VIP Class Notes (Li)[R]

Reading

https://www.shine.cn/news/world/1910244432/

Tens of thousands of pieces of plastic littering the planet come from just a handful of multinational corporations, an environmental pressure group said on Wednesday.

Coca-Cola, Nestle and PepsiCo were named by Break Free from Plastics, a global coalition of individuals and environmental organizations, who warned the companies largely avoid cleanup responsibility.

The coalition’s volunteers collected nearly half a million pieces of plastic waste during a coordinated “World Clean Up Day” in 51 countries a month ago, of which 43 percent were marked with a clear consumer brand.

For the second year in a row, it said, Coca-Cola came out on top, with 11,732 pieces of plastic collected from 37 countries and regions across four continents — more than the next three top global polluters combined.

“Many of them have made commitments that they claim will make their products more sustainable, but largely protect the outdated throwaway business model that got us into this mess in the first place,” said the report, released in Manila.

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle were responsible for most pieces of plastic collected.

Vocabulary

litter: to throw rubbish on the ground

eg. Do not litter!

eg. Some countries will fine you if you litter.

multi-national corporations: large international companies eg. Coca-cola, Google, Apple

coalition: two or more groups or political parties that join together for a specific purpose in a set amount of time

eg. The coalition decided to change the current recycling programme.

continent: large pieces of land in the world eg. Asia, Antarctica, South, North America

sustainable: to do/cause little to no harm to the environment

eg. Many countries are proposing sustainable programmes to help improve environmental conditions.

throwaway: something that can be disposed of after use

eg. You should bring a pair of throwaway shoes to go camping with us next week.

pollution: harmful chemicals or products that causes damage to the environment

eg. Nowadays there is a lot of pollution because companies are trying to make money by damaging the environemnt in the process.

perpetuate: to cause something to continue

eg. It has been reported that these companies are responsible for perpetuating the environmental crisis.

aggressive: behaving in an angry or violent way towards another person

eg. The aggressive man tried to punch the waiter because his food didn’t arrive.

deem: to think of something in a particular way

eg. The building was deemed unsafe after the fire.

sachets: a small packet that contains a small amount of tea bag, sugar etc.

eg. A box of hot chocolate powder has 20 sachets.