A new report by one of the leading ocean conversation charities, Surfers Against Sewage, has revealed two-thirds (65%) of UK’s plastic waste is branded pollution. This waste that is washing up on our beaches can be traced back to 12 companies.
Or what the charity is calling: ‘the dirty dozen’.
The twelve worst polluting companies are:
Once again, Coca-Cola takes the top spot with a whopping 16% of all the UK’s plastic waste, 7% more than the next biggest culprit, PepsiCo:
Image: Surfers Against Sewage
Alongside the “Dirty Dozen”, the report also exposes the top ten food & drink brands fuelling the packaging pandemic. The biggest offenders were McDonald’s, Cadbury and Walkers. At the same time, Stella Artois and Budweiser rocketed their parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, from the 8th worst polluter in 2019 to 3rd in this most recent study.
This surge in alcohol-based waste is interesting and almost certainly caused by pub and restaurant closures caused by COVID-19 lockdowns. In fact, 48% of unbranded pollution was made up of bottles and cigarette butts alone.
Image: Surfers Against Sewage
On publishing the audit, Surfers Against Sewage Chief Executive Hugo Tagholm said, “Our annual Brand Audit has once again revealed the shocking volume of plastic and packaging pollution coming directly from big companies. Serial offenders, including Coca-Cola – which tops the leader board year on year – are still not taking responsibility.
Legislation, like an ‘all-in’ deposit scheme, needs to be introduced urgently. And governments need to hold companies to account and turn off the tap of plastic and packaging pollution flooding the ocean.”
To tackle the problem, Surfers Against Sewage is calling for legislation that:
“Despite the surge in single-use plastic during the pandemic,” adds Hugo Tagholm, “PPE made up just 2.5% of unbranded plastic pollution recorded in our latest Brand Audit. We cannot allow the leading polluting industries to use the health crisis to deflect from their damaging behaviours and put the blame on individuals – we must demand action now.”
One of the worst pieces of PR your company can face is having your branded products wash up on our beaches (or end up being burned by a roadside abroad). So, what can you do to ensure your waste doesn’t end up as headline news?
Talk to Certified Sustainable.
At Certified Sustainable, we produce comprehensive Sustainability Impact Reports detailing the environmental impact of the day-to-day operations of businesses. And, once the report is completed, we turn to developing technical solutions and real-world strategies that make your business more sustainable.
No fluff. No PR gimmickry. Just real-world change.
