Nestlé
Food giant Nestlé comes in fourth, with more than 4,000 pieces of plastic recovered in 30 countries. The company disclosed in a 2019 report with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that it produced more than 1.8 million tons of plastic each year.
These giant consumer goods companies aren’t acting in a vacuum: Plastic is a petrochemical product, and Big Oil isn’t missing a chance to cash in on all this demand. A report issued by Greenpeace this year examined the supply chains of the world’s most prolific plastic producers, finding that nearly every company on Break Free from Plastic’s top 10 list purchase plastics from suppliers who buy their stock from major oil companies.
As an example, Nestlé (along with Coca-Cola and Pepsi) purchases some of its plastic from a Thai company called Indorama, which buys its supplies from companies like Chevron, ExxonMobil, Phillips, and Shell. Indorama has claimed that 1 in 5 bottles in the world made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET—a plastic commonly used for bottled water and soft drinks—are made with its plastics.
In an emailed statement, a Nestlé spokesperson provided links to the company’s efforts to tackle plastic waste and create reusable products. “We need to work together and are also engaging consumers in our efforts,” the email said. “We are finding ways to fundamentally change the way consumers receive and enjoy our products.”
