IN THE fight against climate change, corporations are no longer bystanders but major players 鈥� with their actions determining the fate of our planet. With their expansive operations and influence, multinational giants exert unparalleled power to shape the planet鈥檚 future. While their ambitious net-zero pledges and glossy sustainability reports paint an optimistic picture, the reality on the ground often tells a different story. For companies like Unilever and Coca-Cola, which are celebrated as leaders in corporate sustainability, their efforts frequently exacerbate existing global inequalities, shifting the burden of climate action onto vulnerable nations like Bangladesh. This dynamic, often described as environmental colonialism, raises a critical question: Are we witnessing genuine sustainability efforts, or is this another chapter of corporate greenwashing 鈥� one that demands immediate accountability?
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Unilever: sustainability or greenwashing?
Unilever, a consumer goods giant with a significant presence in Bangladesh, has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2039 and reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Initiatives such as the Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP) and a 鈧�1 billion investment in the Climate & Nature Fund reflect its commitment to deforestation-free supply chains and sustainable farming practices. However, while the headlines are grand, the ground reality is far more nuanced.
Unilever sources tea and other agricultural products from Bangladesh, often through complex networks of smallholder farmers. While promoting 鈥榮ustainable sourcing鈥� on a global scale, the company鈥檚 practices in Bangladesh have been criticised for placing the burden of meeting sustainability standards disproportionately on these farmers, who often lack the resources and technical support to implement the required changes. This raises a fundamental question: can a profit-driven multinational achieve true sustainability without exacerbating existing inequalities?
Unilever鈥檚 operations in Bangladesh have also exacerbated the country鈥檚 mounting plastic waste crisis. Bangladesh generates over 800,000 metric tons of plastic waste annually, of which only 31 per cent is recycled. A significant portion of this waste consists of single-use packaging associated with FMCG鈥攁 category dominated by Unilever. While Unilever has launched recycling initiatives, these programs remain limited in scale and effectiveness. In a nation with inadequate waste management infrastructure, much of this plastic packaging associated with Unilever鈥檚 products ends up in landfills, waterways, and drainage systems, worsening environmental pollution and public health risks.
Unilever鈥檚 sustainability narrative has not gone unchallenged. In 2021, the UK鈥檚 Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into the environmental claims of several multinational corporations, including Unilever, questioning whether their marketing practices were misleading consumers about the true environmental impact of their products. Critics argue that while Unilever emphasises ambitious global targets, these often obscure the local realities of its operations, where the environmental and social costs of sustainability efforts fall disproportionately on marginalised communities. These concerns highlight a broader doubt about corporate transparency in sustainability efforts.
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Coca-Cola: a plastic paradox
THE greenwashing is even more pronounced in the case of Coca-Cola, the world鈥檚 largest beverage company. Coca-Cola has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and reduce absolute GHG emissions by 25 per cent by 2030. It has also committed to using 100 per cent renewable electricity and incorporating at least 50 per cent recycled content in its packaging by 2030. While Coca-Cola鈥檚 commitment to sustainability is grand, on-the-ground realities paint a starkly different picture.
In Bangladesh, where single-use plastics are a growing environmental crisis due to inadequate waste collection and recycling infrastructure, Coca-Cola鈥檚 high volume of single-use plastic bottles exacerbates the problem. According to the Environment and Social Development Organisation鈥檚 Brand Audit 2022, Coca-Cola has been the leading contributor to single-use plastic pollution in Bangladesh for the fifth consecutive year, accounting for 20.78 per cent of the total plastic waste collected during the audit. This overwhelming waste clogs drainage systems exacerbate flooding during monsoons, pollute rivers and canals, and wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems, creating severe environmental and public health challenges.
In response to mounting criticism, Coca-Cola has piloted recycling projects in Bangladesh, partnering with SR Asia and Cordaid Bangladesh to collect and recycle PET bottles in collaboration with Dhaka South and North City Corporations. However, these efforts only address a fraction of the plastic waste Coca-Cola generates annually. Furthermore, the focus on recycling shifts responsibility from the producer to the consumer, perpetuating what researchers call the 鈥榩lastic paradox.鈥� And a more alarming fact: in December 2024, Coca-Cola dropped its reuse targets and reduced its plastic recycling goals, further undermining its global sustainability commitments. So, the question remains: how can a company whose business model is predicated on high-volume plastic consumption genuinely contribute to a sustainable future, especially in countries with limited waste management capacity?
Coca-Cola鈥檚 global credibility has also been challenged. In 2021, a lawsuit filed in Washington DC accused the company of misleading consumers about the recyclability of its plastic bottles, exposing inconsistencies between its sustainability claims and actual practices. These allegations have widened the credibility gap and highlighted the systemic challenges of aligning high-consumption business models with true sustainability. The plastic paradox 鈥� the tension between high-consumption models and sustainability goals鈥攔emains unresolved.
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Environmental colonialism
ONE of the most troubling aspects of corporate climate action is the outsourcing of environmental costs to developing nations. As companies in the Global North race to achieve net-zero emissions, the environmental and economic burdens of these goals are often passed down to the Global South. This dynamic incarnates modern environmental colonialism, where wealthy nations and corporations exploit the resources of poorer countries and reap the benefits of a 鈥榞reen鈥� image while leaving them to bear the brunt of environmental degradation.
For Bangladesh, this reality is already unfolding. Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, Bangladesh faces devastating climate impacts, compounded by the inequities embedded in corporate sustainability practices. Achieving its ambitious climate goals under the Paris Agreement requires substantial financial and technical support, which domestic resources alone cannot provide. If multinational corporations truly seek to support Bangladesh鈥檚 climate resilience, they must move beyond superficial commitments. Long-term partnerships rooted in local knowledge and capacity building are essential to ensure that corporate initiatives lead to meaningful change rather than perpetuating existing inequalities.
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Solution or illusion?
THE climate crisis demands transformative corporate action, not superficial pledges or public relations exercises. Multinational corporations have the power to drive meaningful change, but only if they confront the systemic injustices embedded in their supply chains and business models. Addressing the climate crisis is not just about reducing emissions or recycling a few bottles 鈥� it requires dismantling the structures that allow wealthy nations and corporations to benefit at the expense of vulnerable communities in the Global South.
Corporate climate action must be held to account for its full spectrum of environmental and social impacts. Transparency, accountability, and equitable partnerships are non-negotiable. Anything less is not just inadequate 鈥� it is a betrayal of the very principles of sustainability and justice.
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Md Zahurul Al Mamun is a climate change researcher and analyst.