Plastic Pollution
Conduct Screen Environmental Harm
Companies whose business model generates outsized plastic pollution, packaging waste, or hazardous waste — single-use plastic manufacturers, companies that oppose extended producer responsibility, and operations with documented illegal dumping or waste export to developing countries. Distinct from environmental_damage (which covers contamination incidents) and emissions (which covers air pollution).
10 companies currently excluded under this screen
Excluded Companies (10 total)
Showing 10 of 10 companies excluded under this screen.
| Ticker | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| AMCR | Amcor PLC | Amcor PLC is the world's largest packaging company, generating $13.6 billion in revenue in FY2024 and $15.0 billion in FY2025 (following the acquisition of Berry Global in April 2025). Polymers account for 75% of Amcor's revenue, with flexible plastic packaging comprising more than three-quarters of total sales. The company operates 212 facilities across 40 countries with 41,000 employees. Amcor produces billions of units of single-use flexible and rigid plastic packaging annually for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, and household products. While Amcor has set sustainability targets (94% of flexible packaging "recycle-ready" by FY2024, 30% recycled content by 2030), these commitments do not change the fundamental reality: Amcor is the single largest producer of plastic packaging on Earth, and the vast majority of flexible plastic packaging is not recycled in practice regardless of theoretical recyclability. The global scale of Amcor's plastic production — supplying disposable packaging to virtually every major consumer goods company — makes it a primary contributor to the plastic waste crisis. |
| PG | Procter & Gamble Company (The) | Procter & Gamble used 691,000-712,000 metric tons of plastic packaging in 2023, ranking #7 globally for branded plastic waste found in the environment (Break Free From Plastic 2023 Global Brand Audit, conducted by 8,804 volunteers across 41 countries collecting 537,719 pieces of waste). P&G ranks #6 in Asia for single-use sachet pollution — selling products in packaging that is essentially impossible to recycle and directly pollutes waterways and soil in countries without waste management infrastructure. P&G has a 2030 goal to reduce virgin plastic by 50% per unit of production but was only at 21% progress as of last reporting. Total corporate virgin plastic use actually increased 3% in 2020-2021. P&G does not participate in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Global Commitment (unlike Unilever, Nestle, and other peers). As You Sow filed a 2025 shareholder resolution demanding stronger flexible plastics policies. |
| MDLZ | Mondelez International, Inc. | Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit ranks Mondelez International as a top-5 global plastic polluter consistently since audits began. In 2023, volunteers across 41 countries identified Mondelez as the #5 polluter globally and #1 in Asia, where its branded waste accounted for 30% of all plastic pollution documented. Despite Ellen MacArthur Foundation commitments, Mondelez reported a 4.6% increase in virgin plastic use over 2020 levels as of 2024 -- moving backwards. Core problem: flexible snack and confectionery packaging (Oreo, Cadbury, Ritz) is functionally unrecyclable. |
| PM | Philip Morris International Inc | Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit — Cigarette filters are single-use plastic (cellulose acetate); 4.5 trillion discarded annually globally, ~300,000 tons of plastic microfibers. Philip Morris International cigarette brands appear across BFFP brand audits. Science Advances (Cowger 2024) identifies Altria/PMI among top branded plastic polluters cumulatively 2018–2022 (tracked together pre-2008 spinoff). |
| MO | Altria Group | Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit / Science Advances (Cowger 2024) — Cigarette filters are single-use plastic (cellulose acetate); 4.5 trillion discarded annually globally. Science Advances: Altria accounts for ~2% of all globally branded plastic pollution 2018–2022 across 84 countries. As You Sow 2023 shareholder resolution on Altria producer responsibility for cigarette butt plastic pollution. |
| PEP | Pepsico, Inc. | Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit 2023 (Feb 2024) — Rank #4 global plastic polluter; plastic items outnumbered Coca-Cola in absolute count but found in 30 countries vs. Coca-Cola 40. Science Advances (Cowger 2024): PepsiCo ~5% of all globally branded plastic pollution 2018–2022. As You Sow 2024 Plastic Promises Scorecard: D+ grade on plastic reduction ambition and action. |
| KO | Coca-Cola Company (The) | Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit 2023 (Feb 2024) — Rank #1 global plastic polluter for 6th consecutive year; 33,820 branded plastic items found across 40 of 41 countries audited; top rank every year since BFFP inception 2018. Science Advances (Cowger 2024): Coca-Cola accounts for ~11% of all globally branded plastic pollution across 84 countries 2018–2022. |
| AMZN | Amazon.com, Inc. | As You Sow 2024 Plastic Promises Scorecard — F grade (107th of 225 companies); zero transparency, no defined plastic reduction goals despite being among the world's largest e-commerce packaging consumers. AMZN already excluded for environmental_damage; this adds the specific waste_plastics sub-category. |
| NESN | Nestle | Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit 2023 (Feb 2024) — Rank #2 global plastic polluter; top 3 in every annual audit since 2018. Science Advances (Cowger 2024): Nestlé ~3% of all globally branded plastic pollution 2018–2022 across 84 countries. OTC ADR (primary listing SIX Swiss Exchange). |
| UL | Unilever PLC | Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit 2023 (Feb 2024) — Rank #3 global plastic polluter; top 5 in every annual audit since 2018; household/personal care brands (Dove, Lipton, Magnum, etc.). Science Advances (Cowger 2024): Unilever among top cumulative branded polluters 2018–2022. |
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
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