Coca-Cola’s plastic consumption is estimated to exceed 9.1 billion pounds annually by 2030 if its current practices persist, according to a recent report from Oceana, a non-profit environmental organisation.
This figure marks a 40% increase from the company’s 2018 plastic usage and a 20% rise compared to its 2023 figures.
The report, titled ‘Coca-Cola’s World With Waste’, also predicts that up to 1.3 billion pounds of the plastic packaging used by Coca-Cola could enter the world’s waterways and oceans each year by 2030.
This volume of waste could fill the stomachs of more than 18 million blue whales, the report claims.
Oceana’s report says if Coca-Cola increased its reusable packaging to 26.4% by 2030, compared to 10.2% in 2023, it could lower its yearly plastic consumption below present levels.
Reusable plastic bottles can typically be used up to 25 times, and glass bottles up to 50 times, significantly reducing the need for single-use packaging, according to the report.
As per the report, each Coca-Cola reusable bottle would prevent the creation of up to 49 additional single-use plastic bottles, offering a potential solution.
Despite the growing scrutiny over its plastic usage, Coca-Cola discarded its goal to increase reusable packaging to 25% of its sales by 2030.
As Coca-Cola’s plastic footprint continues to grow, the company could face increased criticism, particularly as concerns over plastic’s impact on human health intensify.
Studies have linked plastics to a range of health issues, including cancer, infertility, and heart disease.
Oceana senior vice-president Matt Littlejohn said: “Coca-Cola’s future is currently tied, like an albatross around its neck, to single-use plastic.
“Single-use plastic is bad for the oceans, human health, and business. Recycling can’t solve the company’s out-of-control plastic problem. Reuse can. The Coca-Cola Company’s plastic use and status as one of the most famous plastic polluters in the world is a liability for the future of the company, the oceans, and the planet.
“Coca-Cola needs to take real action to address its plastic problem now instead of focusing on measures that don’t meaningfully reduce its single-use plastic footprint.”
