Coca-Cola is about to kill off one of its only responsible packaging systems in the world. It's forcing consumers in Germany to buy drinks in disposable plastic bottles, instead of more eco-friendly reusable bottles that have been used there for decades.

The current reusable bottles can be refilled up to 25 times. By forcing people to buy disposable, single-use plastic bottles, Coke's move will squander huge amounts of energy when the climate is already struggling from growing carbon emissions. And it will mean more waste when our oceans are already awash with trash.

Thousands of German SumOfUs members are already up in arms about Coke's move. Together with the German NGO "Deutsche Umwelthilfe" they are fighting to save this landmark reusable bottle system. But they need our help to influence such a powerful global brand.

Tell Coke to say no to disposable bottles, and to maintain and expand its reusable bottle system.

1.9 billion Cokes are consumed every day around the world, and most of them come in disposable plastic bottles. Until now, Coca-Cola has been doing a relatively good job in Germany, with a nation-wide system to collect, clean and refill empty plastic bottles. But now the company wants to kill the landmark system -- when it should be expanding it around the world.

Coke says it is only cutting down on 0.5L and 1.5L reusable bottles, not the whole system. But it's a significant step backwards, and environmentalists warn that the company will kill off the reusable plastic bottles system entirely if we don't speak up.

And this is just one example of Coke putting its corporate profits ahead of the environment. In Australia, the company recently went as far as suing a state that had established a new recycling system the company didn't like.

Tell Coke to expand its responsible packaging system, instead of killing it off.

If we all come together, we can win this. Coke's $80 billion brand is everything to its executives, and the company spends millions on greenwashing. If we all come together, we can shame the world's biggest beverage company into introducing more reusable bottle schemes, not less.

As a community, we have shown what we can achieve when we stand together to stop mega corporations like Coca-Cola from destroying our planet and seas. Hundreds of thousands of SumOfUs members have called on supermarkets to clean up their supply chains and stop their suppliers from dumping toxic plastics in to the Mediterranean. Together, we have convinced Kellogg's and Wilmar to support a sustainable palm oil policy. Similar organized consumer pressure has dramatically slowed the rate of deforestation in Brazil. Coca-Cola can be moved with public pressure too, but it's up to us to do it.

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More information:

Germany threatens Coca-Cola with tax, Business Report, March 2, 2015
[In German] Coca-Cola turns away from reuseable bottles, Suddeutsche, February 18, 2015