CAIRO — Egypt’s decision to sign an agreement with Coca-Cola, one of the world’s worst polluters, making the US multinational company one of the main sponsors of the UN climate change conference (COP27) to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh in November, has sparked controversy on social media and among environmental activists and organizations. The choice has been widely condemned as paving the way for corporate greenwashing during the summit, and calls have been heaped on Cairo to reverse the move.

Cairo justified the decision by claiming that the private sector has an important role to play in promoting sustainable business models to support global climate goals. Yet the company has been ranked as the world’s top corporate plastic polluter for years and has been blamed for running campaigns to mislead the public on issues such as recycling and for rolling out voluntary initiatives and targets that it systematically fails to meet.

Environmental groups in Egypt have made the fight against plastic pollution one of their main struggles in recent years, as the country is estimated to mismanage over 40% of its waste.

“This climate meeting is called the African COP, yet corporations like Coca-Cola, working hand in hand with big oil, are inundating Africa with plastic,” Angelica Carballo, global media lead for the plastic-free future campaign at Greenpeace, told Al-Monitor. “Ending the corporate addiction to single-use plastic is an important part of moving away from fossil fuels, combating climate change and protecting communities."