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The Coca-Cola Co. (KO-0.49%) is scaling back its ambitious plastic reduction goals, a shift that has put environmental groups on high alert.
The company had originally planned to reduce its plastic use and increase the use of reusable packaging. However, Coca-Cola now has a more modest target: By 2035, it aims to use 30-35% recycled plastic globally and ensure that 70-75% of its bottles and cans are collected for recycling.
“These challenges are complex and require better resource allocation and collaboration with partners to deliver lasting positive change,” said Bea Perez, Coca-Cola’s executive vice president and global chief communications, sustainability and strategic partnerships officer, in a statement.
In 2018, Coca-Cola announced plans to recycle 100% of its packaging by 2030. That initiative included collecting and recycling one bottle or can for every one it sold globally, even if from other brands, according to trade publication Waste Dive.
The updated goals, which include improving recycling infrastructure, investing in innovation, and working with local governments and bottling partners, are part of Coca-Cola’s broader mission to improve water security and reduce emissions, the company said.
However, critics are unimpressed. Climate action coalition Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) has reported that, for the sixth year in a row, Coca-Cola remains the world’s top plastic polluter, with 33,820 pieces of plastic waste collected in 2023 in the nonprofit’s annual audit – the highest amount recorded since the project began.
The nonprofit organization Oceana has sharply criticized Coca-Cola’s decision, accusing the company of doubling down on single-use plastic rather than focusing on reusability. Oceana’s senior vice president of strategic initiatives, Matt Littlejohn, called the company’s updated promises “short-sighted” and “irresponsible.”
“Coca-Cola has a responsibility to take real ownership over the waste and pollution it creates,” Littlejohn said. “Instead, it is kicking the plastic bottle down the road and into the sea again.”
Environmental advocates say Coca-Cola’s new direction reflects a broader pattern of major brands struggling to effectively tackle plastic pollution. While the company points to increased recycled plastic use as progress, advocates argue these measures fall short of addressing the scale of the problem. According to the World Economic Forum, the amount of plastic in the oceans is expected to quadruple by 2050.