Firms who pledged to fight plastic pollution such as Amazon, Coca-Cola are worsening it: study

A Duke University study found that many of the world's largest companies that have pledged to reduce plastic pollution are utilizing more plastic than ever before.

The new research looked at the top 300 companies in the Fortune 500, including Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Costco.

Among these top players, 72 percent have made commitments to reduce plastic pollution but are focused on using more recycled plastics, rather than eliminating plastic.

According to the authors of the study, recycling plastics is only a partial step in slowing pollution, and most plastics are not reused.

The study revealed that as of 2015, around 79 percent of global plastic waste was in landfills or ended up in the natural environment, 12 percent was incinerated, and 9 percent was recycled.

They say that companies such as Coca-Cola and Walmart are producing lighter and cheaper plastic items, but their savings can easily be invested in creating even more plastic products.

As plastic usage increases every year, more of it ends up being made than reused.

Between 1950 and 2017, plastics production increased 174-fold and is forecast to double again by 2040.