Dr Pepper

How ethical is Dr Pepper?

Dr Pepper is a soft drinks brand which has a below-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Soft Drinks Ratings Table. Although Dr Pepper has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

We would have extra confidence in Dr Pepper if it applied for Ethical Accreditation, whereby The Good Shopping Guide would make further detailed assessment and recommendations for ethical improvement. Find out more about the ethical issues facing the Soft Drinks sector.

What does Dr Pepper do?

Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper is now owned by The Coca-Cola Company.

In which areas does Dr Pepper perform poorly?

Dr Pepper receives a bottom rating for its lack of Organic or Fair Trade certification. It also scores poorly for Animal Welfare due to evidence of poor animal welfare standards at farms which supply Coca-Cola owned brands. It gets a bottom score for GM, as Coca-Cola’s website does not rule out the use of GMOs across all of its brands.

Coca-Cola Company donated over $4.5m in recent election cycles so Dr Pepper gets a bottom rating for Political Donations. Find out more about how we rate by exploring our ethical criteria.

Past Criticisms of Dr Pepper’s record

Dr Pepper’s parent company, Coca-Cola, has faced multiple criticisms relating to poor wages and living and working conditions, unfair price increases and price fixing, and its CEO came in at number 13 in As You Sow’s report on ‘The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs’.

 

In which areas does Dr Pepper score well for its ethics?

Dr Pepper scores well for its Environmental Report as parent company Coca-Cola Co. has a 2022 Business & Sustainability Report which contains numerous targets.

We found no criticisms relating to; Nuclear, Fossil Fuels or Armaments,  therefore Dr Pepper scores well across these criteria. Find out more about how we rate.

How can Dr Pepper improve its ethical rating?

The below-benchmark score that Dr Pepper is awarded with on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Soft Drinks Ratings Table is the result of an evaluation of multiple ethical criteria.

To reach our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Dr Pepper has some issues to resolve, including its poor animal welfare record. If it applies for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide will be able to give Dr Pepper some guidance to improve on these areas.

Were you aware that your brand could benefit from Ethical Accreditation? Brands accredited by The Good Shopping Guide can display our Ethical Mark, showcasing to consumers that it is an ethical and sustainable brand. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us or complete a Free Initial Assessment form.