Coca-Cola’s shift in packaging goals troubles environmental groups

The Coca-Cola Co. recently released updated voluntary environmental goals centered around packaging, CO₂ emissions and water security in “high-risk” locations, to the dismay of environmental groups concerned about its reliance on virgin plastic in single-use products, in particular.

In the company’s 2023 Environmental Update, released in August, it reiterated goals set in 2022 of having at least 25 percent of its beverages worldwide by volume sold in refillable/returnable glass or plastic bottles or in fountain dispensers with reusable packaging by 2030; using at least 50 percent recycled content in its packaging by 2030; and reducing its use of virgin plastic derived from nonrenewable sources by a cumulative 3 million metric tons from 2020 to 2025.

Under its new guidance, the company has moved away from its goal to reduce the use of virgin plastic in its packaging and has lowered its recycling targets.

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Now, the company aims to use 35 percent to 40 percent recycled material in primary packaging—plastic, glass and aluminum—including increasing recycled plastic use to 30 percent to 35 percent globally. Additionally, it plans to help ensure the collection of 70 percent to 75 percent of the equivalent number of bottles and cans introduced into the market annually.

The company notes it will continue to support collection rates, which will require the enabling of policies and the growth of collection infrastructure. It intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists, and its “Coca-Cola system” aims to focus on measurable and interconnected actions under two pillars: “Design” and “Partner to Collect.”

For design, Coca-Cola plans to ensure its primary packaging is recyclable, and claims more than 95 percent of its primary consumer packaging is designed to be recycled. It notes that using recycled content in primary packaging can help reduce its emissions.

“This effort, combined with innovations such as lightweighting, can avoid the additional use of virgin plastic,” the company states in its update. “Costs, quality and scaling innovation are dynamic external factors that will affect implementation.”

In its update, Coca-Cola stresses that the collection and recycling of beverage packaging remains challenging, as every state and country has unique systems, infrastructure, regulatory environments and sets of consumer behaviors. The company advocates collective action to support packaging collection infrastructure and policies, and says it will increase its advocacy for well-designed collection systems.

According to Washington-based environmental group Oceana Inc., more recycled plastic content, if used to produce single-use plastic, will not reduce Coca-Cola’s overall plastic use.

“Coca-Cola’s decision to double down on single-use plastic—by killing its goals to reduce virgin plastic and to increase reusable packaging—is short-sighted, irresponsible and worthy of widespread condemnation by its customers, its employees, its investors and governments worried about the impact of plastics on our oceans and health,” says Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at Oceana. “Coca-Cola’s new policy makes it likely that many more billions of single-use plastic bottles and cups will continue to flood into our waterways and seas.

“Oceana estimates that if Coca-Cola met its commitment to reach 25 percent reusable packaging by 2030 (up from its current share of 14 percent), the company could avoid producing the equivalent of over 100 billion 500-milliliter single-use plastic bottles and cups and ensure that approximately 8.5 to 14.7 billion plastic bottles and cups could be prevented from reaching our waterways and seas.”

Littlejohn adds that the company’s “new and weak” recycling-related pledges won’t make a dent in its overall plastic use, citing the company’s status as the No. 1 plastic polluter in the world according to research conducted by the organization Break Free From Plastic.

“Coca-Cola has a responsibility to take real ownership over the waste and pollution it creates. Instead, it is kicking the plastic bottle down the road and into the sea—again," Littlejohn says. "Coca-Cola’s investors and governments around the world should take notice and take steps to hold the company accountable."

In its own response, Washington-based Greenpeace USA claims Coca-Cola’s reliance on single-use plastic bottles has increased in recent years as it joined voluntary groups such as the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty and the U.S. Plastics Pact.

“Coke’s abandonment of its reuse commitment is a disaster for the planet,” Greenpeace USA Oceans Campaign Director John Hocevar says. “Coke churns out more plastic bottles every year and is single-handedly responsible for 11 percent of the plastic debris polluting the environment worldwide. Coke is a huge part of our plastic pollution crisis, but has just been paying lip service when it comes to real solutions. The company has repeatedly announced new goals to much fanfare, followed by quiet admissions that goals are being reduced or unceremoniously dropped.

“The disconnect between Coke’s words and the company’s actions is a stark reminder of the need for governments to hold corporations accountable. Voluntary commitments are not protecting our health or our environment. If we leave it to companies like Coca-Cola, we will all be choking on plastic waste. We need governments to act at the state, national and international levels to ban single-use plastic packaging and reduce plastic production.”

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Coca-Cola also has changed course on its CO₂ emissions targets. Previously, the company said it would reduce its Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 25 percent by 2030, but now has not provided a percentage target. Instead, it will aim to reduce its Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions in line with a 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) trajectory by 2035, from a 2019 baseline. The company aims to reduce emissions in its own operations, including concentrate manufacturing operations and company-owned bottling partners.

The company says its actions on water and packaging also can help mitigate the impacts caused by climate change, though its acquired businesses, such as Bodyarmor, Chi, Costa, Doğadan, Fairlife and Innocent will be excluded from its goal. Coca-Cola expects to prepare its acquisitions for integration into its 1.5C trajectory over time.