‘Coca-cola will not ditch single-use plastic bottles because consumers still want them’ is possibly one of the most outlandish comments that have hit the headlines in the world of plastic pollution this week. These were the words of Coca-cola’s very own head of sustainability.
According to Bea Perez, Coca-cola consumers like them because they reseal and are lightweight.
The one bright side in all of this is that the company has pledged to recycle as many bottles as it uses by 2030. Unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily suggest that they will USE the recycled plastic in their products – so should the public really see this as a win for fighting plastic pollution?
It’s important to remember that Coca-cola produces three million tonnes of plastic packaging in a year which is equivalent to 200,000 plastic bottles per minute.
In an effort to ‘accommodate’ customers (their words, not ours) Coca-cola will now pledge to use at least 50% recycled material in their packaging by 2030, but that’s still a good 10 years away.
So where is the fine line between satisfying your customers and continuing to destroy the planet? Surely there is some cross-over here where you aren’t necessarily satisfying your customers if you’re polluting the place that they live? Or are we the only ones thinking straight here?
What would you suggest to Coca-cola? Give us your suggestions
