New Coca-Cola bottle completely burnt down
Coca-Cola’s green bottle, the ‘PlantBottle’, is an empty shell. According to the Danish Ombudsman, the claims about the carbon footprint cannot be substantiated and consumers are being misled. “Consumers must be able to trust the green stories of companies. There must be proper documentation,” says Ombudsman Henrik Øe. Coca-Cola has previously been rapped on the knuckles for not complying with European marketing legislation.
Coca-Cola’s green bottle, the ‘PlantBottle’, is an empty shell. According to the Danish Ombudsman, the claims about the carbon footprint cannot be substantiated and consumers are being misled. “Consumers must be able to trust the green stories of companies. There must be proper documentation,” says Ombudsman Henrik Øe. Coca-Cola has previously been rapped over the knuckles for failing to comply with European marketing legislation.
The Ombudsman's report contains nine points of criticism regarding Coca-Cola's course of action. The criticism included misleading customers, failing to publish research material, using incorrect claims in marketing and ignoring previous promptings to end these violations.
According to Kristian Jørgensen, spokesperson for the Danish environmental group Verdensskove (Forests of the World), this ruling is an important victory in the fight against ‘greenwashing’. It was Verdensskove that filed a complaint against the soft drink giant in 2009. “Coke has violated pretty much all principles regarding fair marketing around environmental claims,” Jørgensen says, “and that is now officially recognised.”
Unproven – and wrong? – claims
Coke had promised to publish a life-cycle assessment (LCA) in 2011 on the environmental impact of the PlantBottle. However, this LCA has never seen the light of day. Throughout this time, the company has only referred to the findings of a few staff members at Imperial College London.
Coca-Cola has, however, scaled down its initial claims. Where the PlantBottle was first claimed to have “up to 25%” fewer carbon emissions, a 7.5 to 11 percent reduction is now being spoken of. According to a spokesperson, however, these numbers are not so relevant, as the LCA methodology has its limitations. The company does not want to market the plant-based bottle based on simplifications. What Coke does base it on, however, remains unknown.
In the case of organic raw materials, such as those of the PlantBottle, it is of extra great importance to make the environmental benefit demonstrable, Jørgensen believes. The use of such raw materials has been controversial since the rise of biofuels, nearly a decade ago.
Greenwashing puts green credibility under pressure
The PlantBottle campaign was launched with great fanfare during the infamous climate summit in Copenhagen in 2009. The posters, on which flowers, plants and landscapes flow gracefully from a Coke bottle, were received with the necessary skepticism. This prompted the Danish Verdensskove to take action. They found the expressions about the greening of the famous Coke bottle suspicious and wanted to put a stop to such ‘greenwashing’ (a play on words with ‘whitewashing’). Such PR tactics make it impossible for consumers to determine whether a certain product truly performs well in the environmental field, or whether the green marketing is just a pretty story.
“We have been accused of our campaign against greenwashing discouraging companies from committing to green initiatives. We do not believe in that. On the contrary, we believe that green marketing should remain the privilege of companies that truly make a difference and can prove it. The worst-case scenario is that we as consumers are talked into the idea that we are spending our money sustainably, without actually doing so,” said Kristian Jørgensen of Verdensskove.
References
http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/ECE2034354/ombudsman-criticises-coca-cola/?utm_source=customfollowed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20130730
http://www.verdensskove.org/en/node/35317
http://resource-recycling.com/node/4068
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/05/14/idUS236016+14-May-2009+BW20090514
http://ecosalon.com/coca-cola-at-copenhagen-can-a-multinational-work-in-the-environments-best-interest/
The PlantBottle has also gained a foothold with other brands
Coca-Cola’s green bottle, the ‘PlantBottle’, is an empty shell. According to the Danish Ombudsman, the claims about the COsu 2/su footprint cannot be substantiated and consumers are being misled. “Consumers must be able to trust the green stories of companies. There must be proper documentation,” says Ombudsman Henrik Øe. Coca-Cola has previously been rapped over the knuckles for failing to comply with European marketing legislation.
The Ombudsman's report contains nine points of criticism regarding Coca-Cola's course of action. The criticism included misleading customers, failing to publish research material, using incorrect claims in marketing and ignoring previous promptings to end these violations.
According to Kristian Jørgensen, spokesperson for the Danish environmental group Verdensskove (Forests of the World), this ruling is an important victory in the fight against ‘greenwashing’. It was Verdensskove that filed a complaint against the soft drink giant in 2009. “Coke has violated pretty much all principles regarding fair marketing around environmental claims,” Jørgensen says, “and that is now officially recognised.”
Unproven – and wrong? – claims
Coke had promised to publish a life-cycle assessment (LCA) in 2011 on the environmental impact of the PlantBottle. However, this LCA has never seen the light of day. Throughout this time, the company has only referred to the findings of a few staff members at Imperial College London.
Coca-Cola has, however, scaled down its initial claims. Where the PlantBottle was first claimed to have “up to 25%” fewer carbon emissions, a 7.5 to 11 percent reduction is now being spoken of. According to a spokesperson, however, these numbers are not so relevant, as the LCA methodology has its limitations. The company does not want to market the plant-based bottle based on simplifications. What Coke does base it on, however, remains unknown.
In the case of organic raw materials, such as those of the PlantBottle, it is of extra great importance to make the environmental benefit demonstrable, Jørgensen believes. The use of such raw materials has been controversial since the rise of biofuels, nearly a decade ago.
Greenwashing puts green credibility under pressure
“We have been accused of our campaign against greenwashing discouraging companies from committing to green initiatives. We do not believe in that. On the contrary, we believe that green marketing should remain the privilege of companies that truly make a difference and can prove it. The worst-case scenario is that we as consumers are talked into the idea that we are spending our money sustainably, without actually doing so,” said Kristian Jørgensen of Verdensskove.
References
http://www.verdensskove.org/en/node/35317
http://resource-recycling.com/node/4068
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/05/14/idUS236016+14-May-2009+BW20090514
The PlantBottle has also gained a foothold with other brands
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