Microplastics in Coca-Cola and Schweppes

Coca-Cola and Schweppes are under fire for the significant traces of microplastics found in their products. The investigation was conducted by the French association Agir pour l'Environnement, which collaborated with laboratories specializing in polymer research. The data shows that when the bottles are first opened, there are four microplastics in Coca-Cola and Schweppes, but this amount increases dramatically after 10-20 openings: 46 microplastics in the case of Coca-Cola, 62 in the case of Schweppes. The increase is linked to the cap and the opening-closing effect, which causes a molecular instability that leads to an increase in microplastics released.

There are three things worth noting. First, the six types of plastic found: polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and in smaller quantities, microparticles of polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), and polyurethane (PU). Only two of these substances are declared on the labels. The second striking aspect, which suggests a case of greenwashing, concerns Coca-Cola's 2021 announcement, with great fanfare and a significant investment in marketing and advertising, that it would use only recycled plastic bottles. The results of the French investigation thus confirm that recycled plastic does not represent an absolute guarantee of food safety.

Finally, the study promoted by Agir pour l'environment, which you can read here , seems to confirm, six years later, the findings of Il Salvagente in its analyses to verify the presence of microplastics in soft drinks. On that occasion, 14,60 microplastics per liter were recorded in Schweppes Tonic water, while 3,50 microplastics per liter were found in Coca-Cola Original.

Coca-Cola is a brand that continues to spark debate in terms of sustainability, both for its high sugar content and the enormous amount of plastic it produces and adds to the waste stream. And now, for the presence of microplastics in the drink.

Read also:

• Shampoo: brands with toxic substances
• Pesticides in mineral water: present in 14 brands
• Dove Greenwashing: The Soap That Fills the Environment with Plastic
• Lavazza accused of deforestation in Sweden

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