How these companies tried to greenwash their plastic waste

Europe’s food and drinks companies make big promises to cut plastic waste. But they don't deliver. We checked. A story about ambitious commitments, hidden failures and how to hold firms accountable.

Credits:
Reporter: Kira Schacht
Video Editor: Frederik Willmann
Graphics: Therese Giemza, Christin Grothe & Jorana Paetz
Supervising Editor: Malte Rohwer-Kahlmann, Joanna Gottschalk & Kiyo Dörrer

We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.

#PlanetA #Plastic #GreenWashing

Read More:
Data and Methodology Behind This Analysis:
https://github.com/dw-data/plastics-promises/

European Data Journalism Network:
https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/

Online Database of Promises: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nnhW5ZnwL9XSC3AHtRWfLrWwLXs6N0rWfNdJVnWgU9k/edit#gid=0

Break Free From Plastic: Brand Audit 2021: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/brandaudit2021/

Changing Markets Foundation, Reports on Plastic Waste: https://changingmarkets.org/portfolio/talking-trash/

Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Commitment:
https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/global-commitment/overview

UN Report on Single-use Plastic Regulations Around the World: https://www.unep.org/resources/report/single-use-plastics-roadmap-sustainability

OECD: Plastic Production Policy Outlook Until 2060:
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/aa1edf33-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/aa1edf33-en

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:16 Our Research Process
01:48 Danone's Promises
03:06 What We Found
03:31 Marketing Over Impact
05:08 Companies Pick Easy Battles
06:58 What is Changing: More Transparency
07:59 What Needs to Change: Legislation
09:21 Conclusion