The first medal of the 2024 Olympic Games has been awarded – but there is nothing honorable about it. The network France Nature Environment (FNE) awarded this Wednesday to Coca-Cola the “gold medal for greenwashing” for its future distribution of millions of plastic bottles during the Paris Olympics, reports The Parisian.
Indeed, of the 18 million drinks planned for the event, more than half (more than 10 million) will come from plastic bottles, according to FNE. Some will be offered to athletes and referees, others will be put on sale. FNE also denounces a “subterfuge” on the part of Coca-Cola to give itself a good image: certain drinks will be served to spectators in returnable cups even though they come from plastic bottles.
A green facade without many real changes
However, Coca-Cola announced in June 2023 its ambition to reduce the use of plastic in its activities. This was to involve the installation of fountains in businesses, the use of returnable cups and the recycling of used plastic bottles.
For FNE, these efforts are insufficient and the lack of resources invested to limit plastic containers during the Olympics is shameful, hence this medal. “We know that recycling is not a solution: Coca-Cola should have reduced its waste,” said Axèle Gibert, coordinator of the waste prevention networks at FNE.
When questioned, the Olympic organizing committee refuted these criticisms, ensuring that 9.6 million drinks would be served without single-use plastic during the event, and that the rest would be served in recycled plastic containers. The fact remains that from the start, Coca-Cola’s involvement in the competition has been a problem. Official partner of the Games, the group remains one of the biggest polluters in the world and has nevertheless obtained exclusivity for the distribution and sale of drinks for the duration of the event.