Is Transferring from PET Bottles to Eco Cups Eco-Friendly? Criticism Pours on Coca-Cola [Paris Olympics]

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, which promotes itself as an eco-friendly event, Coca-Cola, a major sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has been embroiled in a 'greenwashing' controversy. Although they pledged to reduce single-use plastic by using recyclable cups, known as eco cups, scenes of pouring cola from PET bottles into eco cups were spotted in various places, resulting in the problem of double plastic usage.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

According to The Guardian and others, Coca-Cola, as an official IOC sponsor, is providing 18 million beverages at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which run from the 26th of last month to the 8th of next month. They are selling these not only to paying spectators but also providing them to athletes at the venues.

Coca-Cola had announced its commitment to reducing waste by cutting down on single-use plastic at this Olympics. This was in line with the Paris Olympics' policy to drastically reduce single-use plastic. Coca-Cola placed 700 beverage machines that do not use plastic near Olympic venues in Paris and promised to provide more than half of the 9.6 million beverages in glass bottles without single-use plastic.

The problem arose when beverage machines were not installed in some areas due to concerns about the condition or safety of the drinks. Without machines, beverages were served by pouring Coca-Cola from PET bottles into eco cups at sales counters. Although they stated that the empty PET bottles would be collected and fully recycled, the fact that as many as 6.2 million beverages were served this way raised concerns about the issue itself.

Environmental NGOs strongly raised concerns about this. Marine Bonavita, project leader of Zero Waste France, an NGO advocating waste reduction in France, said, "Pouring Coca-Cola from PET bottles into eco cups is far from our vision of zero plastic," pointing out that citizens were shocked by this and posting related photos on social media. Other criticisms included calling it "bizarre," "an insult to spectators," and "trying to win a gold medal in greenwashing."

Vending machines installed near the venues of the 2024 Paris Olympics [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

There were also issues raised that the eco cups used by Coca-Cola themselves do not effectively reduce plastic usage. Coca-Cola provided eco cups with a 2-euro deposit, returning the money when users returned the cups. They prepared 13 million such eco cups. However, since the cups include the Paris Olympics logo, they effectively serve as Olympic souvenirs, leading to frequent cases where cups are not returned.

A Danish tourist watching the athletics event said, "I like the cup design. I have several Hard Rock cups at home, and I plan to keep this with them." The Guardian also reported that many people were unaware that they could get their money back by returning the eco cups received at Coca-Cola beverage stands.

Nathalie Gontard, a research fellow at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, called it "a bizarre way to address plastic pollution," adding, "The public is not stupid, and everyone can only be disappointed." She emphasized that to properly reduce plastic use, beverage machines should be installed everywhere, and eco cups should be washed and reused on-site.

Some critics also argue that Coca-Cola, which is unhealthy due to excessive sugar content, is using the Olympics for 'sportswashing'?an act of image laundering through sports events. Experts from Vital Strategies, a U.S. public health nonprofit, recently commented that if the IOC continues its partnership with Coca-Cola, it risks complicity in worsening global pandemics such as malnutrition, environmental destruction, and climate change, and called for the relationship to be severed.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.