In a global plastic audit spanning 42 countries and six continents for which more than 187,000 pieces of plastic trash were audited apart from identifying thousands of brands that use single-use packaging, harmful for health and environment.
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé were declared the most frequent companies identified in 239 cleanups and brand audits, by the Break Free From Plastic, a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution.
The audits found that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone, Mondelez International, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Perfetti van Melle, Mars Incorporated, and Colgate-Palmolive were the most frequent multinational brands collected in cleanups, in that order.
This ranking of multinational companies included only brands that were found in at least ten of the 42 participating countries.
Overall, polystyrene, which is not recyclable in most locations, was the most common type of plastic found, followed closely by PET, a material used in bottles, containers, and other packaging.
The report emphasises that corporate are solely responsible in polluting our world, and not individuals because Individual communities and future generations are not responsible for the design, production, and transport of plastic packaging, yet they must constantly shoulder the burden and the costs of plastic’s harmful legacy and impacts.
The brand audit is a way to name some of the worst polluters and demand they stop producing plastic.
| Place | Top polluters | Percentage of plastic pollution |
| Europe | Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé | 45 |
| North America | Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé brands | 64 |
| South America | Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé brands | 70 |
| Asia | Coca-Cola, Perfetti van Melle, and Mondelez International30 | 30 |
| Australia | 7-Eleven, Coca-Cola, and McDonald | 82 |
| Africa | ASAS Group, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble | 74 |
The limitation of the audit is that it is a self reported audit and is only an “indication of the most common brands found in cleanups around the world.
Reference- Down To Earth, NDTV, The Independent