Coca-Cola’s

Destruction
of the Globe
Sean Conneely, Rachel
Hefel, Nicole Moeller, Ian
Walsh
Case
● Environment
○ Coca Cola is one of the largest plastic polluters in the world
○ Funds organizations that lobby against “bottle bills”
■ 24% of bottles and cans recycled without a deposit
■ 60% of bottles and cans recycled with a deposit
○ 58 bottling plants in India
■ Sludge
● High levels of cadmium, chromium, lead
● Giving it to poor villagers as fertilizer
■ Contaminating groundwater
Case
● Global Health
○ Increased Risks
■ Liver damage
■ Kidney disease
■ Diabetes
■ Osteoporosis
■ Hypertension
■ Cancer
■ Heart disease
○ 3-5 pesticides found in every audited carbonated beverage bottled in
India bottling plants
CST Principles
● Life and Dignity of the Human Person
● Rights and Responsibility
● Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
● Solidarity
● Care for God’s Creation
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
● All people are sacred, made in the image and likeness of God. People do not lose
dignity because of disability, poverty, age, lack of success, or race. This
emphasizes people over things, being over having.

● Good companies should be striving toward goals that protect human life not
destroy it

● Coca Cola promotes a culture of death

○ By denying all allegations made by the people of India
○ Off loading sludge to farmers as “fertilizer”
○ Providing no compensation to locals affected by problem
Rights and Responsibilities
● People have a fundamental right to life, food, shelter, health care, education and
employment. All people have a right to participate in decisions that affect their
lives. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to respect
the rights of others in the wider society and to work for the common good.

● Coca-Cola isn’t respecting the rights of the locals

○ There have been many protests against the pollution
○ Nothing has been done to right the situation
● People of India have a right to Clean Water
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
● The moral test of a society is how it treats its most
vulnerable members. The poor have the most
urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation.
We are called to look at public policy decisions in
terms of how they affect the poor.
● Look at the world from the perspective of the
marginalized
● Not treating poor correctly
○ Sludge
● Pollution ends up all over the planet
○ Most Polluting Brand 2nd year in a row
Solidarity
● We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national,
racial, economic and ideological differences. We are called to work globally for
justice.
● Work for the common good
● Villager impacts
○ Contaminated water
○ Shortage of water
■ Must walk miles to get clean water
○ Toxic pollutants from bottling
■ Sludge given as fertilizer
● Health impacts
Care for God’s Creation
● The goods of the earth are gifts from God. We have a responsibility to care for
these goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users.
● Environmental Impact
○ Coca Cola is one of the largest plastic polluters in the world
○ Funds organizations that lobby against “bottle bills”
■ 24% of bottles and cans recycled without a deposit
■ 60% of bottles and cans recycled with a deposit
○ 58 bottling plants in India
■ Sludge
● High levels of cadmium
● Giving it to poor villagers as fertilizer
■ Contaminating groundwater
Solutions
● Bottle Bills
○ Stop preventing measures to create
○ Help promote the need
● Work with locals
○ Provide access to diminishing resources
● Clean Water
○ Work to clean water sources
○ Restorations