the hidden fabric of the food system.
<p style="">Powerful films can help spark worldwide awareness and debate on some of the most pressing food and agriculture issues, as well as reinforce and reenergize environmental and sustainability activism efforts. Food Tank has curated a list of 18 recent food films that inspire, outrage and mobilize. </p><p style=""><strong>1. A Place at the Table</strong></p><p style=""><em><a href="http://www.takepart.com/place-at-the-table/film/index.html" target="_blank">A Place at the Table</a></em> investigates the issue of hunger in the U.S. and how it affects nearly 50 million American lives. The film follows the stories of three people suffering from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/regenerative-farming-poverty-migration-2507110146.html">food insecurity</a>: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother, Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader with several health problems. With appearances by Jeff Bridges, Raj Patel, chef Tom Colicchio and many other food activists, the film demonstrates how the problem of hunger can be solved once and for all if the American public and government mobilize to make healthy food available and affordable for all citizens.</p><p style=""><strong>2. Blue</strong></p><p>A film two years in the making, <em><a href="https://bluethefilm.org/" target="_blank">Blue</a></em> travels across Indonesia, the Philippines, Hawaii and Australia to capture stand-out ocean and marine life stories. Featuring passionate advocates for ocean preservation, <em>Blue</em> explores subjects such as industrial-scale fishing, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-spills-marine-life-2498477814.html">marine habitat destruction</a> and species loss, and the world's plastic pollution problem, diving deep into the issues that are driving mass ocean change around the globe. A combination of investigative journalism, underwater cinematography and public awareness campaign, <em>Blue</em> both documents and encourages a global movement to save the world's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans">oceans</a>.</p><p style=""><strong>3. Bugs</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.bugsfeed.com/film" target="_blank"><em>Bugs</em></a> follows chefs and researchers Josh Evans, Ben Reade and Roberto Flore from the Nordic Food Lab around the world as they explore how to forage, farm, cook and taste insects. Film director Andreas Johnsen traces their journey across Europe, Australia, Mexico, Kenya, Japan and beyond to learn from some of the two billion people who eat insects worldwide. Throughout their experiences and conversations in the field, the lab, at farm visits and international conferences, the team explore the possibilities and challenges for scaling-up insect production.</p><p style=""><strong>4. Caffeinated</strong></p><p>Focusing on the social and cultural components of the coffee supply chain, <em><a href="http://caffeinated.vhx.tv/" target="_blank">Caffeinated</a></em> takes viewers on a journey from the farmers responsible for growing a perfect bean to the roasters and baristas responsible for brewing a perfect cup. Working with one of the foremost green coffee buyers in the world, Geoff Watts, filmmakers Hanh Nguyen and Vishal Solanki travel to leading coffee producing countries and America's most populous coffee-drinking cities, interviewing farmers, researchers and connoisseurs alike. <em>Caffeinated</em> reveals that farmers are the lynchpin to the more than 1 billion cups of coffee enjoyed each day and affirms the necessity for sustainably produced coffee beans.</p><p style=""><strong>5. Dolores</strong></p><p><em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6013154/" target="_blank">Dolores</a></em> tells the story of lifetime activist Dolores Huerta, who worked alongside Cesar Chavez for better working conditions for Latino farmworkers and women's rights. Directed by Peter Bratt, the documentary chronicles Huerta's time with the United Farm Workers union—which she co-founded with Chavez in the 1960s—and the racial and economic injustices she experienced in California's agricultural Central Valley. It also captures Huerta's key achievements, including her central involvement in a national grape boycott and the historic farmworkers march to Sacramento in 1966, as well as receiving The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2012.</p><p style=""><strong>6. Farmland</strong></p><p style=""><em><a href="http://www.farmlandfilm.com/" target="_blank">Farmland</a></em> takes an intimate look at the lives of six young American farmers and ranchers, all of whom are under the age of 30 and responsible for running their farming business. Director James Moll travels across the U.S. to profile those who have not only carried on their family's profession for generations but are also at the forefront of a new era in American agriculture. The documentary, made with the support of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, aims to tell the farmers' side of the agriculture production story, detailing the high-risks and high-rewards inherent in getting food from farm to fork.</p><p style=""><strong>7. Fed Up</strong></p><p>Narrated by Katie Couric, <a href="http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/home" target="_blank"><em>Fed Up</em></a> is an American documentary film focusing on the causes of obesity in the U.S., and the government's role in both its prevention and spread. The film traces the history of processed foods, the dangerous and increasing levels of sugar and sweeteners that have been added to them over time, and their contribution to childhood obesity and diet-related disease. It also follows the rise of the major companies and players in the sugar industry, pointing to the lobbying power of Big Sugar in blocking and influencing policies and regulations for sweetened food and drinks.</p><p style=""><strong>8. Home Flavored</strong></p><p>Written and performed by young poet Monica Mendoza, this short film is a powerful and poignant portrait of how soda and snack food companies impact the lives of Latino families in the U.S. A fusion of slam poetry, cultural anthropology and advocacy, <a href="http://realfoodfilms.org/video/home-flavored/" target="_blank">Home Flavored</a> hopes to spark a conversation about the epidemic of obesity and diet-related disease. The film won Real Food Media's 2016 Food and Farming Short Film Competition.</p><p style=""><strong>9. In Our Hands</strong></p><p style="">From Black Bark Films and the United Kingdom's Landworkers Alliance, <em><a href="http://inourhands.film/" target="_blank">In Our Hands</a> </em>documents the growing movement of farmers and food workers who are creating alternate, sustainable and healthy models for food production and distribution in the UK. The documentary explores the quiet revolution of farmers working to build a food system that will bring health back to the soil, a fair wage to the farmer and more nutritious food for all. Designed to be an open source tool and resource for farmers and activists, <em>In Our Hands</em> aims to inspire and educate about the movement for a fair and sustainable food system.</p><p style=""><strong>10. Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent</strong></p><p><em><a href="http://jeremiahtower.film/" target="_blank">Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent</a> </em>explores the life and career of Jeremiah Tower, one of America's first celebrity chef-restaurateurs. The film follows Tower's career from its start at the renowned Chez Panisse in Berkeley in 1972, to the launch of his own Stars Restaurant in San Francisco, one of America's top-grossing U.S. restaurants. Featuring interviews by Anthony Bourdain, Ruth Reichl and Martha Stewart, this documentary highlights the controversy, influence, and rise and fall of one of the leading figures in American gastronomy.</p><p style=""><strong>11. Kale vs. Cow: The Case for Better Meat <em></em></strong></p><p>In <em><a href="https://vimeo.com/251497558" target="_blank">Kale vs. Cow</a> (<em>forthcoming)</em></em>, podcast and blog author of Sustainable Dish, Diana Rodgers, questions whether a healthy, sustainable and conscientious food system can exist without animals. Focusing specifically on beef production and consumption, this documentary probes the fundamental moral, environmental and nutritional quandaries humans face in raising and eating animals. <em>Kale vs. Cow</em> focuses on personal stories of people who are involved in better meat production while demonstrating that naturally produced meat can be part of a healthy, sustainable and ethical diet.</p><p style=""><strong>12. Kiss the Ground<em></em></strong></p><p><a href="https://kisstheground.com/" target="_blank"><em>Kiss the Ground</em></a> (<em>forthcoming 2018) </em>delves into the lives and work of passionate scientists, farmers, ranchers, chefs, activists and policymakers working to save the world's soils and drive a global movement towards a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/rise-up-regenerate-2522783766.html">regenerative agriculture</a>. The documentary explores how soil, when properly cared for, has the potential to sequester carbon dioxide and help mitigate against climate change. <em>Kiss the Ground</em> empowers people to choose a diet that not only delivers better health and wellness but also helps rebuild one of the world's most precious resources—soil.</p><p style=""><strong>13. Life in Syntropy</strong></p><p>Made especially to be presented at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, this short film highlights the benefits of a regenerative farming system called Syntropic Agriculture. Developed by farmer and researcher, Ernst Gotsch, Syntropic Agriculture mimics the natural regeneration of forests, integrating food production with soil recovery techniques. <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSPNRu4ZPvE" target="_blank">Life in Syntropy</a></em> documents the range of ecological and agricultural possibilities of syntropic farming, showcasing successful examples from Brazil.</p><p style=""><strong>14. Peter and the Farm</strong></p><p style="">A portrait of 68-year-old Vermont organic farmer, Peter Dunning, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5535814/" target="_blank"><em>Peter and the Farm</em></a> reveals the trials and tribulations of devoting one's life to farming. Showcasing Dunning's picturesque hilltop farm in Vermont, the film quickly captures Dunning's external and internal struggles of running a 187-acre farm on his own. Documenting Dunning's battle with alcoholism, depression and the loss of most of his family and friends, <em>Peter and the Farm</em> presents the lived-in reality of organic farming from a darker, yet insightful angle.</p><p style=""><strong>15. Plant This Movie</strong></p><p style="">Narrated by Daryl Hannah, <a href="http://www.plantthismovie.com/" target="_blank"><em>Plant This Movie</em></a> explores the evolution and growing impact of urban farming around the world, including the success in Havana, Cuba to projects in Shanghai, Calcutta, Addis Ababa, London and Lima. In the U.S., the film features innovative projects in New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Berkeley and Portland, including the largest rooftop garden in the world and other local efforts such as student-run CSAs. Featuring leading urban farming advocates, <em>Plant This Movie</em> affirms that healthier, locally grown food, can be produced almost anywhere.</p><p style=""><strong>16. SEED: The Untold Story</strong></p><p><em><a href="https://www.seedthemovie.com/" target="_blank">SEED: The Untold Story</a></em> follows passionate seed savers and activists protecting the world's 12,000 year-old agricultural legacy. The film charts a David and Goliath battle as seed libraries, community gardens and a new generation of young farmers come up against the large, corporate chemical companies that now control the majority of the world's seeds. Featuring a wide range of interviews with prominent environmentalists and researchers, such as Vandana Shiva, Jane Goodall and Raj Patel, as well small-scale farmers indigenous communities from across the globe, <em>SEED</em> educates audiences about the importance of seed biodiversity for the future of the world's food supply.</p><p style=""><strong>17. Sustainable</strong></p><p><em><a href="https://sustainablefoodfilm.com/" target="_blank">Sustainable</a></em> investigates the social, economic and environmental issues of America's food and agriculture system and what must be done to sustain it for future generations. Spanning the country, the film draws on recommendations from farmers, restaurateurs and policymakers detailing how to move away from industrial and factory farming and find better, more sustainable ways to produce and source food. "Sustainable" was awarded the 2016 Accolade Global Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Achievement and has screened at more than 20 film festivals around the world.</p><p style=""><strong>18. WASTED! The Story of Food Waste</strong></p><p style="">From chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain, <em><a href="https://www.wastedfilm.com/" target="_blank">WASTED! The Story of Food Waste</a></em> explores both the problem of food waste in the U.S. and possible solutions from around the globe. The documentary features renowned chefs and food leaders, including Dan Barber, Massimo Bottura and Dr. Judith Rodin, who demonstrate potential ways to help solve the food waste problem, as well as policy approaches from countries such as France, Italy and South Korea, that aim to curb food waste. Through telling the story behind food waste, "WASTED!" aims to change the way people buy, cook, recycle and eat food.</p>
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Chris J. Ratcliffe / Greenpeace
By Louise Edge
Friday Greenpeace criticized Coca-Cola's new global plastics plan for failing to address the urgency of ocean plastic pollution.
The long awaited policy from the world's largest soft drink company featured a series of measures weaker than those previously announced for Europe and the UK.
<p style=""><span></span>The plan failed to include any reduction of the company's rapidly increasing use of single-use plastic bottles globally, which now stands at well more than 110 billion annually. </p><p style=""><span></span>The massive increase in plastic waste in our oceans, and increasingly in our food chain, is a result of our dependency on throwaway items like single-use plastic bottles. Instead of focusing on reducing the amount of plastic it produces—the sure fire way to reduce ocean plastic pollution—Coca-Cola is trying to offset its huge plastic footprint by investing in a bit more recycling. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/china-plastics-recycling-2515630485.html">China's refusal to accept more plastic waste</a>, and the resulting backlog in plastic exporting nations, shows that we can't recycle our way out of this mess while we continue to make the mess bigger.</p><p style=""><span></span>As the most recognizable brand in the world, and the biggest plastic bottle producer, Coca-Cola has a special responsibility to lead the way in reduction of single-use plastic. Its plan is full of band-aids and will do very little in the way of making a meaningful impact on the amount of plastic entering our waterways and food chain. Coke has a long way to go to show it is taking the plastics epidemic seriously.</p><p style=""><span></span>Coca-Cola produces more than 110 billion single use plastic bottles each year, and billions of these end up in landfills, rivers and the sea.</p><p style=""><span></span>Greenpeace estimates that Coke has increased its number of single-use plastic bottles by nearly a third (31 percent) since 2008 and that they now account for almost 70 percent of Coke's packaging globally. [68 percent in <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/gpuk-static/legacy/coca-cola.pdf" target="_blank">2016 sustainability report</a>]. Friday's announcement revealed no plans that would reverse this trend.</p><p style=""><span></span>Greenpeace welcomed the announcement that Coke will be increasing the recycled content of its single-use plastic bottles from the current paltry 7 percent to 50 percent globally by 2030, although it is less ambitious than Coke UK's target of 50 percent by 2020 and Coke Europe's target of 50 percent by 2025. Greenpeace has been calling on Coke to move to 100 percent recycled content.</p><p style=""><span></span>And while Coke now backs Deposit Return Schemes in the UK, <a href="http://www.packaging-gateway.com/comment/coca-colas-refillable-trial-finally-signal-end-plastic-bottles/" target="_blank">following pressure from environmental groups</a>, the company has not announced a similar policy change at a global level and remains opposed to schemes in many other countries, including Canada, the Netherlands and Israel.</p><p style=""><span></span>The plan contrasts starkly with the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-pollution-mcdonalds-2525962206.html">announcement made by UK retailer Iceland</a> earlier this week that it will become the first major retailer globally to eliminate single-use plastic packaging throughout its own brand products within 5 years, a comprehensive solution that removes the problem rather than just trying to manage it.</p><p style=""><span></span>Greenpeace is urging Coca-Cola to make firm commitments to cut its plastic production by investing in alternatives to single-use plastic bottles, including committing to expand its use of new delivery methods such as <a href="http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-testing-self-serve-water-station-with-flavors-and-bubbles" target="_blank">Freestyle dispensers and self-serve water stations with reusable containers</a>.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="238a3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FNMA9O1576663692"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="952451471227998208" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#SundayReading: We have a whole world of plastic that needs to be replaced with other biodegradable materials. Here… https://t.co/WCJujpM6nF</div> — Greenpeace Africa (@Greenpeace Africa)<a href="https://twitter.com/Greenpeaceafric/statuses/952451471227998208">1515917101.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p style=""><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-launches-global-campaign-to-shrink-cokes-growing-plastic-footprint/" target="_blank">Greenpeace launched</a> a global campaign on Coke in April 2017, involving supporters from five continents.<br></p><p style=""><span></span>Last week, Greenpeace delivered a <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/actress-director-bonnie-wright-joins-greenpeace-to-deliver-message-to-coca-cola-headquarters-dont-choke-our-oceans-no-more-plastic/" target="_blank">global petition</a> signed by more than 585,000 people urging Coke to reduce its plastic footprint.</p>
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Change.org
Stiv Wilson, who started the campaign on Change.org, signed by almost 100,000 people, said:
“While it is commendable that the National Park Service has decided not to completely cow to Coca-Cola on a plastic bottle ban, the new policy is still troubling.
"Unfortunately, the new directive, which allows park superintendents to implement bottle bans in their jurisdiction, may not result in changes best for our national parks. If the barriers to implementation of bottle bans are too cost-prohibitive or onerous for the superintendents to act, then we've only witnessed a bait and switch.
"The public outcry around the Park Service's seemingly backroom corporate deals has been overwhelming, and the public expects the NPS to go the whole way and save our national parks from plastic pollution.”
Stiv Wilson launched the campaign on Change.org after learning of allegations that the NPS nixed its long-planned ban on plastic water bottles in the Grand Canyon due to a last-minute lobbying effort by Coca-Cola, a major national park donor actively opposed to bottled water bans. Wilson worked as a journalist before dedicating his life to reducing plastic pollution and joining the staff of 5 Gyres, a nonprofit focused on plastic pollution.
“Mobilizing 100,000 people to take action is no small feat,” said Corinne Ball, organizing director at Change.org. “Stiv has demonstrated, through using Change.org’s unique platform, that anyone, anywhere can act on issues that are important to them and create meaningful change.”
Live signature totals from Stiv Wilson’s campaign can be found by clicking here.
Related Links:
For Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility exposes the controversy, with documents from a whistleblower, click here.
For New York Times coverage that prompted Mr. Wilson to launch his campaign, click here.
For Stiv Wilson's blog post about the National Park Service directive on 5gyres.org, click here.
For more information, click here.
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5 Gyres is a research organization that seeks to communicate the global impact of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and employ strategies to eliminate the accumulation of plastic pollution in the 5 subtropical gyres. Almost 100,000 people have joined Stiv Wilson’s campaign on Change.org
Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change—growing by more than 500,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.