Oceana Calls on Coca-Cola’s Largest Bottler to Commit to Reuse and Plastic Reduction
At its annual meeting, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners should make a time-bound commitment to increase reusable packaging.
Press Release Date: May 22, 2024
Location: London
Contact:
Gillian Spolarich, Anna Baxter | email: gspolarich@oceana.org, abaxter@oceana.org
202-467-1909, Anna Baxter
As shareholders of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) gather in London today for their annual meeting, Oceana will take to the surrounding streets, calling on the company to commit to more reusable packaging. Although the Coca-Cola Company pledged in 2022 to reach 25% reusable packaging by 2030, CCEP — the world’s largest bottler and seller of Coca-Cola products — has yet to make a similar commitment.
Oceana released the following statement from Matt Littlejohn, Oceana’s Senior Vice President:
“Plastic is devastating our oceans and Coca-Cola is the world’s top plastic polluter according to survey results published by the Break Free From Plastic Movement. In order for Coca-Cola to meet its reusable commitment, it needs support from its bottlers, especially CCEP. If the Coca-Cola Company meets its commitment, it could, by 2030, eliminate the cumulative equivalent of over 100 billion 500 ml single-use plastic bottles and cups and prevent up to 14.7 billion of these plastic containers from entering our waterways and seas.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, please stop delaying. The Coca-Cola Company itself has reported that refillable bottles can have the lowest carbon footprint of any packaging type and the highest collection rate, especially when compared to single-use plastic bottles. Reuse is clearly the winning strategy for our oceans and planet. Make a commitment now to scale up reusable packaging and help save our oceans. They can’t wait.”
Oceana sent a letter to the company, and will distribute it to shareholders, staff, and executives as they walk into their annual meeting today. The plea will also appear in the Financial Times, on chalk sidewalk ads, and on mobile billboards so shareholders and employees can see and understand the importance of CCEP making this commitment. The full letter is available at CCEPmorereusenow.org.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 300 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit Oceana.org to learn more.
