Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Plastic waste and recycling claims · United States · 2018

Coca-Cola plastic pledges and brand audits

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured. Disputed
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured · 3 disputed · 3 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Did plastic credits reduce plastic pollution?
  • Press and investigations AFP and SourceMaterial: About two-thirds of plastic credited in four registries was burned or planned to be burned, about 84,289 t of plastic and an estimated 237,000 t of CO2; buyers included arms of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive in 2024.
  • Company or project Coca-Cola: Reported to have said in 2022 that plastic credits are not a solution.
  • Company or project Nestlé: Says it does not buy plastic credits without a credible, solid, harmonised global standard (reported).
Did the Alliance to End Plastic Waste match the scale of plastic production?
  • Communities and civil society Greenpeace: The alliance gave $375 million and 119,000 t of plastic was collected; five member companies produced 132 million t of plastic feedstock in the same period, more than 1,000 times what was collected. Greenpeace Unearthed
  • Company or project Alliance to End Plastic Waste: Said its 15 million t target was too ambitious (as reported by Greenpeace). Greenpeace Unearthed

Coca-Cola pledged in 2018 to collect a bottle or can for each one it sold by 2030. In December 2024 it revised its goals, while brand audits counted its products as the largest share of branded plastic waste.

11%Coca-Cola's share of branded plastic waste in 84 countries, 2018–2022
Brand audits, Cowger et al. 2024, Science Advances.

Status As of the latest material reviewed (2025): Coca-Cola revised its plastic goals in December 2024; the Los Angeles County suit has no outcome on record.

What?
Coca-Cola set and then lowered plastic pledges while brand audits attributed the largest share of branded plastic waste to its products; plastic credits bought by its affiliates were reported to fund burning of plastic. CSIRO
Where?
Global (brand audits in 84 countries); court action in California; COP27 in Egypt. CSIRO
When?
Pledge January 2018; audits 2018–2022; goals revised December 2024; credits investigation 2025. Mongabay
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The sources reviewed give the company's reason as needing more time; no other reason is stated.
How?
Brand audits count branded litter items; each 1% of production share corresponded to about 1% of pollution share. CSIRO
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who

What happened

The record, in order.

On 19 January 2018 Coca-Cola announced its "World Without Waste" goals. They included collecting a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030, making all packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and using 50% recycled content by 2030. The company later added a goal of 25% reusable packaging by 2030.

A study of 1,576 brand-audit events in 84 countries between 2018 and 2022 (Cowger et al., Science Advances, April 2024) found Coca-Cola products made up 11% of branded plastic waste, PepsiCo 5%, Nestlé 3%, Danone 3% and Altria 2%. Fifty-six companies accounted for more than half of branded waste, and half of the items were unbranded. The authors found that each 1% of a company's production share corresponded to about 1% of its share of pollution. Break Free From Plastic, which organises brand audits, named Coca-Cola first among the top global plastic polluters of 2023 in a report of 7 February 2024.

In December 2024 Coca-Cola revised its goals. It dropped the 25% reuse target and the goal to reduce virgin plastic, lowered its recycled-content target from 50% by 2030 to 35–40% by 2035, and lowered its collection target from 100% equivalent by 2030 to 70–75% by 2035. Reporting says the company said it needed more time and intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists.

A 2025 investigation by AFP and SourceMaterial found that about two-thirds of the plastic credited in four registries was burned or planned to be burned. Buyers named included arms of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive in 2024. Coca-Cola and Unilever were reported to have said in 2022 that plastic credits are not a solution.

Los Angeles County sued PepsiCo and Coca-Cola in October 2024, alleging they misled consumers about recyclability and caused a public nuisance. The records reviewed give no outcome.

  1. 2018Coca-Cola announces World Without Waste goals (19 January)
  2. 2021The Ocean Cleanup begins its global partnership with Coca-Cola
  3. 2022Coca-Cola sponsors the COP27 climate summit; Ocean Conservancy withdraws the incineration recommendation in its 2015 report
  4. 2024Break Free From Plastic names Coca-Cola first among top plastic polluters of 2023 (February); Science Advances brand-audit study (April); Los Angeles County sues Coca-Cola and PepsiCo (October); Coca-Cola revises its goals (December)
  5. 2025AFP and SourceMaterial report on plastic credits; Oregon packaging fees take effect under a board that includes Coca-Cola

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“The top global plastic polluters of 2023 are The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, Mondelēz International.”

“intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists”

Coca-Cola, as reported by Waste Dive on dropping the reuse target · December 2024 · Waste Dive

“We need to stop producing so much plastic.”

Neil Tangri, GAIA · 2025

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Did plastic credits reduce plastic pollution?
Press and investigations
AFP and SourceMaterial

About two-thirds of plastic credited in four registries was burned or planned to be burned, about 84,289 t of plastic and an estimated 237,000 t of CO2; buyers included arms of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive in 2024.

Company or project
Coca-Cola

Reported to have said in 2022 that plastic credits are not a solution.

Company or project
Nestlé

Says it does not buy plastic credits without a credible, solid, harmonised global standard (reported).

Did the Alliance to End Plastic Waste match the scale of plastic production?
Communities and civil society
Greenpeace

The alliance gave $375 million and 119,000 t of plastic was collected; five member companies produced 132 million t of plastic feedstock in the same period, more than 1,000 times what was collected.

Greenpeace Unearthed
Company or project
Alliance to End Plastic Waste

Said its 15 million t target was too ambitious (as reported by Greenpeace).

Greenpeace Unearthed
Why were the 2018 goals lowered in December 2024?
Company or project
Coca-Cola

Said it needed more time.

Press and investigations
Mongabay

Reported that the company cut its reusable-plastic pledge and lowered its collection target.

Mongabay

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • A pledge to collect a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030, to make all packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and to use 50% recycled content by 2030.
    Coca-Cola, World Without Waste, 19 January 2018
  • A global partnership with The Ocean Cleanup since 2021.
    The Ocean Cleanup, 2025 in review · The Ocean Cleanup

Recorded

  • Coca-Cola products were 11% of branded plastic waste in audits of 84 countries, 2018–2022; PepsiCo 5%.
    CSIRO
  • Fifty-six companies accounted for more than half of branded waste; half of the items were unbranded.
    CSIRO
  • In December 2024 Coca-Cola dropped the 25% reuse target and the virgin-plastic reduction goal, and lowered its recycled-content and collection targets.
    Mongabay
  • About two-thirds of plastic credited in four registries was burned or planned to be burned; buyers included arms of Coca-Cola.
  • Los Angeles County sued Coca-Cola and PepsiCo over recyclability claims and public nuisance.
    Insurance Journal
  • Coca-Cola and PepsiCo sit on the board of Circular Action Alliance, the operator of Oregon's packaging fees; the fee methodology is confidential and there is no appeal mechanism.
    Ballard Spahr
  • Coca-Cola was a sponsor of the COP27 climate summit in 2022.
    The New Arab

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: · Window: . All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • coca-cola (December 2024): Said it needed more time on its goals and intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists. · Waste Dive
  • coca-cola (2022): Reported to have said in 2022 that plastic credits are not a solution.

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2024-10–Outcome not on record
    Los Angeles County v. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola (plastic recyclability and public nuisance)
    Not specified in the sources reviewed · Civil · Los Angeles County → PepsiCo; Coca-Cola

    The county alleged that the companies misled consumers about recyclability and caused a public nuisance through plastic pollution. No outcome is recorded. Insurance Journal

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Share of branded plastic waste
11%
Coca-Cola, 84 countries, 2018–2022 audits
Collection pledge
100% by 2030 → 70–75% by 2035
Coca-Cola, revised December 2024
Credited plastic burned or planned to be burned
About two-thirds
Four registries, AFP and SourceMaterial, 2025

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Case pending / contestedNo independent ecological evaluation

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
  • Disputed Did plastic credits reduce plastic pollution?
  • Disputed Did the Alliance to End Plastic Waste match the scale of plastic production?

Court

  • Unclear Los Angeles County v. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola (plastic recyclability and public nuisance): outcome not on record.

Accounts

  • Disputed Why were the 2018 goals lowered in December 2024?

Record

  • Unclear Whether Coca-Cola's plastic-credit affiliates responded to the AFP and SourceMaterial findings: no response is recorded in the sources reviewed.
  • None on record Outcome of the Los Angeles County suit: none found.
  • Unclear Whether and how the Alliance to End Plastic Waste figures relate to Coca-Cola's own pledges: the sources reviewed do not say.
  • Insufficient The brand-audit method counts branded litter items; the 'worst polluter' label rests on that count (reported, not independently verified).
  • None on record Fees and methodology of Oregon's producer-responsibility system: methodology confidential.

Did the harm stop?

The sources reviewed record revised, lower pledges rather than a stop: the 2030 collection goal became 70–75% by 2035 in December 2024.

Who paid?

The sources reviewed do not say who paid for the pledges that were dropped or for the waste counted in the audits.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society✓ Researchers

Press and investigations

Communities and civil society

  1. BFFP movement unveils 2023 global brand audit results
    Break Free From Plastic · 2024-02-07
  3. 2025 in review
    The Ocean Cleanup · 2026-01

Researchers

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Places and local terms

Conservancy (Kenya)
In Kenya, land managed by a community or private owners for wildlife alongside grazing, often with outside partners.

Science and environment

Groundwater
Water held underground in soil and rock, drawn through wells.
Hectare (ha)
A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.
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