Single-use plastic has been woven into nearly every part of modern life, from water bottles and snack wrappers to personal care products and cleaning supplies. 

But a journalist's exposé suggests this wasn't just the result of innovation or convenience, but it was part of a calculated effort by major corporations to reshape consumer behavior and sidestep responsibility.

What's happening?

In her book "Consumed: How Big Brands Got Us Hooked On Plastic," journalist Saabira Chaudhuri exposes how multinational companies like Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble helped fuel the global addiction to plastic packaging, and then shifted the blame onto consumers. 

According to Mint, Chaudhuri says that these companies not only encouraged disposability but also promoted misleading messages about recycling, knowing full well that only a tiny fraction of plastic would ever actually be recycled.

Chaudhuri's reporting highlights examples like the rise of single-use shampoo sachets in Asia and misleading eco-labels in the West. 

"The villains are real and the consequences devastating," the Mint report noted. 

These corporate strategies, Chaudhuri explained, were designed to maximize profit while keeping regulation at bay, often through public-facing sustainability campaigns that we now classify as greenwashing.

Why is corporate greenwashing concerning?

In the 2023 Break Free From Plastic audit, Coca-Cola was named the world's worst plastic polluter for the sixth year in a row. 

The organization noted that Coca-Cola was responsible for over 33,800 pieces of plastic waste collected across 40 countries. That's just a sliver of its total output; the company produces an estimated three million tons of plastic each year, according to a Forbes report from 2019, much of which ends up in landfills, waterways, or oceans.

This plastic doesn't just linger in the environment, but it also breaks down into microplastics, which have been found in drinking water, human blood, and even placentas. 

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As detailed in a 2024 study published in the journal Environment International, microplastics are now considered a global health concern, with possible links to hormonal disruption, inflammation, and organ damage. 

Not only that, but using less plastic could actually save you a lot of money.

What's being done about corporate plastic waste?

Some progress is underway as Liberty Coca-Cola, a regional bottler in the U.S., announced a shift away from plastic rings in multipacks, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The Coca-Cola Company has also shared plans to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sells by 2030, though critics argue this approach still places the burden on consumers rather than redesigning packaging systems entirely.

Governments and grassroots organizers are pushing back, though. The United Nations negotiated a global treaty in 2022 to reduce plastic pollution, and several countries, including India and Kenya, have banned certain single-use plastics, according to AP News. 

Individuals can also make a difference by reducing their reliance on plastics and disposable packaging, supporting refill and reuse programs, and learning to spot misleading sustainability claims.

The problem isn't just the plastic itself, but the powerful systems that pushed it into every corner of our lives. Unraveling those systems by using alternative products that don't use plastic may be the first step toward a cleaner, safer future.

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