Coca-Cola accused of 'dismantling' critical international agreement: 'Smokescreen'

Plastic is made almost entirely from dirty fuel sources, which means every new bottle made from the material causes the same problems that oil and gas do. 

Ultimately, plastics prolong our dependence on industries that are driving our warming planet. 

The UN Plastics Treaty is the first major effort to address global plastic pollution; however, treaty talks have repeatedly ended in disagreements. 

What's happening?

At the United Nations' Geneva headquarters in August, more than 300 plastics industry lobbyists showed up to try to influence the global treaty talks, according to Geneva Solutions. 

Among them were representatives from major companies, including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Lego, as well as other plastic manufacturers. 

The decisions made for the global treaty will directly affect whether local community waste continues to pile up in landfills and accumulate in oceans or if healthier reuse systems will be put in place. 

Nearly 180 countries gathered in Geneva until August 14 to finalize a binding plastics treaty after discussions fell through in Busan, South Korea, earlier in the year. 

According to Geneva Solutions, at least 307 delegates tied to the plastics industry registered. The publication noted 279 appeared under non-governmental organization designations, while the Centre for International Environmental Law watchdog counted 234. 

Journalist Dorothée Moisan observed that Coca-Cola presents itself as a company in favor of environmentally friendly initiatives, but it continues to rely on single-use plastics. 

"Coca-Cola is dismantling the last remaining glass bottle deposit schemes in favor of single-use plastic," Moisan said in the report. 

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Why is this treaty important?

Lobbyists are putting pressure on negotiators to keep the focus on recycling rather than capping production entirely. 

Moisan said that it's only a "smokescreen" and asked the question: Why would a dirty fuel company that creates plastic push for more recycling? If better recycling methods were created, it would lose business or go out of business entirely. 

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's 2022 Global Plastics Outlook, only 9% of plastic waste was recycled between 2000 and 2019, which contributed to plastic waste more than doubling over those years. 

The OECD said that plastic pollution is on track to almost triple by 2060 — with around half ending up in landfills — due to single-use plastics, low-cost packaging, and textiles. 

Knowing this information, it's especially concerning when large brands don't hold up environmentally friendly standards even when presenting as if they will. 

When companies do this, it is known as greenwashing — a deceptive marketing practice in which companies portray their products or policies as environmentally friendly to mislead consumers. 

The dual messaging weakens international negotiations and is unethical. Coca-Cola is just one company among many that have been called out for such dishonesty. 

What's being done about the treaty?

Members of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty have been pushing for the treaty to take the entire life cycle of plastics into consideration and reduce production altogether, per a report published in the journal Plastics.

In Geneva, Greenpeace activists protested by creating a trail of black oil outside the Palais des Nations because of the dirty energy industry's influence on negotiations. 

Activists are making it clear that plastic and dirty energy are inextricably linked, and their voices help spotlight the imbalance between corporate lobbyists inside the talks and the public voices outside of them.  

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