Coca-Cola has increased its use of newly manufactured plastic by 3.5 per cent since 2019, casting doubt over its ability to cut virgin plastic use and heaping more pressure on the world’s largest soft drinks group as it prepares to sponsor the COP27 climate summit.

Data from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which has drawn together a group of multinationals in a “global commitment” to cut plastic waste, show that Coca-Cola, Walmart and PepsiCo were among the worst offenders increasing virgin, non-recycled plastic use in 2021.

Companies will need to “exponentially” increase their use of recycled plastic to reach an aggregate target of 26 per cent recycled content by 2025, the foundation said, after they collectively upped their use of virgin plastic back to 2018 levels.