Coca-Cola (KO) has agreed to change the messages on its bottles sold in Europe after running into a legal complaint. The Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) filed a complaint against Coca-Cola, alongside other beverage companies, for including certain recycling messages on their bottles.
In Coke’s case, the CPC took issue with the company’s claim that its bottles were made from “100% recycled plastic” and messages encouraging consumers to recycle the product “again.” The issues here are the caps and labels not being made of recycled material, as well as the “again” phrase implying there’s a closed recycling loop.
To avoid any legal troubles, Coca-Cola has voluntarily agreed to update the text on its bottles. The new messages will read “This bottle, excluding label and cap, is made from 100% recycled plastic” and “Recycle me.” European environmental watchdogs said they will keep a close eye on Coca-Cola to ensure it follows through with this promise.
A Bump in the Road for KO Stock
Coca-Cola stock is unlikely to be affected by complaints about its recycling messages, and analysts aren’t likely to update their coverage over a simple mistake. The latest coverage of KO stock has been positive as it has remained a strong growth stock in 2025, despite economic uncertainty.
KO stock gained 0.84% on Wednesday, building on its 17.02% rally year-to-date. Investors will note that Coca-Cola has outperformed the major indices so far this year. If it can maintain its current momentum, KO stock will likely close out 2025 above market expectations.
Is KO Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, the analysts’ consensus rating for Coca-Cola is Strong Buy, based on 17 Buy and one Hold ratings over the last three months. With that comes an average KO stock price target of $79.38, representing a potential 9.78% upside for the shares.
