A new study documenting the scourge of plastic waste around the world has found that more than half of branded plastic pollution can be traced back to just 56 companies.
More than 20 per cent of all branded pollution is linked to four brands: The Coca-Cola Company (11 per cent), PepsiCo (five per cent), Nestlé (three per cent) and Danone (two per cent).
The research, published in the journal Science Advances and led by scientists at Dalhousie University in collaboration with universities around the world, is based on audits of plastic pollution in 84 countries over a five-year period.
“They’re some of the largest corporations in the world. And they have the reach in every single country on the planet,” said co-author Tony Walker, a professor in Dalhousie’s school for resource and environmental studies.
The peer-reviewed analysis used data gathered by volunteers at more than 1,500 events at beaches, parks, rivers and other public spaces. The audits were organized by the environmental group Break Free from Plastic and took place between 2018 and 2022.
The study also notes that the production of plastic doubled, from 200 million tonnes in 2000 to 400 million tonnes in 2019.
In a statement, Coca-Cola said its goal is to make 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable globally by 2025 and to use at least 50 per cent recycled material in its packaging by 2030. The company also said it aims “to collect and recycle a bottle or can for each one we sell by 2030.”
PepsiCo issued a statement saying it has “made significant investments for more than a decade aiming to reduce the packaging we use, scale reusable models and partner to further develop collection and recycling systems.”
The company added it is advocating for “an ambitious and binding global policy framework to help address plastic pollution and we urge others to seize the opportunity to do the same.”
In a statement released Wednesday, Nestlé acknowledged plastic pollution is “a serious issue and one that we are working hard to help address” — and that it supports global legally binding regulation. It also cited Nestlé’s ongoing projects to develop waste collection, sorting and recycling schemes in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and Latin America.
Danone did not immediately return a request for comment.
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