Red Bull is champion of ‘cans in nature’

The count took place on World Cleanup Day, which the Plastic Soup Foundation organised in the Netherlands on Saturday. This makes Red Bull the most frequently found beverage brand in litter for the sixth consecutive year. "This Austrian drinks giant would do better to speak out in favour of deposits," says environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk: "every can in the verge tarnishes Red Bull's sophisticated marketing".

During World Cleanup Day 2019 on Saturday, litter pickers posted found Red Bull cans with the hashtag #RedBullChallenge on social media. Last year Red Bull also topped the ranking. This makes the company one of the most polluting beverage retailers.

"Red Bull is a company that carefully creates a tough image. But cans in nature are not tough at all. A company like Red Bull must also have the balls to tackle its own rubbish," says environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk.

Deposit schemes in Germany, Scandinavia and more than 35 other countries prove that they keep cans out of the verges.

At the beginning of October, the House of Representatives will hold a General Consultation on the Circular Economy. More and more voices are asking the State Secretary to also include cans in the deposit law on plastic bottles. After all, cans are a danger to cows and, moreover, also contain plastic. They are found in litter even more often than plastic bottles.

Last week, MPs Maurits von Martels and Jessica Van Eijs of government parties CDA and D66 spoke out in favour of introducing a deposit scheme on cans as well.

Despite repeated enquiries, the company has not informed us of its sustainability strategy to address its issue.