FRANCE – Over 100 Olympic athletes are calling on Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to significantly increase the use of reusable packaging to combat plastic pollution at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The campaign, led by Sailors for the Sea (Powered by Oceana) and EcoAthletes, aims to make these games the largest-ever sporting event to utilize reusable beverage packaging.

A letter, signed by 102 athletes from 43 sports and 30 countries, including Olympians, Paralympians, and world champions, demands that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo adopt reusable packaging as a global standard and commit to a substantial increase by 2030.

The signatories emphasize that recycling alone is insufficient to address the plastic crisis. Research from Oceana indicates that a 10% rise in global reusable beverage packaging by 2030 could prevent more than a trillion single-use plastic bottles and cups from polluting the environment.

The athletes also urge Coca-Cola and Pepsi to push for legally binding targets to promote reuse at future Olympics and other major sporting events.

“Escalating plastic pollution poses a massive threat to the oceans and our health,” said Shelley Brown, director of Sailors for the Sea.

“Plastics are everywhere, from floating on the ocean’s surface to sitting at the deepest point of the ocean floor, to the air we breathe and the water we drink. We must reduce the amount of single-use plastic being produced. The answer is simple – we need more reuse and less single-use.”

“Recycling won’t get us there, not even close,” added Lew Blaustein, CEO and founder of EcoAthletes.

“The only way we can get to where we need to go on plastic pollution is a systemic commitment to grow reuse exponentially and a dramatic drawdown of single-use.”

This letter comes amid increasing pressure on the beverage industry to reduce its plastic footprint. The # BreakFreeFromPlastic movement frequently cites Coca-Cola and Pepsi as top global plastic polluters.

The Paris 2024 Games present a unique opportunity for the beverage industry to lead in sustainable packaging and inspire a broader shift towards reuse.

CLUBZERØ and Barclays launch new food container range at Wimbledon

In a related effort, returnable packaging provider CLUBZERØ has teamed up with Barclays for the second year at the Wimbledon tennis tournament to combat single-use plastic waste.

This partnership began after Barclays became the Official Banking Partner of The Championships in January 2023.

Starting on July 1, CLUBZERØ’s Perfect Pot has served strawberries and cream-flavored ice cream to Barclays customers at the venue.

These new food containers are designed in-house for temperature tolerance, durability, and customer satisfaction.

Additionally, CLUBZERØ plans to introduce new Drop Point Boxes to support large events by providing convenient locations for customers to return their used packaging.

The Perfect Pots will be collected and redistributed throughout Wimbledon using Zedify’s emission-free electric vehicles. Zedify, supported by Barclays’ Sustainable Impact Capital initiative, operates the UK’s largest e-cargo bike delivery network, covering nine cities.

Last year’s partnership launched returnable cold cups for juices, marking the initial step in this sustainable journey.

CLUBZERØ’s collaboration with Barclays began through the ‘Unreasonable Impact’ program in 2021, which supports ventures addressing environmental challenges.

Their returnable packaging service meets high-volume demands and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 50%.

“Our perfect pots are the newest addition to our returnable packaging range, following months of rigorous development with our customers and partners,” said CLUBZERØ CEO Safia Qureshi.

“It is critical to establish standards for returnable packaging, and we are thrilled to be pioneering this through our continued work at the Championships, Wimbledon, in partnership with Barclays.”

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