Study finds 56 companies cause half of global plastic pollution

A study published Wednesday in Science Advances journal has researchers pointing out 56 companies, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Danone, as major contributors to global plastic pollution, responsible for over 50% of branded plastic pollution globally.

Coca-Cola is the top offender, responsible for 11% of branded plastic waste worldwide.

The study utilized data from over 100,000 volunteers who cataloged 1.8 million plastic pieces across six continents.

Researchers found that these corporations have programs to recover their waste from the environment or prevent it from ending up in landfills, but those aren’t effective.

The polluters’ list comes as global leaders attend the negotiations of the first-ever global plastics treaty in Ottawa, Canada this week.