A new study has uncovered that five of the world's biggest brands are behind 24% of all plastic pollution.
What's happening?
After collecting plastic waste between 2018 and 2022, the study named its biggest culprits. The top five are the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone, and Altria.
Coca-Cola is the biggest polluter, with a claim to 11% of plastic pollution; 56 companies are also responsible for more than half of the world's plastic pollution.
Sustainability Magazine reported that this study provides even more evidence for the fact that plastic production and pollution are linked. This is likely because these products are used on the go. When a person has little time as it is, that decreases the chance they'll dispose of something properly in public.
Why is plastic pollution important?
Plastic pollution affects the entire world around us. Increased pollution means we have to spend more time and money on plastic removal.
When it isn't disposed of properly, plastic seeps into our waterways. It poisons marine animals and disrupts food supply chains.
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Plastic isn't much better for land animals and humans either. When microplastics get into our food, they can disrupt our endocrine systems.
It also takes forever to decompose. Even after we retrieve plastic, it takes up space in landfills. If we threw out less plastic, we could use those areas to instead create parks or pollinator fields.
What's being done about plastic pollution?
While Sustainability Magazine shared information about Coca-Cola and PepsiCo's sustainability programs, the companies have a long way to go.
Potential solutions include producing fewer products overall and labelling that allows future pollution tracking. Transparent reporting about company actions would make these solutions even stronger.
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Should the U.S. government invest more money in recycling programs?
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Yes 👍 "These challenges are complex and require us to drive more effective and efficient resource allocation and work collaboratively with partners to deliver lasting positive impact," said Bea Perez, an executive member of Coca-Cola, to Sustainability Magazine.
And while companies can promise those solutions, the biggest test will be following through and actually acting.
Just saying something will happen isn't enough. If companies don't fully follow through on their actions, that can lead to something called greenwashing.
When it comes to ourselves and our planet, it doesn't matter if something looks like it's good for the environment. It has to actually be good for the environment.
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