Why Coke Sponsoring the COP27 Climate Conference Is Good News

Coca-Cola has signed on to be a sponsor of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP27) and activists are angry. Greenpeace issued a press release where they suggest that this “partnership undermines the very objective of the event it seeks to sponsor.” In response to the assumption of greenwashing, Coke is defending its sponsorship, citing their “ambitious goals” and their track record of raising and donating significant money to promote more sustainability.

Reading several stories about this, it seems to me that the backlash misses the point. It's much easier to hold someone accountable and even influence their actions if they are willing to engage in the dialogue. Instead of organizing protests, imagine if the activists demanded that the conference host candid panels about how Coke's “pledge to reduce 25% of packaging to be reusable by 2030” isn't enough.

Or what if Coke were to announce an initiative that uses their considerable marketing brain power to shift consumer perception so that people who “still want plastic bottles” would no longer demand them? The point is, there is far more that can be achieved in the fight against single use plastics if Coke is involved in the debate instead of being shunned from it.