According to a global brand audit assessment by “Break Free From Plastic,” the Coca-Cola business, one of the sponsors of the COP27 meeting, has been identified as the worst plastic polluter for five years in a row. Both for 2022 and the previous five years, PepsiCo and Nestlé occupied the other two positions on the top 3 list of international plastic pollutants.
Along with PepsiCo, the top plastic polluters in India in 2022 included the manufacturer of Wai Wai noodles, CG Foods India Pvt. Ltd., and Perfetti Van Melle, the maker of Mentos, Alpenliebe, and Chupa Chups lollipops.
Break Free From Plastic is a coalition of almost 11,000 international organizations
Milk products were discovered to be the greatest plastic polluters over the previous two years, whereas PepsiCo was judged to be the nation’s top polluter this year. In 2021, the Karnataka Milk Federation came in first, while in 2020, it was Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd. The top plastic polluter in 2019 was SS Food Products, while Perfetti Van Melle held that title in 2018. SS Food Products produces cooking products like baking powder and ready-to-eat soups.
In order to create the 2022 Brand Audit study, Break Free From Plastic, a coalition of almost 11,000 international organizations, said it used over 2 lakh volunteers spread across 87 locations to analyze trash collection statistics for the previous five years. “Corporations that contaminate the most places throughout the world with the highest amount of plastic garbage,” was how the top polluters were described. The number of countries where the product is found, which is the primary criterion, is followed by the depth of the pollution, or the number of branded items, which is the secondary criterion.
The plastics used to produce pipework, shampoo bottles, and other bottles for personal hygiene goods were the most frequently identified as being polluting. According to the survey, the three most prevalent plastic kinds discovered in India over the previous five years were polyethene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethene (HDPE), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Coca-Cola told that it “shares the goal of eliminating waste from the ocean”
Most plastics, including PET and HDPE, start out as raw materials made from fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas. The COP27 summit, which is being held in Egypt this year, will focus on ways to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Several campaigners criticized the choice to work with Coca-Cola when COP27 announced it in September 2022, citing the American beverage company’s history as a major plastic polluter.
John Hocevar, the director of Greenpeace USA’s oceans campaign, called the decision “baffling.” Coca-Cola manufactures 120 billion disposable plastic bottles annually, and since 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels, the plastic crisis and the climate catastrophe are both becoming worse. They have yet to even admit that this is an issue, much less explain how they plan to achieve their climate targets while continuing to use plastic. According to a statement from Hocevar, this partnership “undermines the very purpose of the event it seeks to sponsor.
Coca-Cola told that it “shares the goal of eliminating waste from the ocean”. “Our support for Cop27 is in line with our science-based target to reduce absolute carbon emissions 25% by 2030, and our ambition for net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” it told The Guardian.