Sugar of any kind, when consumed out of moderation, can be unhealthy. Credit: The Sun/Alamy
Recently, Coca-Cola announced it will start using cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup in its classic Coke. This change happened after President Donald Trump ( see the news link below) and some fans called for it. While people are so excited about the taste change, what about the plastic bottles?
In 2025, they made some changes to their bottles to be lighter, still using plastics. The company says this new design will save enough plastic to equal about 800 million this year. It is a big step using fewer raw materials and creating less waste, and they also added "recycle me again" to remind people to recycle.
They also pushed back their goals for making bottles more eco-friendly, instead of 50 % recycled plastic by 2030, they now aim for 35-40 % by 2035 so the plan was dropped to 25% of the reusable, like glass bottles, which disappointed a lot of environmental groups. There was a report from Oceana that if Coca-Cola keep using so much plastic, hundreds of kilograms could end up in the ocean every year.
The switch to cane sugar might make Coca Cola taste better, but the real big issue is the plastics.
The more we buy Coca-Cola, the more plastic waste we create.
Coca Cola news today: Is cane sugar or fructose corn syrup healthier? Coca-Cola makes change to its drinks
References: (worth the read) Coca Cola changed its bottle shape, why? Coca Cola and plastics in the ocean, oceana's reportCoca Cola quietly dropping its 25% reusable packaging target