Coca-Cola to make 25% of packaging reusable by 2030

The Coca-Cola Company aims to significantly boost its use of reusable packaging by having at least 25% of all beverages globally, across its portfolio of brands, sold in refillable or returnable glass or plastic bottles, or in refillable containers through traditional fountain or Coca-Cola freestyle dispensers.

The move comes as part of Coca-Cola's World Without Waste initiative, which includes several objectives such as making all primary consumer packaging recyclable by 2025, and collecting and recycling a bottle or can for everyone it sells by 2030. Currently, returnable glass bottles and refillable bottles represent more than 50% of the company’s product sales in over 20 markets and more than 25% of sales in another 20 markets.

Elaine Bowers Coventry, chief customer and commercial officer, The Coca-Cola Company, said that accelerating the use of reusable packages provides added value for consumers and customers. “We continue to put consumers at the centre of all we do. One way to do that is by offering sustainable packaging types," she added.

Ben Jordan, senior director, packaging and climate of The Coca-Cola Company, said that reusable packaging is among the most effective ways to reduce waste, use fewer resources and lower its carbon footprint in support of a circular economy. "We will continue to highlight markets that are leading the way with reusable packaging best practices, and to support other markets as they increase their use of reusable packaging,” he added. 

Coca-Cola's move to sustainability comes after a global brand audit by the #breakfreefromplastic movement released in September last year, which revealed that Coca-Cola was the world’s worst corporate plastic polluter since 2018. Other brands who, unfortunately, made the list as the top 10 plastic polluters in 2021 were PepsiCo, Unilever, Nestlé, P&G, Mondelēz, Philip Morris, Danone, Mars and Colgate-Palmolive.

Coca-Cola has since called for a global pact to address plastic pollution, alongside over 70 companies such as Beiersdorf, IKEA, Starbucks, L’Oreal, Inditex and H&M Group. Unilever, Mondelēz, P&G, Nestle, Mars, PepsiCo, and Danone were also involved in signing a joint statement for a legally binding UN treaty on plastic pollution. 

“We are at a critical point in time to establish an ambitious UN treaty that fosters collaboration for systemic solutions and speeds up the transition to a circular economy globally,” the statement said. It added that UNEA 5.2 is the decisive, most auspicious moment to turn the tide on the global plastic pollution crisis and that the world “cannot afford to miss it”.

The joint statement also called for the UN treaty to recognise that the issue of plastic pollution is transboundary in nature and leads to significant negative impacts on the environment, society, and economy. It also called for a holistic, coordinated international response that tackles problems at its source. At the same time, the statement urged the UN treaty to recognise that a circular economy for plastics will contribute to the efforts to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, while bringing positive social and economic impacts.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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