Delay, distract and derail: investigating companies’ broken plastic promises

The author asserts that the plastic industry is set to double production by 2030 while only 9% of plastic has been recycled globally. The text highlights how companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo use voluntary targets to mask a lack of progress and lobby against deposit return systems in the US. Additionally, it criticizes European supermarkets for a lack of transparency regarding their plastic footprints and for employing greenwashing tactics to avoid systemic change.

• Global plastic production has increased rapidly, with over half of all plastic produced since 2005, and production is projected to double by 2030. Despite industry claims, only 9% of plastic has been recycled.
• UK households discard nearly 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging annually, with less than 12% likely to be recycled within the UK. The author notes that countries often inflate recycling figures by exporting waste to nations with fewer resources, specifically citing Turkey as a major recipient of European waste.
• Coca-Cola is identified as a major plastic polluter that has failed to meet its own long-term goals; despite a 1990 commitment to 25% recycled content, the company remained below 10% more than 30 years later. Furthermore, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have lobbied against bottle bills in the US.
• European supermarkets show a significant lack of transparency and policy regarding plastic pollution. An investigation found that 82% of supermarkets failed to provide basic information such as their plastic footprint, with an average score of 13.1% across three categories.

APA

Urbancic, N. (2022). Delay, distract and derail: investigating companies’ broken plastic promises. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/delay-distract-and-derail-investigating-companies-broken-plastic-promises/

Chicago

Urbancic, Nusa. Delay, distract and derail: investigating companies’ broken plastic promises. Changing Markets Foundation, 2022. https://changingmarkets.org/delay-distract-and-derail-investigating-companies-broken-plastic-promises/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Urbancic |first1=Nusa |title=Delay, distract and derail: investigating companies’ broken plastic promises |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=18 July 2022 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/delay-distract-and-derail-investigating-companies-broken-plastic-promises/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{urbancic2022delay, author = {Urbancic, Nusa}, title = {{Delay, distract and derail: investigating companies’ broken plastic promises}}, publisher = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2022}, month = jul, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/delay-distract-and-derail-investigating-companies-broken-plastic-promises/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }