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Mass and fate estimates of plastic waste dispersed globally to marine and terrestrial environments by three major corporations
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Researchers estimated that the top three fast-moving consumer goods companies—Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé—produced 138 million metric tons of plastic between 2000 and 2023, with 10–15% becoming aquatic pollution and 39–43% becoming terrestrial pollution. The study found that targeted infrastructure investments in Southeast Asia and Latin America could abate 77% of marine-bound plastic from these companies by 2050.
We computed the plastic mass that the top three fast moving consumer good beverage companies (Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé) produced from 2000 to 2023: 138 ± 12 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic, of which 14-21.1 (± 2.2 MMT) (10-15%) were projected to have turned into aquatic pollution. Around 55-60 (± 6.4 MMT) (39-43%) are estimated to have resulted in terrestrial plastic pollution, with only minor amounts (11-14.9 ± 1.6 MMT, equivalent to 8-11%) deemed recycled. For each dollar of revenue, the three companies have generated approximately 40 g of plastic, of which 49-58% become aquatic and terrestrial pollution costing countries $13-19 (± 2) billion USD globally per annum in externalities. Absent change, these companies could add an additional 339 ± 45 MMT plastic mass to countries globally by 2050, costing an estimated $101 ± 13 billion USD. Infrastructure investments in just two regions; Southeast Asia and Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean, could abate 77% of marine bound plastics from these three companies. The present analysis suggests that fast moving consumer goods companies, with their global reach in over 200 countries, may be well positioned to change the current trajectory of global plastic pollution and ocean plastic littering.
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