The Coca-Cola Company
Packaging producers and users
Key Metrics
Plastic packaging weight
2,961,254 metric tonnes
Total and/or virgin plastic packaging reduction target
20% virgin reduction compared to 2019
Reusable plastic packaging
Reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging
100
75
50
25
%
Post-consumer recycled content
100
75
50
25
%
* Aligned: in assessing the recyclability of their portfolio this signatory has aligned with the New Plastics Economy 2021 Recycling Rate Survey results and/or the Global Commitment methodology of recyclability ‘in pratice and at scale’. This means their recyclability percentage is comparable to other signatories that also aligned with the above.
Company Details
Description
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference.
Revenue band (USD)
> $10 billion
Headquarters location
United States
Regions active
Africa: Eastern Africa, Middle Africa, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Western Africa
America: Caribbean, Central America, Northern America, South America
Asia: Eastern Asia, Central Asia, South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia
Europe: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe
Oceania: Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia
Products sold in plastic packaging
Non-alcoholic beverages
Reporting details
Data verification/assurance status
Third-party verification or assurance process in place for some of the data (see endnotes for more information)
Scope of reported data
Does not cover the full scope of activities (see endnotes for more information)
12-month quantitative data time frame
From December 2019 to December 2020
Joined the Global Commitment
October 2018
Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Pact Network membership (as of 18/05/2021)
Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Island Nations, Canada, Chile, France, Netherlands, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States
Webpage or report addressing progress
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/reports/world-without-waste-2020
Plastic packaging portfolio details
See endnotes for more information on quantitative data
Plastic packaging weight (new packaging)
2,961,254 metric tonnes
Reused plastic packaging weight
45,315 metric tonnes
Plastic packaging categories in portfolio
Type | Category | Proportion |
---|
Rigids | PET bottle | 97% |
Flexible | <A4 multi-material flexibles | 0.01% |
Plastic packaging design assessment
Reusable, recyclable and/or compostable
99%
Reusable
1.73%
Recyclable
99%
Compostable
0%
Material sourcing
Virgin fossil-based content
88.35%
Post-consumer recycled content
11.5%
Pre-consumer recycled content
0%
Virgin renewable content
0.15%
Link to other published data
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/reports/world-without-waste-2020
Commitments
Plastic and/or virgin plastic packaging reduction target
2025 target
20% virgin reduction compared to 2019
Plastic packaging weight baseline
2,692,223 metric tonnes - same scope as the reporting scope (see endnotes for more information)
Additional information about the target
This goal applies to our PET plastic primary consumer packaging, which is far and away our predominant plastic usage.
Eliminating problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Examples of materials / formats / components eliminated or reduced
Proportion elimated % of weight | Weight eliminated metric tonnes | Quantity eliminated units | Primary means of elimination | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Film B2C - mono-material, clear | - | - | - | Substitution to paper | Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC) began the rollout of KeelClip™ technology in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Austria as the first step in its commitment to replace low value plastic wrap on all can multipacks in its European Union markets by the end of 2021. |
Film B2C - mono-material, clear | - | - | - | Substitution to paper | Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) introduced CanCollar®, a paperboard-based packaging solution for multipack cans in Spain as part of its continued work to remove all unnecessary or hard-to-recycle plastic from its European portfolio. Developed in collaboration with packaging company WestRock, the recyclable solution is produced from sustainable materials and uses no glue or adhesives. CCEP also introduced KeelClip™ technology in the Netherlands. |
Activities and progress made on elimination
We are working to achieve an ongoing reduction of virgin plastic through a variety of methods: increasing use of renewable and recycled materials, using less material per package, and offering more refillable options and “bring your own package” solutions.
Planned actions by 2025
Plastic packaging to be eliminated or reduced
Proportion elimated % of weight | Weight eliminated metric tonnes | Quantity eliminated | Year Achieved | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Film B2B - e.g. pallet wrap | - | - | - | - | - |
Film B2C - mono-material, clear | - | - | - | - | - |
Film B2C - other (opaque, printed, multi-material) | - | - | - | - | - |
Planned actions on elimination
Moving forward we are accelerating our work on lightweighting. We recently conducted a plastic packaging audit of our top 20 markets, which represent 42% of our global PET use, to determine potential areas for advancing lightweighting in our packages. Next steps are to establish a global roadmap and develop targeted plans, with the goal of achieving best-in-class weights across our packaging portfolio in every market. In markets as varied as Indonesia, India, the United States, Nepal and Canada, we have implemented new ultra-lightweighting technology, which allows us to use significantly less plastic, saving on packaging costs. This technology incorporates a unique fully recyclable ultra-thin glassy coating in the packages which allows for extremely thin packaging with a great stability. In Indonesia, from 2017-2020, these investments have enabled us to reduce our plastic usage by more than 6,000 tons while improving the shelf life of our beverages.
Moving from single-use towards reuse models
Progress made over the reporting period
Share of plastic packaging that is reusable (2020)
Availability of reuse models today
Recent or in-progress pilots of reuse models for new products or packaging, Reuse models in place for non-consumer facing packaging, Reuse models in place for consumer facing products or packaging
Product line(s) with reuse model(s): 20 (20% of total) (see endonotes for more information)
Market(s) where reuse models are available today: Eastern Africa, Middle Africa, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Western Africa, Caribbean, Central America, Northern America, South America, Eastern Asia, Central Asia, South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (100% of total)
Product applications and reuse model types
Reuse model types | Markets | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|
Non-alcoholic beverages | B2B, Refill on the go, Return on the go, Return from home | Virtually all markets offer a refillable or reusable (e.g., Fountain) solution. However, there was a decrease in refillable/reusable packaging in 2020 due partly to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Over 40 markets offer more than 25% of their portfolio (sales) in refillable packaging; over 20 markets offer at least 50% of their sales in refillable packaging. |
Activities and progress made on reuse
We are extending our closed-loop packaging pilot to foodservice customers, beyond initial trials on ready-to-drink packaging (bottles and cans) in western Europe. We are partnering with the Burger King® Brand and TerraCycle to reduce single-use packaging waste by offering reusable food containers and beverage cups in a pilot program. Later this year, Burger King® intends to offer guests who visit select restaurants in New York and Portland the option of reusable packaging with a deposit when ordering certain menu items. Returnable (or “Refillable”) packages have been a long-standing element of our business in Latin America. As a system in Latam OU, we have been investing in Returnable packages (both glass and PET) for a number of years to grow our consumer base while contributing to a packaging circular economy and also lowering our carbon footprint. The impacts of Covid-19 accelerated the growth of Returnables in Latam markets in 2020 as consumers enjoyed at-home multi-serve products with family in Returnable packages. We are investing in scaling Returnable packages across Latin America to provide consumers with an affordable option to enjoy our portfolio of brands in a way that is also more sustainable to help create a World Without Waste. While there has been growth in Latin America, some parts of the world have seen mixed results through the pandemic. Where refillables are largely immediate consumption packages consumed in restaurant channels, we have seen significant reductions. In Africa, (a large returnables market at over 35%), by far the majority of refillable packages are immediate consumption packs. While there has been a reduction generally, however, with concerted effort in South Africa, our commitment to grow returnables has worked, and we have seen increases, even through the pandemic.
Planned action by 2025
Product applications and reuse model types to be introduced or expanded
Reuse model types | Markets | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|
Non-alcoholic beverages | B2B, Refill on the go, Return on the go, Return from home | Continued emphasis on refillable and reuse systems as a critical piece of the World Without Waste strategy. Possible refill/reuse goal, by region or globally. | - |
Other 2025 reuse goals
Piloting reuse models for new products or packaging
Introducing or expanding reuse models for non-consumer facing packaging
Introducing or expanding reuse models for consumer facing products/packaging
Planned actions on reuse
Refillable packaging remains a critical element of our World Without Waste strategy, with over 40 markets using refillable packaging for over 25% of their sales, and over 20 markets at over 50%. Our food service business is a reuse model, but in practice, not all packaging is actually reused or refilled. Over the course of 2021, we are conducting a landscape assessment, starting first in the U.S. (where this business is most prevalent) to determine more specific performance and improvement opportunities.
100% reusable, recyclable and/or compostable plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Share of plastic packaging that is reusable, recyclable or compostable (2020)
Actions and progress made to make packaging recyclable or compostable (see previous section for progress on shifting to reusable packaging)
11.5% of our PET packaging is recycled material. We now offer beverages packaged in 100% recycled PET plastic (rPET) in around 30 markets. In 2020, the Netherlands and Norway announced transitions to 100% rPET for their entire plastic packaging portfolios, joining their neighbors in Sweden.
Actions and progress made on collaborating towards increasing recycling and composting rates for plastic packaging
Approximately 60% of our packaging is refilled or collected for recycling (for PET plastic packaging, this is just under 50%). We endorsed principles on EPR through both Consumer Goods Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation, as well as a business manifesto calling for a global treaty on marine plastic pollution. We are a founding partner and steering board member with the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), which is driving multi-stakeholder approaches to national plastic action plans in emerging markets (Indonesia, Ghana, Vietnam as initial pilots). We are a partner/supporter in virtually all of the growing number of plastic pacts around the world.
Additional details on recyclability
Share of plastic packaging that is recyclable (2020)
Alignment with the New Plastics Economy 2021 Recycling Rate Survey results
Yes
Planned actions by 2025
2025 target
100% reusable, recyclable or compostable
Planned actions to make packaging recyclable or compostable
We currently maintain a high percentage of recyclability in our portfolio. However, there are some packaging formats that are challenging. We will continue to advance technologies for improving the recyclability of those formats.
Planned actions on collaborating towards increasing recycling and composting rates for plastic packaging
Moving forward, in this area we have two major priorities: Continued funding and maintenance of collection systems and markets for recycled materials around the world to drive recycling rates and speed the processing and reuse of collected material. Forging and cultivating partnerships with governments, peer companies, industry groups, NGOs and other organizations to make progress against our World Without Waste goals and scale solutions that help create a circular economy.
Increasing post-consumer recycled content in plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Level of post-consumer recycled content in plastic packaging (2020)
Activities and progress made on post-consumer recycled content
We are supporting all our markets in charting locally relevant solutions to replace virgin plastic with more recycled material. Challenges, which vary by region, include whether infrastructure exists to support high rates of collection of PET packages and processing into high-quality rPET. Because more than 25% of our PET use is in markets that do not currently allow use of rPET, we are working with supplier and industry partners to obtain authorization in these places. Currently, there is not enough food-grade recycled plastic available to eliminate all virgin plastic in our packaging, and in some markets, we are not currently authorized to use recycled PET. That’s why we support multiple ways to build market “pull,” including well-designed, well-run Deposit Return Schemes, which encourage more people to recycle more plastic and provide the raw material to create more recycled content for our bottles. We are active in or advocating for local deposit systems in more than 35 markets.
Planned actions by 2025
2025 post-consumer recycled content target
25%
Planned actions to increase post-consumer recycled content
Moving forward, we will continue to advance regional roadmaps for the usage of PET in our system, engaging with our suppliers and partners. Additionally, we will work towards:
• Advancing efforts to increase our use of recycled content in our packaging by replacing virgin plastic with more recycled material through well-designed, well-run Deposit Return Schemes in places where they are most applicable.
• Investing in scaling technologies for the enhanced recycling of PET and renewably sourced PET, in support of a circular economy for PET plastics, as well as dispensed and package-less solutions.
• Continued funding and maintenance of collection systems and markets for recycled materials around the world to drive recycling rates and speed the processing and reuse of collected material.
Investments
Total invested/committed over the reporting period towards achieving the commitments
None reported
Additional details on investments
When we launched the World Without Waste program in 2018, we indicated that our projected spending would be in line with our water stewardship efforts over the prior decade, which was approximately $2 billion (USD). After three years of implementation, we are spending ahead of that trajectory, which we knew at the time was a conservative estimate.
End notes
Third-party verification/assurance
Select data published in our 2020 World Without Waste report (https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/reports/coca-cola-world-without-waste-report-2020.pdf) has been assured as part of our annual governance processes. More detail can be found in the report.
Scope of reporting
For both The Coca-Cola Company’s virgin plastic reduction target and broader reporting, the scope and related baseline / weight numbers are currently limited to PET primary packaging. However, in the 2021-2022 reporting cycle, we will aim to expand this to cover all primary, as well as secondary and tertiary packaging, where possible. If needed and where possible, we will provide updated numbers for key metrics (total weight, PCR, recyclability) for prior years. This may mean we need to adjust our targets.
Product line definition
For product line(s) with available reuse model(s): This is a percentage calculation. Approximately 20% of our beverage portfolio is in formats that can either be refilled or reused. This is across our full portfolio, and not just plastic packaging.