The Coca-Cola Company has introduced new paper-based packaging in some of its European markets, but environmental experts question whether the change will have any meaningful impact.
What’s happening?
According to International Business Times, Coca-Cola has introduced recyclable paper and cardboard handles that hold six 1.5-liter bottles together in select European markets, replacing traditional plastic packaging.
The design was developed by Coca-Cola HBC Austria in partnership with DS Smith and Krones, and it is estimated that it will eliminate around 242 tons of plastic per year.
Stefano Rossi, CEO of DS Smith’s Packaging Solutions Division, said in a statement that the packaging was designed using the company’s Circular Design Metrics approach to use as little material as possible.
Coca-Cola and DS Smith have not announced any plans to expand the packaging to other markets in Europe or the United States.
Why is Coca-Cola’s packaging important?
Coca-Cola has the dubious distinction of being named the world’s worst plastic polluter for several years in a row, pumping more than 100 billion single-use plastic bottles annually into the world, many of which end up in landfills, oceans, and communities.
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Those plastics break down into microplastics, which have infiltrated almost every sector of life, showing up in human bloodstreams and even brains.
Meanwhile, the production of plastic and its presence in landfills contribute to planet-warming air pollution, which traps heat in the atmosphere and increases global temperatures. Warmer weather exacerbates extreme weather events.
Changing even part of the company’s packaging to a recyclable paper option is a step in the right direction, but many experts wonder if it is a genuine move toward sustainability or simply a case of greenwashing — the intentional misleading of consumers about sustainability efforts to boost sales.
Greenpeace Africa noted that the company tends to make “superficial” changes rather than working to actually reduce the root cause of its plastic pollution.
The company does have sustainability goals listed on its website, aiming to use 35% to 40% recycled material in its primary packaging, including increasing recycled plastic use to 30% to 35% globally by 2035.
It also said it is working to ensure 70% to 75% of the equivalent number of bottles and cans it introduces into the market are collected by 2035.
What’s being done about Coca-Cola’s plastic pollution?
Coca-Cola is making strides to make its packaging sustainable, claiming 99% of its packaging was recyclable in 2024.
However, it still has a single-use plastic problem that significantly harms the planet and its inhabitants.
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