Washington, DC – The Coca-Cola Foundation announced today that nine river cleanup programs around the world will receive $11 million over the next three years to collect and analyze plastic pollution. The programs selected for funding are throughout Asia, Africa, North America, and South America.
In response to this news, Greenpeace USA Plastics Campaigner Kate Melges said:
“It is the first month of 2020 and Coca-Cola has already redoubled its efforts to keep plastic in production and distract customers with more cleanup efforts. Coca-Cola has been named the worst plastic polluter following global cleanups and brand audits for two years in a row. Rather than commit to reducing its massive plastic footprint, the company wants people to believe it can capture this waste before it enters our oceans. This is as foolish as it sounds.
“Coca-Cola has spent decades and millions of dollars selling the world on the false notion that we can simply recycle or clean up its plastic pollution. That is a lie and people will no longer tolerate companies placing the onus on us to clean up their mess. If Coca-Cola is serious about addressing the plastic pollution crisis, it is time for the company to prove it by phasing out single-use plastics and moving toward systems of reuse.”
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Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, P: 301-675-8766
