News

Plastic bottles are a major issue facing oceans and island nations around the world 
 

We all know single-use plastics are a serious detriment to the world’s oceans, but what exactly are beverage companies doing to combat this issue? Of the top six global plastic bottle producers, recent Greenpeace research reveals that only 6.6% of their plastic bottling comes from recycled plastics. While the bottles themselves are recyclable, should companies be using more recycled materials to reduce the amount of plastic produced each year? 

The report shows that there are no commitments from any of the six companies to reduce the amount of plastic they produce. Furthermore, the largest bottling company, Coca-Cola, has refused to disclose the amount of plastic it produces, despite pressures. Regardless, there is a growing concern for the management of all of this plastic, and people around the world are waking up to the need for a better way forward.

With more than five trillion plastic fragments in our world’s oceans, plastics are now being found at depths of 6 miles (10km). As plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, marine life is known to frequently ingest these harmful particles, which ultimately wreak havoc on their health. 

While plastic bag charge policies in the UK have resulted in a decline in plastic bag use, more should be been done to limit the impact of plastic bottling—which is now the new target for UK policy makers. 

Read more here.