Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing problems of the 21st Century with plastic waste becoming near ubiquitous. It is estimated that just in 2016, the world produced over 320 million tons of plastic, and this number is set to double by 2034.
塑料污染已经成为21世纪最紧迫的问题之一，而且塑料垃圾几乎无处不在。据估计，仅在2016年，全球塑料产量就超过3.2亿吨，而且到2034年，这一数字将翻倍。
Plastic waste even makes its way into our oceans with 8 million pieces of plastic pollution per day polluting our waters and destroying the habitat for hundreds of species. It is now believed that there may be around 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean weighing in total up to 269,000 tonnes.
塑料垃圾甚至还流进了大海中，而且每天有800万件塑料垃圾污染着我们的水域，还破坏了数百个物种的栖息地。人们认为，如今海洋中大约有5.25万亿件塑料垃圾，总重量达26.9万吨。
It's been crystal clear for a long time that the situation is dire and something needs to be done, and fast. Luckily, Coca-Cola stepped up to the challenge and came up with one innovative and rather effective solution. The firm is replacing its plastic wrapping in Europe with a new paper board technology.
长期以来，形势一直非常严峻，需要尽快采取行动。幸运的是，可口可乐公司接受了挑战，并想出了一个新颖且有效的解决方案。该公司正使用一种新的纸板技术替代其在欧洲使用的塑料包装。
This new tech is called the KeelClip and it is a first for the non-alcohol ready-to-drink (NARTD) industry. The innovative solution is a result of the joint initiative between Coca‑Cola and its strategic bottling partners Coca‑Cola HBC and Coca‑Cola European Partners.
这项新技术被称为KeelClip，它是非酒精即饮行业的首次尝试。这一新颖的解决方案是可口可乐公司和其战略装瓶伙伴可口可乐HBC公司以及可口可乐欧洲合作伙伴共同努力的结果。
Using KeelClips, Coca-Cola aims to remove all plastic wrap from its can multipacks in all European Union markets by the end of 2021. The firm is optimistic that the move will save 2,000 tons of plastic and 3,000 tons of CO2 annually.
可口可乐公司计划在2021年年末之前，用KeelClip替换所有欧盟市场上综合装产品的塑料包装。该公司相信，此举每年将节省3000吨塑料，减少2000吨二氧化碳的排放。
“Innovation is a key principle of our sustainable packaging work and the application of this fully recyclable paperboard KeelClip™, which comprises a top board that the cans clip into and a central cardboard ‘keel’ - similar to a ship’s keel - that stabilizes the pack, is another example of how we are delivering on our commitment to remove all unnecessary and hard to recycle single-use plastic from our products," said Joe Franses, Vice President, Sustainability at Coca‑Cola European Partners.
可口可乐欧洲合作公司可持续发展副总裁乔·弗朗斯表示，“创新是可持续包装工作的关键，也是这种完全可回收纸板KeelClip应用的重要原则。易拉罐可以插到这种包装的盖板上，而中央纸板‘Keel’就像一艘船的龙骨，可以使整个包装更稳固。这是我们践行承诺，使我们的产品摆脱所有不必要且难以回收的一次性塑料的另一个例证。”
We are loving this eco-friendly initiative and we're hoping that it won't be too long before other companies adopt a similarly conscious approach to tackling plastic pollution.
我们很喜欢这项环保方案，而且我们希望再过不久其他公司也能采取同样自觉的方式来解决塑料污染问题。