Coca-Cola named world's worst plastic polluter for third year running

The Coca-Cola Company, best known for the cola-flavoured soft drink of the same name, is the world's largest polluter when it comes to plastic waste for the third year running, according to Break Free From Plastic in its yearly audit.

Each year, 15,000 volunteers from the nonprofit come together to reveal the top plastic polluters by having auditors collect waste and document the brands on each item.

The waste-pickers come from a variety of NGOs and charities across the world, including Greenpeace, Cooperpac Waste Pickers Cooperative, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising (WIEGO) subdivisions.

Read more: UKRI To Place UK At The Forefront of Next-Gen Plastic Recycling

The report found that Coca-Cola led the charge in terms of plastic pollution, followed closely by Nestlé and PepsiCo.

The company's branding was found on 13,834 items across 51 of the 55 surveyed sites, more than the total of Nestlé and PepsiCo combined.

In total, more than 350,000 pieces of plastic waste were collected and documented, of which 63% was labelled with a recognisable brand.

According to one report, Coca-Cola remains the world's largest plastic polluter in the world, responsible for over 2.9 million tonnes of plastic waste per year.

Emma Priestland, Break Free From Plastic’s global campaign coordinator told The Guardian that the only way to stop the pollution was by banning single-use plastic products.

She said: “The world’s top polluting corporations claim to be working hard to solve plastic pollution, but instead they are continuing to pump out harmful single-use plastic packaging.

“Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé should be leading the way in finding real solutions to reinvent how they deliver their products."

The audit found that single-use items such as sachet packets - such as those commonly used for condiments in restaurants - were the most common item found by the waste-pickers.

Coca-Cola released a statement saying they were making plans to help clean up the waste and reduce their plastic footprint in partnership with other companies.

A spokesperson said: “Globally, we have a commitment to get every bottle back by 2030, so that none of it ends up as litter or in the oceans, and the plastic can be recycled into new bottles.

“Bottles with 100% recycled plastic are now available in 18 markets around the world, and this is continually growing.

The spokesperson said Coca-Cola had also reduced plastic use in secondary packaging, and that globally “more than 20% of our portfolio comes in refillable or fountain packaging."

Read more: Coca-Cola Takes Two More Steps Towards 100% Recycled Plastics in Europe

Simon Mbata, waste picker and National Coordinator of the South African Waste Picker Association (SAWPA) said: “The majority of plastic we come across cannot be recycled. We find it everywhere, in our waste stream, on our land. When it is buried, it contaminates our soil. Whatever cannot be recycled, must not be produced.”

According to a 2017 study, 30% - or 2,500 metric tonnes - of plastics produced in history are currently in use.

The same study found that 12% of plastic waste since 1950 has been incinerated and only 9% has been recycled.

Unilever, which came in fourth place for plastic waste according to the audit, is currently working with Finnish oil company Nesté in a design for 100% renewable and recyclable plastics.

They admit drastic action needs to be taken to reduce global plastic waste before it is too late.

Plastic-eating enzymes are also being developed, with the plan to help them break down plastic waste faster in order to provide alternatives for the disposal of single-use plastics.

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