Coca-Cola has been accused of quietly abandoning a pledge to achieve a 25% reusable packaging target by 2030 in what campaigners call a “masterclass in greenwashing”.
The company has been previously found by researchers to be among the world’s most polluting brands when it comes to plastic waste.
In 2022, the company made a promise to have 25% of its drinks sold in refillable or returnable glass or plastic bottles, or in refillable containers that could be filled up at fountains or “Coca-Cola freestyle dispensers”.
But shortly before this year’s global plastics summit, the company deleted the page on its website outlining this promise, and it no longer has a target for reusable packaging.
The issue is more the blatant profiteering off people looking to do the right thing.
There is absolutely no reason for a small bottle of syrup to cost more per serve than buying multiple giant plastic bottles made up of 95% carbonated water.
Matter of fact, it’s counter-intuitive as you usually are charged more for a convenience (ie. a ready to go beverage), versus buying the ingredients separately.