As I noted earlier this year, Coca-Cola is funding trials after admitting that it needs to take responsibility for the zillions of tonnes of litter its bottles create. The trials will focus on bottles up to half a litre, and people will be offered either cash or shopping vouchers to return empty bottles of any brand to collection points. The company said the scheme could go national if the trials showed that it improved recycling rates and reduced litter.
Alongside this, it has now announced a partnership with Keep Britain Untidy. This is an extract from the latter's 17th October press release:
We are delighted to work with Coca-Cola to boost litter prevention and support our country’s #LitterHeroes. Coca-Cola will be a key partner in next year’s 2018 Great British Spring Clean, helping to support a network of #litterheroes to get outdoors and active cleaning up the country. Working together, we want to inspire volunteers to clean up not only our villages, towns and cities but also our rivers and beaches, creating a chain of litter picking activity from #Street2Sea. With 80% of marine litter originating from land, everybody can play their part in preventing littering not only in their local area but also in our rivers, beaches and seas. Alongside this, Coca-Cola is also supporting our award-winning Centre for Social Innovation to research beach litter and littering behaviour around the country. The research will help develop new solutions to the problem, which can be scaled up around the country, changing the behaviour of the small minority who enjoy visiting the beach but think nothing of leaving their rubbish behind
Alongside all this there was mutual corporate brown-nosing with Keep Britain Untidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton saying:
“We are thrilled that Coca-Cola Great Britain is giving the Great British Spring Clean a helping hand so that we can realise our ambition to mobilise up to half a million people next year. Littering blights every corner of our country and the help of partners is vital if we are to support all the #LitterHeroes who are willing to get out and clean up after those who still think it is OK to drop their rubbish on the ground.”
And Jon Woods, General Manager at Coca-Cola Great Britain responding:
“Our partnership with Keep Britain Untidy is one of the many actions we are taking to reduce littering and highlight the importance of recycling in the UK. We look forward to raising awareness of an important environmental issue and helping to clean up British beaches.”
Personally, I think that this will prove just as successful as Keep Britain Untidy's partnership with Wrigleys from 20 years ago (or so) to keep chewing gum off our streets, or its promotion of smutty cartoons in engaging littering small boys of all ages.
But what a great deal for Coco-Cola in getting its products in front of countless children with official endorsement – cheap at twice the price.
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