A team of scientists from different countries analyzed around 1.87 million plastic waste in the environment between 2018 and 2022, determining those responsible for almost a quarter of the items: 24% of plastic pollution was produced by five large food and beverage companies and tobacco.
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- Scientists discovered that, of the 1.87 million plastic waste discarded into the environment between 2018 and 2022, 24% was produced by five large companies;
- More than half of the waste was produced by 56 companies, and the team identified Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria as the five most responsible;
- Scientists highlight the importance of general measures to tackle the problem, but suggest that actions coming directly from multinationals can bring more significant results;
- The researchers also warn against the creation of measures aimed at the volume of untraceable plastic – that is, that cannot be associated with individual companies;
- The study was published in the journal Science Advances.
More than half of the waste analyzed by the team was produced by just 56 companies, and, as the researchers highlight in an article published in the journal Science Advances, mainly food and beverage companies – due to their dependence on disposable plastic in the manufacture of their products. – should be encouraged to make greater efforts to reduce their plastic pollution volumes.
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Coca Cola and PepsiCo lead the plastic pollution ranking
Scientists pointed to Coca Cola and PepsiCo as responsible for 11% and 5%, respectively, of all traceable plastic waste production in the world. Next, we have the food and beverage multinationals Nestlé (3%) and Danone (3%), and Altria (2%), one of the largest manufacturers of tobacco-related products.
Although general efforts are important to help tackle the problem, the team highlights that actions coming directly from large multinationals can bring more significant results. “Phasing out single-use, short-lived plastic products from the biggest polluters would greatly reduce global plastic pollution.”
Scientists also warned about the creation of measures aimed at the volume of untraceable plastic – that is, that cannot be associated with individual companies -, such as the creation of international standards and shared databases to increase effectiveness in identification. of waste.
