Responsible business – Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola’s ‘World without Waste’ initiative this month is the third set of challenging sustainability goals I feel I should commend. The scale must be without parallel.

• By 2030, Coca-Cola will collect and recycle as many packs as it sells. Currently, it is reported to fill 120 billion bottles a year.

• By then, its plastic bottles will have 50% recycled content, a huge increase from the current 7% average.

• I’m delighted Coca-Cola is persevering with its PlantBottles, which have 30% plant-based content and could become entirely plant-based.

Poor recycling rates remain a global problem, but the example of Mexico shows what can be achieved by industry leadership and co-operation. Collection rates there have increased from 9% in 2002 to 60% today. Yet in the United States, the figure for PET bottles is just 30%.