Coca Cola is on the Palestine Boycott List: Try These Ethical & Sustainable Soda Alternatives Instead
In November 2024, Coca-Cola was added to the BDS list of brands to boycott to stand in solidarity with Palestine.
The BDS movement was created in 2005 by 170 Palestinian unions, refugee networks, women’s organisations, professional associations, popular resistance committees and other Palestinian civil society bodies. It’s designed as a form of strategic, non-violent pressure on Israel through targeted economic consumer boycotts and pressure campaigns.
Why boycott Coca-Cola for Palestine?
Coca-Cola was added to the boycott list because it’s implicated in Israeli war crimes. Research from WhoProfits found that the exclusive franchisee of the Coca-Cola Company in Israel, Central Beverage Company, (aka Coca-Cola Israel), “operates a regional distribution center and cooling houses in the [Israeli] Atarot Settlement Industrial Zone.” Plus, its subsidiary, Tabor Winery, “produces wines from grapes sourced from vineyards located on occupied land in settlements in the West Bank and Syrian Golan.”
The International Court of Justice affirmed in July 2024 that Israel’s entire occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is illegal, as are all Israeli settlements built on occupied land. As Israeli settlements – on occupied Palestinian and Syrian land – are considered war crimes under international law, Coke is complicit in a war crime.
Corporations that are implicated in the commission of international crimes connected to Israel’s unlawful occupation, racial segregation and apartheid regime – within or beyond the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 – are all complicit and must be held accountable. Direct complicity includes military, logistical, intelligence, financial and infrastructure support. The corporations, as well as their boards of directors and executives, may face criminal liability for this complicity.
The BDS movement has always considered Coca-Cola boycottable, and many activists have campaigned against the corporation for decades for its complicity in human rights violations. The company wasn’t previously prioritised due to the BDS approach of strategic target-selection, but this is no longer the case.
During Israel’s ongoing, livestreamed genocide, Israeli soldiers have often been pictured with Coke cans, donated to them by various genocide-enabling groups. This has provoked even more anger against the company, particularly given that Israel is starving 2.3 million Palestinians in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip, severely limiting their access to clean water and, as a result, inducing the mass spread of contagious diseases.
Given this context, Palestinian activists in Gaza and many BDS activists in the Arab world, in many Muslim-majority countries, and in some European countries as well, have called on the BDS movement to add Coke to its priority targets.
The BDS movement successfully targeted General Mills in their boycott for Palestine, due to GM’s manufacturing in the Atarot Settlement Industrial Zone. This is the same area where the Coke facility operates, and the boycott successfully ended GM’s business in Atarot. With alternatives growing around the globe, they know the campaign is winnable, and so have now endorsed the grassroots, organic #BoycottCoke campaigns to pressure the company to end its complicity in Israel’s illegal occupation, apartheid and genocide.
Ethical & sustainable Coca-Cola alternatives
Luckily there are a range of ethical and sustainable sodas that make perfect alternatives to Coca-Cola, with their share of the market growing every day. Here are some of my favourites.
Gaza Cola
Gaza cola is a product of Palestine House, London, known as a guilt-free, genocide-free alternative to Coca-Cola. It tastes delicious and reinvests in Palestinian communities, with all profits going to rebuilding hospitals in Gaza.
Palestine Cola
Palestine Cola is made with transparent, natural ingredients. It’s gluten-free, halal, and vegan-friendly, with no artificial additives. 100% of profits are donated to humanitarian efforts in Palestine.
Karma Cola
Karma Cola is fairtrade, non-GMO, vegan-friendly and Soil Association certified organic. Part of the proceeds from each bottle go to grower families in Sierra Leone, where the Karma Foundation works hand in hand with the community.
OLIPOP
OLIPOP is a certified B-Corp, donating 1% of every purchase to a charity of your choice. As well as the cola flavour, it uses plant fibre, prebiotics, and botanicals for added digestive health support.
Salaam Cola
Salaam Cola combine ethical sourcing with exceptional taste. It was born as a protest against injustices in the Muslim world, particularly Palestine, pledging 10% of profits to support those affected by conflict. The name “Salaam,” means peace in Arabic. They aim not just to be a drinks company, but a staunch supporter of peace and solidarity for people worldwide.
Green Cola
Made with natural, green coffee beans, Green Cola has no sugar, aspartame, phosphoric acid, or preservatives, and is naturally sweetened with Stevia.
Gusto Cola
Gusto Cola is organic, fairtrade, vegan-friendly and Soil Association certified, produced in the UK. Their drinks are sweetened with blue agave instead of refined sugar, and their fairtrade agave project pays local farmers more than twice the local rate and supports communities, promoting workers’ rights, gender equality and respect for Indigenous peoples.
Fentimans
Made in North East England, Fentiman’s cola is made with herbal infusions and botanical brewing. They’re vegan, gluten-free and additive-free.
Jolly’s
Made in Cornwall with Cornish spring water, and packaged in 100% recyclable packaging. They source ingredients as locally and sustainably as possible and manufacture everything in-house.
Make your own Coca-Cola!
And if you want to try your hand at making your own Coca-Cola alternative, you can check out Cube Cola’s open-source recipe here