Coca-Cola major plastic polluter in global brand audit

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NEW DELHI: ‘Break Free From Plastic’ group’s global brand audit assessment finding says Coca-Cola is the worst plastic polluter amongst the major brands for five years in a row. PepsiCo and Nestle are the other two major polluters on the top three plastic polluters list.

Apart from PepsiCo, CG Foods India Pvt Ltd – makers of Wai Wai noodles and Perfetti Van Melle, Makers of Mentos, Alpenliebe and Chupa Chups lollipops were the top plastic polluters in India in 2022.

It was found that milk products were the major plastic polluters over the last two years. In 2020 Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd was the major polluter, while in 2021, it was Karnataka Milk Federation. PepsiCo was the major polluter in India this year. In 2018, Perfetti Van Melle was the top plastic polluter, while in 2019, SS Food Products occupied the top position.

Break Free From Plastic group consists of around 11,000 global organisations which analysed the trash collection data for the last five years. Around two lakh volunteers were employed to prepare the Brand Audit Report 2022.

The primary criteria adopted for this is the width of pollution, meaning the number of countries where the products were found. The secondary one is depth that is, the number of branded items in a particular country.

The most common type of plastic considered a pollutant is the one used in food packaging, shampoo bottles and other personal hygiene products and piping. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) were the most commonly found plastic in India in the last five years.

With the help of this report, the Plastic Group is asking corporations to reveal their actual plastic footprint and identify and implement solutions that could reduce their plastic dependence. Additionally, they are asking world leaders to press for a legally binding Global Plastic Treaty as the voluntary commitment made by the corporations has failed to produce results.