Christina Spicer  |  June 10, 2021

Category: Beverages

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(Photo Credit: Fazly Marijal/Shutterstock)

An environmental group has targeted Coke’s “World Without Waste” marketing campaign in a lawsuit that accuses the company of false advertising and greenwashing.  

The plaintiff, Earth Island Institute, filed a lawsuit in Washington DC Superior Court Wednesday alleging The Coca-Cola Company falsely claims to be a “Sustainable Business” and dupes the public with their “Sustainable Package Collection.” Earth Island points out that, despite its marketing claims, Coke is one of the leaders in the production of plastic waste – amounting to 2.9 million metric tons each year. 

“A ‘World Without Waste’ declares the headline in one marketing campaign,” said the environmental advocates. “Yet almost anywhere you look there’s a plastic Coca-Cola bottle trashing the public park, washed up on the beach, or piled in a mountain of plastic at a waste processing facility. What these advertising campaigns ultimately amount to is a mountain of greenwashing.” 

Earth Island alleges that Coke pins its environmentally friendly marketing campaign on the promise of recycling plastic waste, but has done little to keep those promises, 

“Coca-Cola actively opposes container deposit laws, known widely as ‘bottle bills’ in the United States, which have been shown to greatly increase bottle collection and recycling rates,” says the lawsuit.  

Bottle bills encourage recycling by requiring consumers to pay a small fee when they purchase an item in certain bottles or cans, explains the complaint. The fee is then returned when the consumer brings the bottles or cans to a recycling center.  

Further, a closer look at Coke’s pledge to recycle reveals that the onus is on the consumer to take responsibility, but does not require the company to reduce its use of single-serving plastic bottles in the first place.  

“Coca-Cola has long been in the business of portraying itself as stewards of the environment while pointing to consumers as the source of plastic pollution,” Earth Island Institute’s lawyer said in a statement reported by Law360. “But it is Coca-Cola, not consumers, that chooses to use chart-topping amounts of plastic for its products. It is time this company is held accountable for deceiving the public.” 

Earth Island claims that Coke’s greenwashing campaign contains so many blatant falsehoods it amounts to a violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA) 

The lawsuit is seeking a court order stopping the false advertising in the “World Without Waste” campaign and forcing Coke to come into compliance with the CPPA.  

“We want the Coca-Cola company to stop the greenwashing and false claims, be transparent about the plastic they use, and be a leader in investing in deposit and refill programs for the health of humans, animals, waterways, the ocean, and our environment,” Julia Cohen, managing director of Earth Island’s Plastic Pollution Coalition, reportedly said in a statement.  

Do you think Coke is misleading consumers with its “World Without Waste” marketing? Tell us in the comment section below.  

Earth Island is represented by Kim E. Richman of Richman Law and Policy. 

The Coke Greenwashing Lawsuit is Earth Island Institute v. The Coca-Cola Company, Case No. 2021CA001846B, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Civil Division. 


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305 thoughts onCoke ‘World Without Waste’ is False Advertising, ‘Greenwashing,’ Says Lawsuit

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