When huge, world-famous corporations, such as the Coca-Cola Company, announce plans to cut their carbon footprint, it always sounds like a good thing. At first. The problem is, many of these behemoth businesses have a reputation that precedes them. Unfortunately, they’ve made a name for themselves and it’s pretty hard to reverse the implications of such a name: being viewed as an eco-villain.
For Coca-Cola, this reputation includes their irresponsible use of the precious resource, water, in many countries, and being under fire for other ethically questionable practices. They’ve also contributed to the waste crisis exponentially not only by means of their famous soft drink and other beverages, but by cashing in on the infamous bottled water industry.
So, as Coca-Cola unveiled its desire last week to encourage customers to recycle by means of an ad campaign, many question that desire and whether it’s sincere. It’s kind of like hearing of the oil giant Exxon Mobil’s scheme to research green algae fuel. Learning that they are investing millions of dollars fades in import when we realize this is but a drop in the bucket for a multi-billion dollar corporation. What about Coca-Cola? With their meager earnings, they too should be doing more and should have been all along, not just stepping up now at this crisis point in history.
As part of the “Keep it Going. Recycle” campaign, Coca-Cola has launched its first city centre recycling zone in Southampton, U.K. ‘Branded’ recycling bins (hmm, more advertising) have been placed in high density pedestrian freeways (hmm, maximum exposure to ads). Along with that, a vehicle will be provided to collect the recycling (no doubt branded as well). Interestingly, the drink company is in partnership with Southampton city council and is only jointly funding the initiative.
There is no denying that encouraging recycling is beneficial. Research conducted by Carbon Trust, an agency set up by the U.K. government to help create a low carbon economy, found that packaging makes up the majority of Coca-Cola’s carbon footprint. Recycling a can or bottle can reduce the footprint of an individual drink product by 40 per cent, thus making a noticeable difference.
It’s becoming clear that companies must exhibit some measure of environmental concern whether they truly care or not. To keep a growing number of eco-conscious customers happy and buying, Coca-Cola has brought sustainability to the marketing agenda.
U.K. Coca-Cola president, Sanjay Guha, sums it up: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Without sustainable, healthy communities we won’t have a sustainable business. Which is why, as well as taking action ourselves, we’re committed to helping consumers to do their bit as well.”
It’s strange, but statements such as that leave a funny taste in your mouth.
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In the context of today’s world, ‘consuming’ and ‘balance’ in the same sentence seems to be an oxymoron.
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