Coca-Cola defends single use plastic

It’s a start, at least. Coca-Cola is also partnering with non-profit organisations across the globe in an effort to improve the collection of plastics and prevent them from filling up oceans and landfills. It currently recovers 59% of its bottles and reuses 9% of these in new bottles. This is all good stuff, but the reality here is that Coca-Cola has no plans to reduce its use of plastic or offer alternative materials that are less harmful to the environment.

And, while some of the blame can be placed on consumers, other big chain franchises have demonstrated that there are better ways to reduce your carbon footprint on a global scale. For example, brands such as Starbucks and McDonalds have replaced plastic with paper, or gotten rid of packaging altogether. Others such as Whole Foods have eliminated plastic bags as an option entirely in its stores, and Starbucks has pushed toward reusable cups that may even hurt its profits in the long run.

Coca-Cola seems adamant to stay at its current level of plastic bottle production, when really the best option is to get rid of them altogether. I wouldn’t hold your breath for that to happen in the foreseeable future.