Coca-Cola

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Coca-Cola says it won't ditch single-use plastic bottles because consumers still want them, the firm's head of sustainability has told the BBC.

Customers like them because they reseal and are lightweight, said Bea Perez.

The firm, which is one of the biggest producers of plastic waste, has pledged to recycle as many plastic bottles as it uses by 2030.

But environmental campaigners argue many Coke bottles would still go uncollected and end up in landfill.

Would you be bothered if you could no longer buy fizzy drinks in plastic bottles? Or are you taking other steps to cut down on your plastic waste? Get in touch: bizlivepage@bbc.co.uk

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Costa Coffee has appointed former M&S clothing boss Jill McDonald as its new chief executive.

The cafe business, which was snapped up by Coca-Cola for £3.9bn last year, said she will replace current chief Dominic Paul at the end of this month.

The soft drink giant hailed Mr Paul for leading the chain, which has more than 2,400 UK coffee shops, through a "strong growth phase" following the takeover.

Ms McDonald said: "I have long been a fan of Costa."

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Sales of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, double-digit growth in sales of mini-cans and the launch of Coca-Cola Plus Coffee has helped Coca-Cola report quarterly results that were better than expected.

Net operating revenue rose 8% to $9.5bn in the three months to 27 September.

It now expects full-year organic revenue growth excluding currency fluctuations, acquisitions and divestitures to be at least 5%, from its previous forecast of 5% growth.

"Our performance gives us confidence that our strategies are taking hold with our consumers, customers and system," said James Quincey, chairman and chief executive.

"We are positioning the company to create a better shared future for all of our stakeholders by delivering on our vision and growing sustainably."

Julian Hunt, vice president of sustainability and corporate affairs at Coca-Cola European Partners which manufacturers and bottles the company's products in Western Europe, also spoke to Radio 5 Live's Wake Up to Money about Brexit.

All the products are made in six factories Britain and so it "probably less exposed than others" to Brexit. But there are issues around packaging and some of the ingredients.

But he said: "We just want to have clarity on what is going to happen on 31st October".

"We're concerned about the uncertainty about what's going to happen on 31 October or thereafter"

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Coca-Cola is to replace the plastic shrink wrap on its multi-can packs with cardboard. The company - which also makes Sprite; Schweppes; Oasis and Fanta - uses more than 40,000 tonnes of plastic a year in the UK.

Julian Hunt, vice president of sustainability and corporate affairs at Coca-Cola European Partners which manufacturers and bottles the company's products in Western Europe told Radio 5 Live's Wake Up To Money that it was the latest attempt by the company to "make sure the packaging we put on the market is as sustainable as possible".

Of the 40,000 tonnes used, some 10,000 is used from recycled materials such as bottles already used at home. By the end of March the aim is to double that.

Why use bottles at all? "Can are the most popular packaging format", he says.

Plastic bottles are important. "If you're on the way home and you want a drink, what do you want to put in your bag? Is it something that's light weight and resealable or is a heavy glass bottle?".

It comes as Burger King announces it will no longer give away plastic toys with children's meals, amid pressure to reduce plastic waste.

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Coca-Cola can go ahead and produce an energy version of its famous soft drink after winning an arbitration claim against Monster Beverage.

Monster had attempted to stop the launch of Coca-Cola Energy last year.

Coca-Cola is the distributor of Monster and a shareholder in the company. Monster accused Coca-Cola of violating a non-compete agreement struck in 2015.

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The European Commission has cleared the sale of the Costa Coffee chain to US drinks maker Coca-Cola from British restaurant and hotel owner Whitbread.

"The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns because the companies do not sell the same products and the links between their activities are limited," the EU executive said in a statement.

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The Coca-Cola Company has purchased an Australian kombucha maker, further expanding its offerings beyond soda.

The company did not say how much it paid for Organic & Raw Trading Co., which makes the MOJO brand of kombucha, which is fermented, slightly alcoholic tea.

In its announcement, Coca-Cola said kombucha is the fastest growing beverage category in Australia.

For those of you wondering, some people believe kombucha is probiotic and therefore good for health - but there have not been enough scientific studies done to determine whether that is true or not.