Page 24 - Plastics News Issue - January 2025
P. 24
COMPANY NEWS
Coca-Cola Faces Backlash After
Scaling Back Packaging
“when” of the new goals. The company pared
down its previous plans for boosting package
recycling, using recycled content and refillable
packaging, and reducing use of virgin plastic. In
addition, the updated goals extend all Coca-Co-
la’s sustainability goals to 2035.
The virgin plastic goal has been a lightning rod
for criticism, with observers noting the disap-
pearance of Coca-Cola’s previous goal of reduc-
ing its use of virgin plastic by 3.3 million tons/3
he outcry began after the beverage million metric tons by 2025. One critic identifies
brand adjusted environmental goals that this reset of the brand's eco-goals as a reoccur-
Tinclude plastics and packaging. ring theme for decades.
At a Glance Recycled, refillable, and recyclable.
♦ Coca-Cola scales back sustainability goals, Critics are also dismayed by Coca-Cola’s new
sparks global backlash.
recycled-content goals. As recently as 2023, the
♦ Critics slam revised targets as greenwashing company said it intended to use at least 50% re-
tactics. cycled content in its packaging by 2030. Its new
goal is to use 35% to 40% recycled material in
♦ Recycling, refillable packaging goals de- its primary packaging (across plastic, glass, and
layed, downgraded to 2035. aluminum) and increase recycled plastic use to
30% to 35% by 2035.
It’s one thing when someone breaks a promise,
but there are broader consequences when the For context, nearly half of the company’s pri-
perpetrator is a brand juggernaut — and even mary packaging is plastic. In 2023, the breakout
more so if the promise was about sustainability. included 47.7% plastic (primarily polyethylene
terephthalate (PET)) bottles, 26% aluminum and
Enter Coca-Cola, which released updated vol-
untary environmental goals in the categories of steel bottles and cans, 8.8% refillable glass bot-
tles, and 1.6% nonrefillable glass bottles.
packaging, water, climate, and agriculture. The
feedback from environmentalists and circularity The lack of a quantifiable goal for refillable pack-
experts was swift and severe. aging has also drawn fire. Coca-Cola previously
said it intended to have at least 25% of its bev-
Their outcry is based on both the “what” and the
erages globally in refillable or returnable glass
24 PLASTICS NEWS January 2025
