Many people are increasingly becoming concerned about human impact on the environment. As such, things like rampant use of single-use plastic bottles are often called into question. While some companies are working on finding alternatives, Coca-Cola just made it clear that they’ll pretty much never, ever stop offering plastic bottles to customers.
On Tuesday, Bea Perez, Coca-Cola's senior vice president for sustainability and public affairs told the BBC that the company won’t stop using plastic bottles because people demand them. Perez said that Coca-Cola customers specifically like their plastic bottles because they’re resealable and lightweight.
"Business won't be in business if we don't accommodate consumers," she said. "So as we change our bottling infrastructure, move into recycling, and innovate, we also have to show the consumer what the opportunities are. They will change with us."
Perez argued that getting rid of plastic packaging would alienate customers and decrease sales. She also said that using only aluminum and glass packaging would increase the company’s carbon footprint.
Coca-Cola is one the biggest producers of plastic waste, according to the BBC, and the company produces about 3 million metric tons of plastic packaging a year, which is about 200,000 bottles a minute. Given all of that, Coca-Cola has pledged to recycle as many plastic bottles as it uses by 2030.
So…if you love your bottle of Coke but hate that it’s in a plastic container, maybe do your best to make sure it winds up in the recycling bin. At least that’s something.
