Coca-Cola, PepsiCo are leaving Plastics Industry Association

Drink makers Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are leaving the U.S.-based Plastics Industry Association trade group following pressure from environmentalists.

The two companies said they are to leave the Plastics Industry Association as they seek to dramatically reduce single-use plastics in their products and packaging.

“We do not participate in the policy advocacy work of the association or its subsidiaries, and our membership will conclude at the end of this year,” a Pepsi spokesperson said in a statement to news agency Dow Jones Newswires.

The move follows pressure from environmental group Greenpeace, which has urged all companies to reduce their plastic footprint and eventually eliminate single-use plastics. The beverage makers join other companies like Clorox, Becton Dickinson, and Ecolab, all of which ended memberships with the Plastics Industry Association last year.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Plastics Industry Association has previously lobbied for states to prohibit banning plastic bag usage and imposing restrictions on other plastics across the country.

In a July 23 email to several media outlets, Patty Long, interim president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, called the move by Coke and Pepsi “unfortunate”. “Consumer brands are integral to making sustainability commitments into realities, by working with their suppliers to make lasting change,” she wrote. “For example, our members work together to align their efforts to put recycling and sustainability at the forefront of their businesses.”