In the event you take note of the litter you see strewn throughout the UK, you’re more likely to see the identical merchandise repeatedly.
That’s as a result of over 70% of the branded packaging air pollution discovered throughout throughout the nation is generated by simply 12 firms, in keeping with the UK ocean conservation charity Surfers Towards Sewage.
And the three worst offender – Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and McDonalds – are answerable for an enormous 39% of all branded air pollution discovered.
To gather the information, the charity enlisted virtually 4,000 ‘citizen science volunteers’ to gather litter over 13,000 miles over the previous 12 months. The workforce discovered 10,843 branded objects in complete, linked to 264 firms.
For the third yr in a row, Coca-Cola has taken the highest spot. This follows the corporate’s latest announcement of a brand new reusable packaging goal, aiming for at the least 25% of all drinks worldwide to be bought in refillable or returnable glass or plastic bottles and containers by 2030.
However the charity warns that air pollution continues to “flood into the ocean, fuelling ecological hurt and jeopardising the well being of individuals and wildlife”.
“12 months after yr, our Citizen Science Model Audit reveals the identical large firms are answerable for the packaging air pollution choking our surroundings,” Hugo Tagholm, chief govt of Surfers Towards Sewage, mentioned. “Regardless of public sustainability commitments, these soiled manufacturers are failing to take significant motion to cease this hurt.
“We can not stand for this blatant greenwashing any longer. Systemic change is urgently wanted to finish the air pollution swamping the land and ocean.”
To focus on the rampant air pollution blighting the setting and ocean, Surfers Towards Sewage have commissioned a 100m x 400m projection of packaging waste stacked up in opposition to the long-lasting White Cliffs of Dover.
What do the manufacturers say?
HuffPost UK contacted the large three polluters to ask what they make of the research outcomes.
McDonalds mentioned over 90% its packaging comes from recycled or renewable sources, and might be recycled. The corporate highlighted that it took half in a anti-littler marketing campaign, Hold It Clear, earlier this yr. “As a enterprise now we have dedicated to sourcing all of our packaging from renewable and recyclable supplies by 2025,” a spokesperson mentioned. “We stay dedicated to discovering modern methods to sort out the problem of packaging waste and are trialling a lot of initiatives to assist scale back littering.”
A PepsiCo UK spokesperson mentioned the corporate had supported the Nice British Spring Clear for the previous 4 years. They added that every one PepsiCo packaging is labelled with messaging encouraging the “accountable disposal and, wherever doable, the recycling of packaging.”
“We’re dedicated to decreasing the plastic we use throughout our total portfolio – for instance, earlier this yr, we introduced plans to remove virgin fossil-based plastic in all crisp and snack baggage, delivered by utilizing 100% recycled or renewable content material in all packets by 2030,” they added. “We additionally consider that deposit return schemes can present a vital supply of top of the range, clear recyclate which is why we proceed to be supportive of well-designed schemes.”
A Coca-Cola spokesperson mentioned: “We share the objective of eliminating plastic waste from the setting and acknowledge that the Coca-Cola Firm has a duty to assist resolve this challenge.” They pointed to the corporate’s World With out Waste objectives, however mentioned they have been difficult themselves to do extra. “At present, all of our packaging is 100% recyclable, and our intention is to get extra of it again in order that it may be recycled and changed into new packaging once more, with all our smaller packs now being made with 100% recycled plastic.”
They added: “It’s disappointing to see any packaging being littered and that’s why we totally assist the introduction of a well-designed Deposit Return Scheme, which we all know from leads to different nations will encourage individuals to recycle, fairly than litter or throw away. In Nice Britain, we’re persevering with to work with organisations to encourage extra recycling, while actively supporting a lot of initiatives with the intention of constructing litter one thing of the previous.
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