Designers and environmentalists have slammed Coca-Cola's efforts to tackle plastic pollution as "greenwashing" and "a huge step backwards in sustainability".
The soft-drink brand's target of a 20 per cent reduction in its use of virgin plastic in the US "simply don't go far enough," said sustainable design writer Katie Treggiden.
The Coca-Cola Company today pledged to introduce recycled plastic bottles for some of its products in a move it said would reduce its annual greenhouse-gas emissions by 20,000 metric tons.
"This is the equivalent of taking 2,120 cars off the road for one year," said the brand.

But the initiative by the company, which is cited as the world's worst plastic polluter, was widely condemned. "It's great to see Coca-Cola taking action on plastic, but while the brand is producing an eye-popping 3,400 plastic bottles a second, these measures simply don't go far enough," said Treggiden, author of Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure.
"Coca-Cola is trying to greenwash its business," said designer Richard Hutten, who has spoken out about plastic pollution in the past.
"They state that plastic is one of the largest environmental concerns and that they will reduce the use of new plastic by more than 20 per cent," he continued.
"That sounds nice but their part in plastic pollution will not be reduced at all and they will still remain the largest plastic polluter."
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