2023-11-14 17:37:45
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Um new report highlights the urgent need for returnable beverage packaging as a solution to the global plastic crisis. Produced by Oceana, an organization that works to protect the seas, the study shows that an increase of just 10 percentage points in returnable beverage packaging by 2030 might eliminate more than 1 trillion single-use plastic bottles and cups and prevent up to 153 billion of these containers from polluting oceans and rivers around the world. The volume of these 1 trillion unproduced bottles and glasses, stacked one on top of the other, is equivalent to the distance to the moon and back more than 300 times.
Global beverage leaders, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have extensive reuse systems already established around the world and have committed to increasing the volume of beverages sold in reusable packaging by at least 10 percentage points by 2030. Oceana highlighted that these companies must deliver on these promises and that the entire sector needs to truly commit to reusing, rather than maintaining single-use items, so that we can tackle the plastic pollution crisis affecting the oceans.
Returnable packaging is a proven circular solution that can significantly and quickly reduce the amount of plastic bottles and cups produced that reach the oceans. Other ideas also promoted by beverage companies – such as adding recycled material to new plastic bottles – cannot be seen as the main solution, without thinking regarding reuse.
“Despite all our efforts, enormous amounts of plastic continue to flood our oceans, warns Matt Littlejohn, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Oceana. “We estimate that a pile of single-use plastic packaging used by the beverage sector, in 2022 alone, might travel to the sun and back. Adding recycled material to bottles and cups won’t shake this tower of single-use plastic. The way to really make a difference is to replace single-use plastic with reusable packaging. We need companies and governments to stop focusing solely on recycling and prioritize the expansion and reestablishment of reusable packaging systems. With this true circular solution, we can drastically reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans, in the stomachs of whales and turtles, and on our beaches.”
The report reveals the significant presence of large-scale reusable packaging systems around the world – including in the Philippines, where 40% of the volume of all packaged non-alcoholic beverages sold are in reusable bottles. Additionally, the report highlights several promising large-scale reusable cup systems currently available in the United States and Europe. They have already been adopted by large companies and organizations such as Live Nation, which recently announced that it is switching to reusable cups at many of its festivals and venues to reduce their environmental impact. French supplier Re-uz will be the delivery of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, confirming its commitment to halve the single-use plastic footprint of the Paris Games compared to the 2012 London Games.
“Companies have a responsibility to increase the use of returnable packaging to replace disposable packaging,” added Dana Miller, director of Strategic Initiatives at Oceana. “Our oceans can no longer wait. We need real, proven solutions like reuse that can reduce single-use plastic and marine plastic pollution on a massive scale right now.”
Contacts: Gillian Spolarich ([email protected])
Anna Baxter ([email protected])
GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8979459)
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