Which big brands are responsible for the majority of the world's plastic pollution?

A recent study revealed which famous brands are responsible for the vast majority of plastic pollution resulting from their products in the world.

Coca-Cola tops the list as the number one polluter, as Canadian Dalhousie University researchers found that it is responsible for 11% of all brand waste.

PepsiCo/PepsiCo (5%) comes in second place, followed by Nestlé (3%), Danone (3%), and Altria/Philip Morris International (2%).

Dr Tony Walker, co-author of the study, said: “The plastic pollution data from global brands speaks for itself and demonstrates unequivocally that the world’s largest global producers are the biggest plastic polluters.”

In the study, the team analyzed nearly 5 years of data from 1,576 audit events in 84 countries. Brand audits are citizen science initiatives, where volunteers clean up waste and document the collected brands.

The study revealed a "clear link" between plastic production and pollution.

The researchers found that a 1% increase in plastic production led to a 1% increase in pollution.

It turns out that 56 global companies are responsible for more than 50% of all plastic pollution caused by brands.

However, more than half of the recovered plastics were unbranded, making it difficult to trace the companies responsible.

The researchers propose creating an open-access international database in which companies commit to tracking their products until they reach the environment.

The study said that the key to reducing plastic pollution is reducing the production of single-use plastic goods.

"When I first saw the connection between production and pollution, I was shocked," said Wayne Cowger, of the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research. "Despite all the things big brands say they do, we don't see any positive impact of their efforts."

A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Great Britain said: “We care about the impact of every drink we sell and are working to reduce the amount of plastic packaging we use. We have an ambitious goal of collecting and recycling every bottle or can we sell by 2030.”

A Nestlé spokesperson added: “Plastic pollution is a serious problem and we are working hard to help address it. At Nestlé, we have more than 220 initiatives to develop effective waste collection, sorting and recycling plans in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and Latin America.”