Pacific environmental expert condemns Coca-Cola’s switch to plastic in Samoa

The United Nations as published a letter to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, expressing concerns over the multinational bottling company’s transition from reusable glass packaging to plastic bottles in Samoa, an island country in the Pacific Ocean.

According to the UN special rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, Marcos Orellana, due to the switch, Coca-Cola’s packaging now represents one-third of plastic bottle waste in Samoa.

Packaging Insights speaks to Dr Rufino Varea, a specialist in marine ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment and director at the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN), about the consequences of Coca-Cola’s move on Samoan communities and nature.

Varea also tells us about the viability of recycling in Samoa and neighbouring islands, as well as the role of local and international bodies like the UN in regulating the use of plastic.