Imagine A World Without Waste

While you were getting ready for work this morning, 1,000 tons of plastic waste entered oceans, flowing from rivers and cities. That’s nearly the same mass as 600 sedans.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to help address this global challenge, and Coca-Cola is committed to leading the way.

Thanks to its “World Without Waste” initiative, Coca-Cola is working with partners to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every bottle or can it sells globally by 2030.

In this film, you’ll see how Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund are helping protect the Mesoamerican Reef.

In the time it took you to shower and get dressed this morning, nearly 1,000 metric tons of plastic waste entered our oceans, often flowing downstream from rivers and cities. That’s the mass of nearly 600 mid-size sedans.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to help address this global challenge, and Coca-Cola is committed to leading the way.

Thanks to its “World Without Waste” initiative, Coca-Cola is working with partners to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every bottle or can it sells globally by 2030.

The accompanying film explains why Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water, and this initiative is so important around the world. It specifically highlights the impact Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are making by working together in Central America to improve the Mesoamerican Reef, the world’s second largest barrier reef.

“We have a responsibility to protect waterways, watersheds, and the surrounding wildlife so people, communities, and our business can thrive,” says Ben Jordan, Senior Director of Environmental Policy at The Coca-Cola Company.

We usually see plastic pollution on our beaches and in our oceans, yet that’s not where it begins. Continental waterways act like nature’s conveyor belts, carrying plastic waste hundreds of miles from our cities and towns to places it doesn’t belong.

“The Mesoamerican Reef is threatened by coastal activities—agriculture, aquaculture, and tourist development,” says Mauricio Mejia, Food Production Senior Officer, World Wildlife Fund, Guatemala and Mesoamerica. “Plastic is a big issue for the coasts. In fact, in Honduras we have an island of plastic trash in the ocean coming from the watershed in Guatemala. That’s a big concern for us—it’s harming ocean life.”

“We may be a global company, but we’re also a local business,” says William Segura, Public Affairs Manager for The Coca-Cola Company, Central America. “Given our footprint in more than 200 countries, we can help make a real difference on a truly global scale.” Our partnership with WWF is crucial to our effort to address the health of oceans and coastal areas in our region.”

Every business has an important role to play in preserving our world. And big companies like Coca-Cola can do even more to bring people and resources together to address this global challenge.

Ben Jordan argues that’s exactly what Coca-Cola is trying to do.

“We’re throwing our weight behind the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals because we want to lead the work to help make the world a better place.”