More than a hundred athletes have called on the Coca-Cola and Pepsi companies to stop selling single-use plastic bottles and promote products that can be used more than once when sponsoring sporting events.
The invitation was sent ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, which begin on July 26 and are sponsored by Coca-Cola.
In a letter to soft drink manufacturers, 102 current and former athletes, 22 of whom will compete in Paris, call on the companies to end plastic pollution “in the spirit of the Olympics and sports,” Brussels’ Politiko reported.
Several athletes among the signatories won Olympic medals. The letter was also signed by nine international sports organizations.
The Games “will be the perfect opportunity for you and your companies to spark a sea change in the way the world understands packaging and light the torch for reuse,” the letter said.
Coca-Cola is the world’s largest plastic polluter, according to the assessment of the non-governmental organization BreakFreeFromPlastic.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced a ban on single-use plastic at the Games last year, but French media reported that an estimated 40 percent of drinks will be in plastic bottles.
E2 portal (Beta)
Source: www.e2.rs
