Coca-Cola

Reasons to avoid

1. The Break Free From Plastic annual brand audit named Coca-Cola the world's top plastic polluter for the sixth consecutive year in 2023, with 33,820 pieces of Coca-Cola-branded plastic waste documented across 40 countries. Its branded waste exceeded that of the next two largest polluters combined.breakfreefromplastic.org2024-02-07
2. In Chiapas, Mexico's wettest state, a Coca-Cola bottling plant holds government permits to extract over 300,000 gallons of water per day from a local volcano basin, while more than one in three rural residents lack access to running water. An Al Jazeera investigation found the plant's wells reach 130 meters deep, far outpacing the 25-meter community wells that have been drying up since Coca-Cola began operations.aljazeera.com2025-01-08
3. The FTC sent warning letters in November 2023 to American Beverage, a trade group funded by Coca-Cola, after an investigation found it paid social media influencers to undermine World Health Organization warnings about sugary drinks without disclosing the industry funding. The agency called the undisclosed campaigns inadequate and deceptive.theexamination.org2023-11-16
4. A federal appeals court ruled in September 2024 that Coca-Cola must face a greenwashing lawsuit over its claim that its packaging is "100% recyclable." The Earth Island Institute argued the claims were deceptive because most bottles end up in landfills, and Coca-Cola increased its single-use plastic production from 125 billion to 134 billion bottles between 2021 and 2022 despite reusable packaging pledges.esgdive.com2024-09-04
5. Despite public campaigns urging consumers to recycle, Coca-Cola's trade group has for decades lobbied against expanding bottle deposit laws that recycling experts say are proven to increase collection rates. Industry watchers have called the pattern a direct contradiction: the company funds recycling marketing while opposing the legislation most likely to achieve it.wastedive.com2021-06-23
6. The British Columbia Labour Relations Board issued two separate rulings in 2023 against Coca-Cola Canada Bottling for illegally using replacement workers during a Teamsters strike at its Richmond bottling plant. The company flew in workers from as far as Quebec to replace the more than 400 striking employees, which the board found violated provincial labour law.thetyee.ca2023-08-09