Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Nestlé are ranked as the world's top plastic polluters for the third consecutive year according to Break Free From Plastic's report "BRANDED Vol III: Demanding Corporate Accountability for Plastic Pollution" released Dec. 2, during a virtual press conference.

This year, Break Free From Plastic's brand audit — an annual citizen action initiative that involves counting and documenting the brands on plastic waste found in communities across the globe — collected 346,494 pieces of plastic from 55 countries. In addition, this year's brand audit takes a special look at the essential work of informal waste pickers, predominantly in the Global South, and the impact low value single-use plastic has on their livelihoods.

"It's not surprising to see the same big brands on the podium as the world's top plastic polluters for three years in a row. These companies claim to be addressing the plastic crisis yet they continue to invest in false solutions while teaming up with oil companies to produce even more plastic. To stop this mess and combat climate change, multinationals like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé must end their addiction to single-use plastic packaging and move away from fossil fuels," said Abigail Aguilar, Plastics Campaign regional coordinator, Greenpeace Southeast Asia.