Coke And Pepsi Are Forced To Join The Army Finally, After Being Sued
Written by Matthew Swigonski | Published
For decades, Pepsi and Coke have been battling it out, trying to see which of the two beverage companies can come out on top and claim the soft drink throne as their own. But in the end, after all these sugary years, these two companies have something in common that will force them to put aside their differences and work together to defeat the enemy. In a lawsuit filed on October 30 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Los Angeles County alleged that Pepsi and Coke deliberately misled the public about how their plastic bottles are recyclable, resulting in a negative impact on the environment.
Soft Drinks and the War on Pollution
According to the case of Coke and Pepsi, Los Angeles County says that these two companies have not only underestimated their role in the increase of pollution around the world, but have affected the health of millions of people due to the increase of microplastics.
In a statement about the lawsuit, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lindsey Horvath accused each company of wrongdoing. “Coke and Pepsi need to stop cheating and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems their products cause,” Horvath said. “Los Angeles County will continue to address the negative environmental impacts caused by companies that engage in deceptive and unfair business practices.”
The Los Angeles County lawsuit says that Coke and Pepsi should be charged because of the company's stranglehold on the bottled beverage market, which causes a large percentage of the plastic pollution that plagues many places in the world, especially in Los Angeles. As of 2024, Coke owns beverage brands such as Dasani, Fanta, Sprite, Vitamin Water, and Smartwater. Meanwhile, Pepsi currently owns brands such as Gatorade, Aquafina, Mountain Dew, and Lipton.
Makes a Huge Amount of Plastic Pollution Compounded
According to a recent study by a research team led by data scientist Win Cowger, Coke and its solid products are responsible for 11 percent of all plastic pollution in our environment, while Pepsi accounts for an additional 5 percent of pollution.
For the past five years, these two beverage companies have been ranked as the world's top plastic polluters, with Coke consistently leading the way. In the analysis of the research team, they concluded that Coke produces approximately 3.224 million tons of plastic annually, while Pepsi produces 2.5 million metric tons each year.
As of November 2, neither Coke nor Pepsi have commented on the allegations within the lawsuit, although they have dismissed earlier claims that their plastic products were not recycled. William Dermody, vice president of news and public affairs for the American Beverage Association, whose members include Coke and Pepsi, denied that the beverage companies were intentionally misleading the public. “Allegations that our bags are not and cannot be reused are simply not true,” said Dermody.
He won a similar case in New York
It is not the first time that Pepsi or Coke have each faced a charge for their consumption of plastic waste that pollutes the environment. On October 31, Pepsi won the dismissal of a New York lawsuit accusing the beverage company of polluting the environment with single-use plastic packaging. New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, wanted to charge Pepsi with endangering Buffalo's water supply by producing 17 percent of the plastic waste found near the Buffalo River, but the judge in charge of the case dismissed the case, saying the pollution was water pollution. it is the consumer's responsibility, not the company's to comply with recycling guidelines.
Source: AP News
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