How the Coca-Cola

Company is
Greenwashing
By Santina Kobierecki
 Table of contents

01 02 03

Coca-Cola's values How they are impacting Earth Island Institute V.

the environment Coca-Cola

04 05 06
2022 Business and Future Projections Corporate Social
Sustainability Report Responsibility/ Ethics
 01

Coca-Cola’s Values
The Coca-Cola Company reaches a very large market and has its products sold in
over 200 countries.

Overview of the company: Purpose of the company:

● Coca-Cola claims to ● Coca-Cola states they
strive towards a they do business in ways
sustainable future, to promote change in the
promoting packaging world and express the
recycling and smart want to create a more
sourcing practices sustainable future for our
planet
 02
How the company is
impacting the
environment
The Global Brand Audit
The Global Brand Audit started the
Break Free From Plastic initiative in
2018.
How the audit works:
● Volunteers go out into
communities and spaces to pick up
trash that has been carelessly
placed in our environment.
● Then, citizen scientists count and
keep track of the brands that are
on the plastic pollutants that they
find.
 2018-2022
Coca-Cola has been at the top of the
leaderboards for plastic pollution worldwide
since the audit began.

63% increase
From 2021-2022, Coca-Cola had a 63% increase
in their plastic pollution, and numbers are
projected to increase in years to come.

More than 31,000

In the 2022 audit, more than 31,000 pieces
of plastic throughout the environment were
Coca-Cola branded.
 03
Earth Island Institute V.
Coca-Cola lawsuit
 Sequence of Events:
● In 2020, Coca-Cola came under fire when they refused to stop
using plastic bottles.
○ Claimed to have an action plan to switch to 50% recycled
materials by 2030.
● Statement released by The Coca-Cola Senior Vice President saying
“Business won't be in business if we don't accommodate to
customers. So, as we change our bottling infrastructure, move into
recycling, and innovate, we also have to show the consumer what
the opportunities are. They will change with us.”
● In June of 2021, The Earth Island Institute filed a lawsuit against
Coca-Cola for informing the public of misinformation on their
companies status of environmental and sustainability practices.
 Greenwashing:
A form of advertising that conveys a false
impression, or provides the public with
misleading information about how
environmentally sound a company's
products are.
 Sequence of Events continued:
● The case was filed in The District of Columbia Superior
Court and held Coca-Cola in violation of The District of
Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA).
● This lawsuit hoped to prevent the beverage company
from falsely advertising its business as sustainable in the
future.
● Recently, the case has been dismissed and Coca-Cola
has not been held responsible for the way they promote
the sustainability of their company.
 04
Coca-Cola’s 2022
Business and
Sustainability report
Goal: 2022 achievement:

● Make 100% of packaging ● Met by 90% of packaging -

recyclable globally by 2025. made recyclable
● Use at least 50% recycled ● Met by 25% of packaging
content in their packaging globally (along with 15%
by 2030. recycled PET)
● Reduce the amount of virgin ● Coca-Cola “broke even” on
this goal because although
plastics derived from
non-renewable sources by 3 they made efforts to avoid
million metric tons by 2025. around half a million tons of
● Have at least 25% of their virgin plastic usage, they
beverages worldwide sold in were overwhelmed by an
refillable/ returnable glass or increased need for plastic
plastic bottles. products.
● Met by 14% of their
beverages sold.
 05

Future Projections
Many of the 100 billion bottles that the brand sells per year end up in
oceans and landfills.

Ecosystems and
oceans will Human Health
continue to hurt
● Plastics like the ones used ● Place like Samoa have
to keep coke bottles in no recycling facilities to
their 6 pack shape deal with plastic
formation are known to be pollution and said that
found around marines life companies like
necks and bodies hurting Coca-Cola are affecting
them. their communities in a
● Fish consuming negative way.
microplastics in the ocean
from pollution shorten
their lifespan.
 06
How this case relates to
corporate social
responsibility/ ethics
Impact on the Environment & Ethics

Impact on the Environment Ethics

● Although Coca-Cola ● The Coca-Cola company needs

claims they are to hold themselves more
making efforts to accountable because on their
improve the website, they make it seem as if
environment, they are they are making a difference in
just breaking even on the environment with their large
their impacts in platform.
negative and positive ● This company needs to realize
ways. that by deministing the
environment that their
customers depend on they are
only doing a disservice to their
stakeholders as well as the
planet as a whole.
 Discussion Question:

Do you think that the case between Earth Island

Institute and Coca-Cola should have been
dismissed and why?
Resources
Bandoim, L. (n.d.). Why Coca-Cola Refuses To Ban Plastic Bottles. Forbes. Retrieved March 23, 2024, from
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2DCola%20will%20not%20stop
Buza, M. (2022, December 1). Coca-Cola’s Plastic Pollution Problem. Www.sierraclub.org.
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Robinson, D. (2022, July 17). 10 Companies and Corporations Called Out For Greenwashing. Earth.org; Earth.org.
https://earth.org/greenwashing-companies-corporations/
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY 2022 BUSINESS & SUSTAINABILITY REPORT. (2022).
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/company/us/en/reports/coca-cola-business-sustainability-report-2022.pdf#page=36
The Coca-Cola Company. (2022). Our Purpose. The Coca-Cola Company. https://investors.coca-colacompany.com/about/our-purpose

What is PET? (2024, February 9). American Beverage Association.

https://www.americanbeverage.org/education-resources/blog/what-is-pet/
WMW | The top plastic polluters 2022. (2023, November 7). WMW.
https://waste-management-world.com/materials/the-top-plastic-polluters/#:~:text=Most%20notably%2C%20The%20Coca%2DCola