In 2021, As You Sow shifted its focus on plastic pollution from asking companies to make plastic packaging more recyclable to using less plastic, with terrific results. Our proposals to 10 major consumer goods companies led five companies, including Target and Walmart, to agree to cut virgin plastic use by more than 700,000 tons by 2025.

A National Academy of Sciences study commissioned for the U.S. Congress and released in December 2021 confirmed our priorities for cutting plastic use. The study noted the United States is the world’s largest contributor to plastic waste, generating 42 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2016, or 287 pounds per person. The report called for reducing plastic production, especially for plastics that are not reusable or recyclable, and capping virgin plastic production.

Five companies have agreed to cut virgin plastic use in agreements with As You Sow. Walmart set a 15 percent virgin plastic reduction goal, Target and Keurig Dr Pepper agreed to reduce virgin plastic 20 percent, and Mondelēz International agreed to a 5 percent cut – all by 2025. PepsiCo agreed to a 20 percent cut by 2030. In 2022, we will continue work to reduce plastics use at companies where we have no agreements, including Amazon.com, Kroger, and McDonald’s, with a new filing at Church & Dwight.

New Push on Refillables: Plastic waste can be cut for generations by substituting refillable plastic or glass beverage bottles for single use bottles. A recent analysis by Oceana indicated considerable potential to reduce ocean plastic by increasing the refill market share. It concluded that boosting refillable bottles by 10 percent in all coastal countries, replacing single-use PET, could trim marine plastic bottle pollution by 22 percent.

Coca-Cola, for example, has long operated refillable bottle operations in many markets. Refillables have demonstrated their ability to substantially cut plastic waste with a 90 percent collection rate and bottles that can be reused from 20 to 40 times. In comparison, less than 30 percent of U.S. single-use PET beverage containers are recycled. Refillables already account for 50 percent or more of Coca-Cola sales in more than 20 global markets and 25 percent or more in another 40 markets, yet Coca-Cola had not committed to strategically increase refillables targets and timelines – until now.

For 2022, As You Sow has filed proposals with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo asking for aggressive refillables targets. Coca-Cola acted swiftly and on February 10 agreed to increase the global share of its sales in refillables from its current 11 percent to 25 percent by 2030. To recognize this significant commitment, we withdrew our Coca-Cola proposal. We look forward to engaging Coca-Cola’s top competitor, PepsiCo, to set an aggressive goal, as well, and for opportunities to engage other consumer goods companies on using refillables.