COP27: Coca-Cola sponsorship of the environmental summit generates wave of criticism

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Climate activists are “bewildered” by Egypt’s decision to have Coca-Cola sponsor this year’s United Nations climate change conference.

They told the BBC that the deal hurts negotiations, as most plastics in packaging are made from fossil fuels.

Coca-Cola said, for its part, that it “shares the goal of eliminating waste and values ​​efforts to raise awareness.”

Egypt will host this year’s edition of the UN climate conference, COP27, which will take place in November in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The country announced that it signed the sponsorship deal last week.

“Through the partnership with COP27, the Coca-Cola system aims to support collective action against climate change,” said Coca-Cola Vice President of Global Public Policy and Sustainability Michael Goltzman.

But opposition to the decision has grown over the past week due to Coca-Cola’s association with plastic pollution.

Climate activists are accusing the company of “greenwashing” (English term for fake green marketing) — and more than 5,000 people have already signed a petition calling for the decision to be reversed.

The company said in 2019 that it uses three million tons of plastic packaging in a year.

Found on every continent and in the oceans, plastic is a major source of pollution. And its production also contributes to global warming. Currently, 99% of global plastic is produced from fossil fuels in a process called “cracking”, which produces greenhouse gas emissions and drives climate change.

In 2021, an audit by Break Free From Plastic named Coca-Cola the number one plastic polluter in the world.

“This action by the COP27 presidency goes against the purpose of the conference,” said Mohammad Ahmadi of Earth Uprising International.

This sentiment was echoed by Steve Trent, CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation, who asked Egypt to reverse the decision.

Neither the presidency of COP27 in Egypt nor the UNFCCC — the UN climate change body — responded to the BBC’s request for comment on the sponsorship deal.

Last year, when the UK government hosted the climate talks, it banned fossil fuel companies from sponsoring the event.

“Coca-Cola’s entire business model is based on fossil fuels. They made promises to improve recycling that were never fulfilled,” Trent said.

Coca-Cola told the BBC it recognizes it needs to do more. “While we’ve made progress against our Waste-Free World goals, we’re also committed to doing more, faster.”

The climate activists the BBC spoke to were not only concerned about the signal sent by the sponsorship, but also how it could affect negotiations.

“When polluters dominate climate negotiations, we don’t get good results. As an African activist, I’m worried that more of our lakes will be filled with plastic again,” noted Nyombi Morris, Ugandan climate activist and UN Office for Coordination Ambassador. of Humanitarian Affairs.

Last year, the BBC revealed the impact plastic pollution from Coca-Cola was having on remote communities across the world.

Coca-Cola told the BBC it remains committed to “collecting and recycling one bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030”.

This text was published on the BBC Brasil website.

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