Matadi, 26 September 2025 – On World Environment Day, Greenpeace Africa volunteers in Matadi staged a symbolic and striking performance to denounce the destructive grip of plastic pollution and call out corporations fueling the crisis. At the centre of their action: Coca-Cola, named the world’s number one plastic polluter for the sixth consecutive year.
At the heart of the performance, a volunteer raised the globe – a symbol of humanity’s collective duty to protect the planet. Facing him, two camps opposed each other: activists in white carried banners demanding an end to plastic pollution, while others, covered in plastic bottles and disguised as monsters, embodied the devastating impact of single-use plastics. In a powerful finale, the crowd came together to shout “NO!”, reclaiming the globe and demanding urgent and lasting solutions.
“Plastic pollution is choking our rivers, suffocating our communities, and threatening biodiversity. In the DRC as elsewhere, companies like Coca-Cola continue to flood the world with single-use plastic,” said Jersey Mpanzu, Greenpeace Africa Volunteer Coordinator in the DRC.
“The message from Matadi is clear: communities will no longer serve as dumping grounds for multinationals. We call on the Congolese government to urgently ban single-use plastics and stand with its people, not with polluters,” he added.
Greenpeace Africa and its volunteers are calling for:
- Coca-Cola and other corporations to end the production of single-use plastics and invest in reuse systems and sustainable alternatives.
- The Congolese government to urgently adopt and enforce strong legislation banning single-use plastics, protecting communities, and making polluters – not citizens – pay the price of this crisis.
The action concluded with a collective call to action, chanted and displayed on banners:
#ProtectTheEarth #StopPlastics #ActForTomorrow #PlanetNotPlastic
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Contact:
Raphael Mavambu, Communication and Media, [email protected], +243810679437
