The festive season is one of the biggest times of year for global drinks giant Coca-Cola — but we want to show the world that their happy holiday image hides a less cheerful reality.

Coca-Cola produce an estimated 110 BILLION plastic bottles a year — that’s that’s over 3,400 bottles a second! Our recycling systems simply cannot keep up with this tide of single-use plastic, and it’s overwhelming our oceans. Research has shown that a shocking 90% of seabirds and 1 in 3 sea turtles have ingested plastic.

Around the world, Greenpeace supporters have been taking action to call on Coca-Cola to reduce their massive plastic footprint. Here’s what we’ve been up to!

Our spoof Coke Christmas ad

As the biggest soft drinks producer in the world, Coke have the power to change the way the whole industry operates. We’re calling on them to reduce the amount of single-use plastic they produce, and invest in innovative reusable alternatives.

A Polar bear in Piccadilly Circus, UK

Copyright Greenpeace

Greenpeace hosted a spoof pop-up Coke Christmas event in central London, to expose the damage that is done by this global drinks giant’s single-use plastic bottles. Using one of their most enduring characters — the Coke polar bear — we created a polluted snowy icescape outside their largest billboard in London — complete with a choir, snow and paper Christmas decorations!

A Holiday Card for Coke, Canada

Copyright Greenpeace

Greenpeace staff and volunteers took a giant message direct to Coca-Cola Canada’s HQ in Toronto. Greenpeace is asking Coca-Cola (globally) to reduce the company’s plastic production and global plastic footprint by phasing out single-use plastic bottles and investing in reusable containers.

Light Painting at Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, China

Copyright Greenpeace

Greenpeace volunteers created a light-painting display at the gate of Coca- Cola Beijing Bottling Plant, asking the company to switch to a plastic free production of the popular beverage. The light-painting banner reads “No Plastic future is Happy Future” (as Coke’s Chinese name can be translated as “happy”).

Neptune Hauls Coke Bottles out of the Ocean, Netherlands

Copyright Greenpeace

A giant Neptune is rising up from the sea at Scheveningen in the Netherlands. In his net he caught no fish, but a gigantic amount of Coca Cola’s plastic bottles.

Activists Re-brand Coca-Cola, Israel

Copyright Greenpeace

Greenpeace activists protest at supermarkets against Coca-Cola plastic pollution at sea. The activists label Coca-cola products with signs as part of the “Choke” campaign highlighting the problem of single use plastics choking the oceans.

If you’d like to get involved in the campaign — sign the global petition and tell Coke to stop choking our oceans!