Single-use plastic might be the biggest cause of pollution on Earth right now, but that isn’t going to stop Coca-Cola from producing them.
The company that was called out for being the world’s most polluting brand in plastic waste has refused to stop making plastic bottles because ‘customers still want them’.
Vice reported the firm’s sustainability officer Bea Perez speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos saying that their customers liked their light-weight and resealable bottles. She also claimed that switching to using aluminium or glass would ‘increase their carbon footprint’ and affect sales.
Business won’t be in business if we don’t accommodate consumers. So as we change our bottling infrastructure, move into recycling and innovate, we also have to show the consumer what the opportunities are. They will change with us.
Mind you, while the company has promised to recycle as many plastic bottles as it uses by 2030, Vice has reported environmentalists arguing that Coca-Cola produces more than three million tonnes of plastic and very likely won’t be able to pick up after all the mess it has made.
Meanwhile, Von Hernandez from Break Free From Plastic told reporters:
Their continued reliance on single-use plastic packaging translates to pumping more throwaway plastic into the environment. Recycling is not going to solve this problem.
Whatever the case, we need to clean up as much plastic as soon as possible and not producing anymore while we’re at it would be appreciated by all living beings wishing for a sustainable planet.