With plastic pollution a growing concern, As You Sow, a non-profit promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, recently released its Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard 2021, which analyzed the actions and policies of 50 of the largest U.S. consumer-facing companies to reduce plastic pollution. While the report found significant progress in some areas such as the increase in commitments to reduce the use of virgin plastic for packaging, the report also noted that no companies are acting with sufficient policies, considering the urgency of the crisis.
“Companies are now more fully aware of the plastic pollution crisis they’ve helped create, but knowledge is not enough,” says Kelly McBee, waste program coordinator at As You Sow and author of the report. “Swift and decisive action from packaging producers is necessary to ensure that what they produce is not only recyclable but actually recycled at scale.”
Of the 50 companies ranked, here are how the companies fared in terms of minimizing plastic pollution.
Highest Ranked:
Coca-Cola, B
Keurig Dr. Pepper, C+
Nestle, C+
Walmart, C+
Colgate-Palmolive, C+
Target, C+
Lowest Ranked (by revenue size):
Amazon, D- ($386 billion)
Costco, F ($167 billion)
Walgreens, D- ($140 billion)
Kroger, D ($122 billion)
Procter & Gamble, D ($71 billion)
Kraft Heinz, D ($26 billion)
“Plastic packaging pollution is increasingly becoming a risk for consumer-facing businesses— regulatory risk, financial risk, supply chain risk, and most importantly, brand risk,” says Bruno Monteyne, senior analyst at Bernstein Autonomous, a London-based global equity research firm. “It is prudent that consumer goods companies with strong consumer brands, like those featured in As You Sow’s scorecard, prioritize investments in more innovative and sustainable product delivery and waste collection.”
One of the biggest issues is a lack of leadership supporting recycling, with just 5 percent of the $17 billion needed to expand and upgrade the recycling infrastructure in the U.S. secured to date. According to the report, companies have a long way to go when it comes to transitioning from single-use plastics, increasing recycling yields, and creating a truly circular plastics economy.
“Corporations must take action across all six identified pillars to demonstrate progress in reducing their share of the plastic pollution crisis,” says McBee.
Fortunately, many small businesses in the health and beauty space are prioritizing the plastic issue, opting to use glass or recycled plastic in their packaging. Especially promising is the number of companies offering new approaches to stem plastic waste, such as Loop and TerraCycle.
