Coca-Cola slammed for stalled progress on reusable packaging goals

Oceana criticizes the Coca-Cola Company for failing to increase its use of reusable packaging, which remained at 14 per cent in 2023, unchanged from 2022.

Considering this lack of progress and commitment by the company’s bottlers, Oceana, a nonprofit focusing on ocean conservation, is calling on Coca-Cola to disclose its plan for meeting its goal of using 25 per cent reusable packaging by 2030.

“The numbers in the company’s recent environmental update make it clear—Coca-Cola is not on track to meet its reuse goal, which is terrible news for the oceans,” said Oceana’s senior VP Matt Littlejohn. “The company has failed to make progress and none of its largest bottlers have made the commitments needed to reach this goal. It’s time for the company to disclose to its investors and customers exactly how it will meet its 25 per cent goal by 2030. More reusable packaging means less single-use plastic. The oceans can’t afford to have the world’s largest plastic polluter, according to recent reports, break this promise.”

Coca-Cola, according to the Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit, has been the world’s top plastic polluter for the last six years. Oceana estimates that if Coca-Cola meets its commitment to reach 25 per cent reusable packaging, the company could avoid producing the equivalent of more than 100 billion 500-ml single-use plastic bottles and cups.

Oceana points out that Coca-Cola’s largest bottlers have also reported declines in reusable packaging. Coca-Cola FEMSA’s reusable share decreased from 34 per cent in 2021 to 32 per cent in 2023, while Arca Continental’s share dropped from 26 per cent to 22.7 per cent. Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company saw a slight decrease from 13.6 per cent to 13.3 per cent, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners’ share increased modestly from 10.4 per cent to 11.4 per cent.