The plastics industry, consumer brands and retailers are being accused of ‘obstructing and undermining’ proposed legislative solutions to the plastic crisis in what has been called ‘two-faced hypocrisy’.
‘Talking Trash: The Corporate Playbook of False Solutions’ from the Changing Markets Foundation terms the world’s largest plastic polluters as ‘big plastic’ as it says that behind a ‘veil of nice-sounding initiatives and commitments’ to address the plastics crisis – the plastics industry, consumer brands and retailers have ‘obstructed and undermined proven legislative solutions to the crisis for decades’.
Th report is based on research and investigations in over 15 countries across five continents sets out to ‘expose’ how it claims tactics to undermine legislation in individual countries are part of a ‘global approach by Big Plastic to ensure that the corporations most responsible for the plastic crisis evade true accountability for their pollution’.
Voluntary commitments
Talking Trash analysed voluntary commitments from what it calls the ‘ten biggest plastic polluters’ (Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Mars Incorporated, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Perfetti Van Melle, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever), which have a joint plastic footprint of almost 10 million tonnes per year, the Changing Markets Foundation says.
It also set out to investigate prominent group initiatives, such as the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, that these companies have signed up to.
The report claims that these companies use these voluntary commitments to ‘appear to be part of the solution’, while at the same time using trade associations, producer responsibility organisations and even ‘fake environmental groups’ to oppose and lobby to delay what it calls ‘progressive legislation’ to tackle the plastics crisis.
This report exposes the two-faced hypocrisy of plastic polluters, which claim to be committed to solutions…
The Changing Markets Foundation says the problem with voluntary commitments and group initiatives is also a lack of ambition and a focus on end-of-pipe solutions, such as clean-ups, products’ recyclability or biodegradability.
Companies also tend to rely on ‘problematic solutions’, such as bio-based plastics or chemical recycling, which fail to address the root cause of the problem and may ‘scale up other environmental problems in their wake’.
What The Changing Markets Foundation calls ‘real solutions’, such as mandatory collection of packaging, policies to increase reuse and phase out certain problematic plastic types or products, rarely feature in the voluntary approach and are fiercely fought against, if proposed by policy-makers, it says.
Nusa Urbancic, Campaigns Director at the Changing Markets Foundation, said: “This report exposes the two-faced hypocrisy of plastic polluters, which claim to be committed to solutions, but at the same time use a host of dirty tricks to ensure that they can continue pumping out cheap, disposable plastic, polluting the planet at a devastating rate.
“Plastic is now pouring into the natural world at a rate of one garbage truck a minute, creating a crisis for wildlife, the climate and public health. The responsibility for this disaster lies with Big Plastic – including major household brands – which have lobbied against progressive legislation for decades, greenwashed their environmental credentials and blamed the public for littering, rather than assuming responsibility for their own actions.”
Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company has a plastic footprint of 2.9 million tonnes per year, the Changing Markets Foundation.
Among the initiatives analysed, the Talking Trash report found that the company is committed to 10 voluntary initiatives to solve plastic waste while at the same time is also a member of at least seven trade associations that it claims ‘lobbied against deposit return systems or other legislation to regulate single-use plastic’.
It says that while, on the surface, Coca-Cola has ‘committed to a “World Without Waste”, the report claims that over the last 30 years, it has ‘continuously broken, delayed or shifted the goalposts on most of its impressive-sounding targets’.
In 1990, for example, the company committed to having 25% recycled content in their bottles, but 30 years later they are only at 10%.
The report states that only in 2017, following a reported leak of internal documents, did Coca-Cola then make a ‘U-turn’ in its opposition to a DRS in Scotland.
At the same time, the company has ‘fiercely opposed’ what the Changing Markets Foundation calls ‘progressive legislation that would help them to achieve these commitments, from deposit return systems (DRS) to redesign obligations’.
The report states that only in 2017, following a reported leak of internal documents, did Coca-Cola then make a ‘U-turn’ in its opposition to a DRS in Scotland.
It claims Coca-Cola is still lobbying against similar legislation in Kenya, the Chinese province of Hainan, and the US state of Georgia.
It also claims that other leading brands, including Nestlé, PepsiCo and P&G, have also failed to meet their voluntary commitments or shifted the goalposts.
However, even if these commitments were to be realised, they would still not be ambitious enough to make a dent in the plastic crisis, the Changing Markets Foundation says.
Lobbying
The report claims that ‘big plastic’ is a ‘well-organised and interconnected global network of organisations that lobby at every level to fight against proven solutions to solve the plastics crisis, which would require them to fully step up their responsibility and take on the true costs of plastic pollution’.
The Changing Markets Foundation says they use ‘distraction tactics’ which it says are designed to make people think real change is happening or that responsibility for the problem lies elsewhere.
This report is a damning exposé of the tactics employed by the plastics industry and shines a welcome light on the shadowy world of corporate lobbying.
One of the key tactics has been to saddle ‘litterbug’ consumers with most of the blame – and public authorities with most of the cost – for a waste problem created by these corporations, according to the report findings.
It says another ‘major tactic’ has also been focusing on recycling, funding education campaigns for consumers, while the industry keeps producing plastic that it says ‘is very difficult, if not impossible to recycle’, and opposes other legislative solutions, ‘such as deposit return systems that would drive mandatory collection of packaging’.
Natalie Fee, Founder of City to Sea, which is supporting the campaign said: “This report is a damning exposé of the tactics employed by the plastics industry and shines a welcome light on the shadowy world of corporate lobbying.
“For too long the true cost of plastic production has been externalised, meaning plastic producers continue to get away with ecocide while waste management companies, consumers and marginalised communities around the world are left to deal with millions of tonnes of toxic plastic waste.
“This report gives us further evidence that the real battle lies not just in changing the public’s attitude towards single-use plastic, but in highlighting the truth behind vested corporate interests and how the industry actively undermines attempts to tackle the ecological crisis we face.”
Drastic legislative action
The Changing Markets Foundation says ‘drastic legislative action’ is needed and has set out three recommendations:
- Introduce legislation mandating at least 90% separate collection of plastic waste and acknowledge that mandatory deposit return systems are the only proven and effective way to achieve high levels of collection and litter reduction.
- Introduce reuse targets and other supportive policy mechanisms to encourage greater rates of reuse and refill.
- Implement minimum recycled-content targets, as this creates a market for effective plastic recycling, and maintains plastic in a closed loop without downcycling the material.
Nusa Urbancic, Campaigns Director at the Changing Markets Foundation, continued: “The voluntary initiatives and commitments by the industry have failed. Policymakers should look past the industry smokescreen and adopt proven, progressive legislation globally to create the systemic change that this crisis so urgently needs.
Coca-Cola respond: A world without waste
Coca-Cola responded to the report, telling Circular Online that it is committed to doing more, faster.
The company said in a statement: “While we recognize the progress we’ve made against our 2030 World Without Waste goals, we’re also committed to do more, faster so that we grow our business the right way.
“We launched the first bottle containing recycled plastic (rPET) in 1991 and had a global goal of 25% rPET inclusion in our plastic bottles that we could not sustain. This miss was an opportunity to learn.
“We are confident about our current World Without Waste goals despite them being more ambitious than our previous targets.
Our World Without Waste goals drive us to continually improve, working together with our approximately 225 bottling partners in more than 200 countries and territories – Coca-Cola
“Learning from past experience, engaging in new and existing partnerships – including a meaningful one with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation – and our steadfast commitment to make a difference in the communities where we operate will help us achieve our ambitions.
“Our World Without Waste goals drive us to continually improve, working together with our approximately 225 bottling partners in more than 200 countries and territories.
“Currently, bottles with 100% recycled plastic are now available in 18 markets around the world and this is continually growing. In recent weeks, the local Coca-Cola businesses in Norway and Netherlands announced that they are now using 100% rPET across their portfolio.
“And in Great Britain, we are preparing to announce that we have reached 50% rPET across our packaging, another step in our journey to 100% rPET in all our packs.
