Publications & Reports
Will these companies reduce their plastic use? A Rubbish Campaign report by Tearfund and Renew Our World.
The steps being taken by companies and governments are a far cry from the action necessary to tackle a crisis of this magnitude.
This report focuses on the actions and responsibilities of four of the world’s biggest plastic polluters: Coca-Cola, Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever.
Most of the companies focus on recycling, rather than reduction, as a way to address the problem. This is a mistake for a few reasons. For one thing, it’s questionable whether it is actually possible to recycle such a large and ever-increasing volume of plastic.
Only 14 per cent of plastic packaging is collected for recycling annually and, even in developed countries, recycling capacity often falls far short of total plastic use.
This report estimates that across six countries spanning three continents – China, India, the Philippines, Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria – Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever are responsible for more than half a million tonnes of plastic pollution every year:
Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever all claim to be concerned about global health and climate change. However, in order to honour these climate and health ambitions, companies need to reduce dramatically the production and selling of single-use plastic packaging, and switch to refillable and reusable packaging.
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