If you were alive in the roaring 1980s or the swinging 1990s, you might remember the Cola Wars.  For all those hyper-cyber 8 year olds out there, let Grannie explain.  The Cola Wars were a witty play on words off the Cold War – because the threat of nuclear war was hilarious!  But nothing was more serious in 1975, when Pepsi lobbed the first bomb by offering unsuspecting consumers “The Pepsi Challenge.”  Soon cola drinkers everywhere were subjected to ubiquitous beverage stands where they were blindly forced to taste test Pepsi versus Coke.  Green girl Suzanne F. remembers standing in front of a tester as just a wee girl, daring to make her choice.  She can’t drink soda to this day. 

The scare tactics worked – and Pepsi took the lead.  And so Coke responded in the language of America: sentimental advertising!  Mean Joe Greene entered our living rooms. And Coke once again reigned supreme. 
 
Then Coke upped the stakes by introducing “New Coke” – which Coke devised from a secret plan called “Project Kansas” to make Coke sweeter.  (No, I’m not kidding.)  This resulted in total mayhem.  Soda enthusiast Tom H. tells me from his Coke bunker, “I remember back in the 80's when Coke changed their taste to be more like Pepsi.  People were freaking out - seriously.  There were runs to the stores with everyone buying up what was left of "old" Coke.  I can’t pick up a can of soda to this day without hearing their screams…”  Coke conceded defeat on that infamous day, July 11, 1985, when they announced old Coke would be restored.  And Pepsi responded with Michael Jackson, dancing with children!  

---

---

So has the madness of the Cola Wars concluded?  Heck to the no!  Because now they’ve gone green!  Well, sorta. We recently put Coke and Pepsi to the test (along with 21 other brands), and the results are in.  Now, one would think that the biggest soft drinks on the planet – served in fast food restaurants around the world – would have a gigantic carbon footprint (LOL).  And they do. And we know they're not so healthy for us (some even want to tax the sweet stuff). But turns out they're more similar than different. Both Coke and Pepsi only rate one leaf out of our four. (Four is the greenest.)

Neither company can be considered green, since their manufacturing processes make them significant water polluters.  They also contribute heavily to local water table depletion.  BUT they are making strides to change. How much?  Check out our ratings to see how the beverage giants green up:

Sustainability Report:
Coke: 4 leaves
Pepsi: 3 leaves

It takes 2.47 liters of water to make one liter of Coca-Cola.  How does Pepsi size up?  They don’t release this detail about their production, therefore denying us their environmental impact of production.  So Coke comes out on top.

Green Building Design Initiatives:
Coke: 1.5 leaves
Pepsi: 2.5 leaves

In their buildings, Pepsi offers 100% of all its electricity consumption.  They are also one of the largest buyers of renewable energy credits and have LEED certified offices.  Coke does incorporate some elements of green design, but Pepsi rates higher.

Transportation Efficiency
Coke: 1.5 leaves
Pepsi: 0.5 leaves

Coke wins here because of the number of hybrids it has added to its transportation fleet.  Pepsi is beginning to analyze its transportation impact.  However, they both get low marks because smaller companies have incorporated much better eco-efficiencies in their fleets.  (See Honest Tea.)

Greenest Packaging
Coke: 2.5 leaves
Pepsi: 2 leaves

Both Coke and Pepsi are making strides in this area, and we applaud that.  Coke does well in light-weighting, and both its cans and bottles contain significant amounts of recycled inputs.  Pepsi has the highest overall average recycled content in its PET bottles.

Production Efficiency
Coke: 1 leaf
Pepsi: 0.5 leaves

Neither Coke nor Pepsi use natural ingredients, and they both get their ingredients overseas.  But Coke does use a water-cleaning process in most of their products.

So who wins in the end?  Coke edges out Pepsi as a greener major beverage brand.  But Pepsi is also making strides in its energy portfolio and green buildings.  So keep this in mind next time someone asks you to take the Pepsi Challenge.  And if they offer it to you in non-recyclable plastic cups, be sure to call us!