Coca-Cola to not ditch single-use plastic bottles in near future: Report

While climate action took the centre stage at the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, Coca-Cola revealed that it has no plan to ditch single-use plastic bottles owing to demand. Speaking to BBC, Communications and Sustainability Officer Beatriz Perez said that consumers still want plastic botels as they reseal and are lightweight.

In January 2018, the beverages company announced its vision of a ‘World without waste’ and pledged to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can that Coca-Cola sells globally by 2030. The company has set another ambitious goal of sourcing 50 per cent of the raw materials it uses to make packaging from recycled materials by 2030. Earlier in January, Olga Patricia Reyes Abisambra, a public affairs and communications vice president of the company, wrote in a blog that their bottling partners have contributed to the social and environmental impact projects.

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James Quincey, President, and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company had acknowledged the packaging problem saying they have the responsibility to solve it. “Making our bottles and cans more sustainable and recyclable is only part of the answer. If something can be recycled, it should be recycled,” wrote Quincey in a blog. “We believe in the circular economy, where plastic, glass, and aluminium are reused many times instead of being used once and thrown away. We want others to believe in it, too,” he added.

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Plastic waste in India

According to Coca-Cola India, an estimated 5.6 million tons of plastic waste is disposed of in India annually, 43 per cent of which is attributable to packaging. “While around 90% of our primary used plastic packaging, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is recycled in India, we are committed to play our part in addressing the broader plastic waste challenge,” Coca-Cola India had said in its sustainability report. “We are actively expanding the scope of our efforts in India and also contributing to the global vision of a World Without Waste,” it added.

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