The Coca-Cola Company has announced updated sustainability goals focused on packaging design and post-use collection, aiming for significant milestones by 2035. These new objectives replace earlier targets for 2025 and 2030, which emphasized recyclability, recycled content, and reusable packaging.
One of the key goals includes incorporating 35% to 40% recycled material into primary packaging, such as plastic, glass, and aluminum, with an emphasis on increasing recycled plastic use globally to 30%-35%.
Additionally, Coca-Cola plans to partner with organizations to collect 70%-75% of the bottles and cans it introduces to the market annually. However, the company has not outlined any new reuse-related targets, although it intends to continue investing in refillable packaging where infrastructure supports it.
Evolving Focus and Challenges
The updated goals reflect a shift in Coca-Cola’s sustainability ambitions. Under its earlier “World Without Waste” campaign, the company aimed to recycle 100% of its packaging by 2030. The new approach reduces this target to collecting three-quarters of the equivalent packaging it produces each year.
However, several challenges could impact Coca-Cola’s progress. For instance, the quality and cost of recycled materials, alongside scaling issues, could hinder efforts to increase recycled content in packaging. Variations in recycling systems across jurisdictions also present obstacles.
Mixed Progress on Existing Targets
In 2023, Coca-Cola reported that 47.7% of its packaging mix was plastic bottles, 26% was aluminum and steel, and 10.4% was glass. Despite claiming a 90% recyclability rate across its portfolio, only 17% of its primary packaging used recycled PET. The company admitted it was behind schedule on its 2030 recycled content and collection goals, even as it remained on track to make all packaging globally recyclable by 2025.
Industry and Environmental Concerns
Environmental groups have criticized Coca-Cola for its retreat from reuse commitments. The percentage of reusable plastic packaging dropped to 1.2% in 2023, reflecting a lack of progress. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola faces growing scrutiny over its contribution to plastic pollution and lawsuits from Los Angeles County and Baltimore.
Competitors like PepsiCo are also falling short on similar goals, while Coca-Cola’s involvement in initiatives like the U.S. Plastics Pact and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation highlights the industry’s broader struggle to reduce reliance on virgin plastics.
Coca-Cola’s revised targets signal a cautious yet critical step in addressing global sustainability challenges, underscoring the complexity of achieving impactful environmental goals.
Reference- Coca-Cola newsroom, Food Dive article, National Geographic, Break Free From Plastic