Exclusive: Campaigners say company’s apparent abandoning of 2030 pledge is a ‘masterclass in greenwashing’

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.

  • @myplacedkEnglish
    33•13 hours ago

    Here is in Denmark they are at 100%, because that’s our law. As far as I know (as a consumer), it works just fine.

    All soda bottles and cans can be returned in (almost?) any store that sells them. When we buy, a small deposit is added. When we return the container, we get the deposit back.

    The deposit is adjusted every now and then to keep it small enough to not significantly affect customers buying power, but big enough that most people want the money back.

    • @[email protected]English
      2•3 hours ago

      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”.

      It’s reusable, not recyclable that is the pledge. While recyclable is good, reusable is better.

      Denmark doesn’t have any laws making it reusable only.

      • @myplacedkEnglish
        1•2 hours ago

        Ah yes, that is an important distinction. Although for now, I’d say recycling instead of trashing is a big improvement. Especially if the trash ends up in nature.

    • ms.laneEnglish
      5•12 hours ago

      Where aren’t they close to that?

      In Australia they were at 70:30 Recycled:Virgin PET, 30 years ago when I toured the plant, all of their water products are 100% now (but they’re pretty flimsy, not sure the mount franklin bottles would hold up under ‘shaken up coca coca’ pressures)