News
Coca-Cola is dramatically scaling back its plastic promises
In 2018, Coca-Cola announced that by 2030 it wanted to recycle the plastic equivalent of every bottle it put out into the world.
Coca-Cola changed its “voluntary environmental goals” this week. Florian Gaertner/Photothek/Getty Images
Coca-Cola is scaling back its packaging sustainability goals, igniting outrage from environmental activists.
CNN reported that the beverage company, which has long been criticized for being one of the world’s top producer of plastic pollutants, changed its “voluntary environmental goals” this week.
It now aims to use 35% to 40% recycled material in its packaging by 2035 — a drastic reduction from its previous goal of 50% by 2030.
Coca-Cola explained in a press release that its “evolution is informed by learnings gathered through decades of work in sustainability, periodic assessment of progress and identified challenges.” Coke is also changing its recycling goal.
In 2018, Coca-Cola announced that by 2030 it wanted to recycle the plastic equivalent of every bottle it put out into the world.
That’s been reduced to “ensure the collection” of 70% to 75% bottles and cans entering the market every year without naming an specific timeline.
Pollution from single-use plastic remains a major problem.
A recent report from the Minderoo Foundation found that companies are producing record amounts of plastic despite stated efforts to be more sustainable. Plastic is problematic because it’s mostly made from polymers created from dangerous fossil fuels.
“We remain committed to building long-term business resilience and earning our social license to operate through our evolved voluntary environmental goals,” Bea Perez, executive vice president for sustainability and strategic partnerships for the Coca‑Cola Company, said in a press release.
“These challenges are complex and require us to drive more effective and efficient resource allocation and work collaboratively with partners to deliver lasting positive impact.”
In response, environmental group Oceana bashed Coca-Cola for its “short-sighted, irresponsible” changes that are “worthy of widespread condemnation by its customers, its employees, its investors, and governments worried about the impact of plastics on our oceans and health.”
The company’s new and weak recycling-related pledges won’t make a dent in its overall plastic use,” Matt Littlejohn, Oceana’s senior vice president of strategic initiatives, said in a statement.
“Coca-Cola’s investors and governments around the world should take notice and take steps to hold the company accountable.”
Earlier this year, Coca-Cola rolled out new bottles for all versions of Coke sodas (i.e. zero sugar, diet, original, etc.) that are made from 100% recycled plastic.
The company estimated that the new bottles will reduce 83 million pounds of plastic used in its US supply chain, the equivalent of two billion bottles.
News
Police Debunk Viral “Terror Attack” Video in Abuja, Launch Investigation
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismissed as false and misleading a viral video claiming terrorists were advancing on Abuja with heavy gunfire.
In a statement on Thursday, the Command said there was no terrorist attack or security breach anywhere in the Federal Capital Territory.
Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, described the video as a deliberate attempt to incite panic and spread misinformation.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, preliminary investigations revealed that the gunshots in the footage were manipulated and edited from an unrelated source, then superimposed on visuals of buildings under construction at an unidentified location.
The Commissioner has ordered a full forensic analysis to trace the origin of the video and identify those responsible for prosecution.
The FCT Police warned content creators and social media users against spreading false information that could cause fear and public disorder.
Residents were urged to disregard the video and refrain from sharing unverified content.
The Command reassured residents of its commitment to maintaining safety and security in the FCT.
News
US Declares 23 Nigerian States High-Risk for Citizens
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
Photo: President Donald Trump; President Bola Tinubu
The United States Department of State has classified 23 Nigerian states “High Insecurity Risks” for its citizens to go , work and live.
In an updated travel advisory issued on Wednesday, the Embassy in Nigeria urged Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria, with certain states classified under “Level 4: Do Not Travel” due to heightened security risks.
Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba were added to the list, bringing the total to 23 states where travel is strongly discouraged.
In Northern Nigeria, the advisory highlighted Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and northern Adamawa as particularly high-risk, citing terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime.Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara were also flagged due to civil unrest, widespread crime, and kidnappings.
“The security situation in these states is unstable and uncertain due to civil unrest. Widespread violence between communities and armed crime, including kidnapping and roadside banditry.
“Security operations to counter these threats may occur without warning,” the advisory warned.
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
“Crime is widespread in Southern Nigeria. There is a high risk of kidnapping, violent protests, and armed gangs,” the advisory stated.
News
INEC releases updated voters registration figure nationwide
Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded over 3.4 million new voters in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide.
The figure is disclosed by the Commission in its week 13 update released on Wednesday in Abuja.
” A total of 3,441,121 registrations have been completed as of April 3, covering both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins,” said INEC .
Given the breakdown, INEC explained that 2,068,384 citizens completed their registration online, while 1,372,737 others registered physically at designated centres across the country.
State-by-state data showed that Jigawa recorded the highest number of registrants with 201,047, representing 5.84 percent of the total.
Lagos followed with 181,095, while Kano ranked third with 177,681 registrations.Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
Gender distribution indicated a higher turnout among women, with females accounting for 1,922,143 registrations (55.86 percent), compared to 1,518,978 males (44.14 percent).
-
International3 days agoOil Prices Rise, Stocks Fall as Trump’s Iran Deadline Looms
-
News3 days agoAbiodun Presents Ceremonial Sword to Tinubu, Urges Sustained War on Crime
-
News3 days agoBenue Govt Confirms Total Evacuation of Benue Students From University of Jos
-
Entertainment3 days agoThe New Masquerade’s actor ‘Clarus’ is dead
-
News3 days agoKebbi Assembly Speaker Muhammad Usman Zuru dies in Egypt
-
News3 days agoBudgIT appoints Nigeria Country Director
-
Politics3 days agoGbenga Hashim resigns from PDP, citing “Things Fall Apart, the center can’t hold”
-
News3 days agoLagos Announces Traffic Diversions for Wednesday and Thursday Project Commissionings
