“Consumers around the world care about our planet. They want and expect companies like ours to be leaders and help make a litter-free world possible,” said James Quincey, president and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company. “Through our ‘World Without Waste’ vision, we are investing in our planet and in in our packaging to help make the world’s packaging problem a thing of the past.
But can we believe them? Documentary by filmmaker Sandrine Rigaud was sketical so set about finding out more about Coca Cola and their relationship with plastic and paints a very different story.
Some sobering plastic statistics from National Geographic:
- Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years
- Production increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050
- Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. that’s equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world.
- Plastics often contain additives making them stronger, more flexible, and durable. But many of these additives can extend the life of the products if they become litter, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to breakdown.
For some more information on plastic, check out this excellent article by National Geographic; We made plastic. We depend on it. Now We’re drowning in it.
A real world with our waste involves managing the plastic that already exists much better so it never ends up as litter. To stop producing new plastic and move to a truely circular economy where waste is designed out. So Coca-Cola, why not bring back glass bottles so that they can be reused over and over again? You’ve done it before you can do it again!
