The world's largest beverage companies Coca Cola and Pepsi are increasing the pollution of plastics around the world, which environmentalists consider to be the most dangerous pollution, according to a report released on Tuesday. Plastic materials take centuries to decompose and may not decompose, which negatively affects our environment. And our lives.
The report, prepared by the Greenpeace Organization for Environmental Affairs in cooperation with the "Free of Plastics" movement, said that the average truckload of huge plastic waste received in the ocean every minute.
"From where do all these contaminated waste come from? To find out, we had to arm ourselves with the best possible information," the report said.
The report explains a methodology that gathered information for the top 10 global companies that contribute to plastic contamination. He says that 10,000 volunteers have been recruited in 42 countries around the world, taught for 9 months, and on the six continents, in some 239 cleaning operations.
He added that 187,000 pieces of plastic waste had been collected, which Greenpeace said gave it a comprehensive view of their contribution to the problem of plastic contamination.
The following are the most contributory companies in plastic pollution around the world, according to the figures collected after the waste:
1. Coca Cola.
2. Pepsi.
3. Nestle
4. Danone (a French food company).
5. Mondliz International Group (an American company for the food industry).
6. Procter & Gamble (an American company that produces consumer goods, especially detergents and cosmetics).
7. Unilever (a Dutch company specialized in the manufacture of soap).
8. Bervette van Miele (Italian company specializing in the production of candy).
9. United Press (American Food and Beverage Company).
10. Colgate - Palmolive (American company specializing in the production of cleaning materials).
Greenpeace cited Coca-Cola's huge contribution, with its waste found in 40 out of 42 countries, the brand that ranks the top three on the six continents. "Unfortunately there are plastic waste in Antarctica," she said.
She noted that a plastic bottle was found in the Pacific, in an area hundreds of kilometers from land.
"This trademark count provides irrefutable proof of the role companies play in the continuing global plastic pollution crisis," said Von Hernandez, global coordinator of the Plastic Liberation Movement.
"We share Greenpeace's goal of removing wastes from the oceans and are ready to do our part in helping to meet this important challenge," Coca-Cola said in its response to the report.
The company has pledged to collect and recycle a bottle or metal package for each one it sells by 2030.
Nestlé, the world's largest producer of food and beverages, said it was aware of the problem and was working hard to eliminate the use of recyclable plastics at a time when Pepsi could not be reached.
"There is a responsibility for everyone, including consumers, but they can not do much unless companies offer more sustainable options," she said. "These companies must be part of the solution, but they are now part of the problem.
The danger of plastic pollution stems from the fact that the environment does not adapt to it. It does not decompose, so that it is integrated into it like other organic materials such as vegetables and fruits.
The seas and oceans, which cover 71 percent of the Earth's surface area, are the most vulnerable to this pollution. Most of the waste ends up in water, and its increasing accumulation means more dangerous to the environment and humans.
In an indication of the increasing problem of plastic pollution, a developed country like the United States, where only 24% of plastic waste is recycled.
