“Take advantage of the Paris Games to accelerate ecological transformation”

Nearly 140 years after its creation, the most famous soda brand in the world wants to offer more sugar-free drinks, and is banking on the Games this summer to improve its environmental image.

Coca-Cola was born in the United States in 1886, in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a pharmacist, John Pemberton, who had the idea of “mix sparkling water with a syrup made from caffeine and plant extracts, explains Mickaël Vinet, president of Coca-Cola France. And I liked the taste.”

In France, Coca Cola appeared in 1919, and the following year the drink was bottled in our country. This is still the case today, with six factories in France. “90% of Coca-Cola products, served in France, are produced there”, highlights Mickaël Vinet.

85% of French people drink it less than once a month

In France, Coca-Cola is present in 8 out of 10 homes, but “85% of consumers consume it less than once a month”, explains the president of Coca-Cola France. Regarding the global partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the history goes back almost 100 years and the 1928 Games.

Last September, Mickaël Vinet appeared in a photo on social networks alongside the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. Some elected officials denounced on this occasion the fact that the brand supports athletes while it would promote obesity in the world. The president of Coca-Cola France responds that “the brand offers a wide choice of drinks, with and without sugar. The objective is to have 50% sugar-free drinks in the coming years.”

Coca-Cola, the world’s leading plastic polluter

Coca-Cola is also singled out by many NGOs as being the world champion of plastic pollution. “The Games will be an opportunity for us to accelerate the transformation and show that circularity of packaging is possible. We will offer returnable, reusable cups. The goal: zero packaging waste at these Games.”