Coca-Cola, leading plastic polluter, says it will sell some 100% recycled bottles in US

The Coca-Cola Company was ranked as the world’s top plastic polluter for the third year running alongside PepsiCo and Nestle, according to the 2020 audit by an NGO

Coca-Cola are rolling out some 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles in the US this month (AFP via Getty Images)

Coca-Cola, one of the world's worst plastic polluters, is rolling out its first-ever 100 per cent recycled plastic bottle in the US.

The company announced on Tuesday that it will begin selling Coca-Cola brands in the 13.2-oz bottle made from recycled PET plastic this month in California, Florida and some states in the Northeast. Other fizzy drinks and waters will be sold in the recycled bottles this summer.

The Coca-Cola Company was ranked as the world’s top plastic polluter for the third year running alongside PepsiCo and Nestle, according to the 2020 audit from Break Free From Plastic.

The annual brand audit of plastic waste involved more than 346,000 pieces of plastic in 55 countries.

“These companies claim to be addressing the plastic crisis yet they continue to invest in false solutions while teaming up with oil companies to produce even more plastic. To stop this mess and combat climate change, multinationals like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé must end their addiction to single-use plastic packaging and move away from fossil fuels,” said Abigail Aguilar from Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

A separate report, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, found that corporations have made very little progress on making more plastic packaging recyclable, and reducing the need for single-use packaging altogether.

Coca-Cola says that the US is the 19th market where bottles made of recycled packaging are being rolled out. The multinational has set a goal of making bottles with 50 per cent recycled material by 2030.

More than 94 per cent of the company’s North American packaging is currently recyclable, according to Coca-Cola.

“Challenges around plastic packaging waste and recycling continue to be top of mind for our consumers, customers and our system,” said Alpa Sutaria, vice president and general manager, sustainability, North America Operating Unit.

“Introducing 100% recycled PET bottles is a big proof point of how recycling can help create a circular economy.”