Coca-Cola Philippines today shared with stakeholders and media the four-year progress of its World Without Waste goals—the company’s global sustainable packaging initiative to support a circular economy to eliminate waste through the continual use of packaging as a valuable resource. The company’s progress highlighted in the announcement includes:
● 100% operational status of the country’s
first-of-its-kind recycling facility PETValue Philippines;
● Move to transition select Coca-Cola Original
Taste and Wilkins Pure packaging to 100% recycled PET plastic (rPET) packaging
(excluding caps and labels);
● The impact of partnerships driving collective
action toward a circular economy for plastic, including supporting the set-up
of over 800 collection points for used PET plastic bottles nationwide.
“At
Coca-Cola, we continue to be guided by our purpose of refreshing the world and
making a difference through loved brands that are produced sustainably, for a
better shared future,” said Tony del Rosario, President of Coca-Cola
Philippines and Vice President for the East Franchise Operations of Coca-Cola
ASEAN and South Pacific. “It has been four years since starting our World
Without Waste journey, and we understand more than ever the importance of
partnership and collective action. Together, we are making good progress in
accelerating the transition to a circular economy for our packaging in the
Philippines, with much more still to do.”
Senator Cynthia
Villar, Chairperson of the Senate Committee for Environment and Natural
Resources and keynote speaker in this year’s event shared her thoughts on the
beverage company’s mission to contribute to the circular economy. “It has been
three years since Coca-Cola put forward its commitment to build its own PET
bottle facility, and I am pleased that it has now become a reality. Its opening
could not have come at a better time, as the Extended Producer Responsibility
(EPR) Act of 2022 or Republic Act No. 11898, has lapsed into law. The
legislation is not in itself the solution to eliminate all our plastic wastes,
but it is certainly a big step forward towards the right direction,” Villar
shared.
“The EPR Law
places responsibility for products squarely on the shoulders of the
manufacturer from cradle to grave. Hence, I have to laud your company for not
only looking at collection compliance but also developing ways in which your
very packaging incorporates recycled material and uses less virgin plastic,”
she further added.
Pioneering recycling facility in
PH now 100% fully operational
PETValue
Philippines—a world-class bottle-to-bottle recycling facility that makes use of
advanced recycling technologies—is now 100% operational in General Trias,
Cavite. PETValue has a projected capacity of processing approximately 2 billion
pieces of used clear PET plastic bottles—thus situating itself as a major
contributor to a circular economy in the country, and in creating more direct
and indirect job opportunities for Filipinos.
Clear
plastic bottles—regardless of brand—that are collected from partners and
collection points will be recycled at PETValue Philippines. The locally
produced recycled PET resin straight from the facility will be used for
Coca-Cola brands in recycled PET plastic packaging—thus creating a circular
economy for the company’s packaging in the Philippines.
The
facility is the result of a groundbreaking partnership between Coca-Cola
Beverages Philippines, Inc.—the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country–and
Indorama Ventures, a global leader in packaging solutions and green technology.
“We
are extremely proud of PETValue Philippines and our partnership with Indorama
Ventures, whose global expertise in recycling technologies will prove to be an
asset to the Philippines’ collective goals for sustainability,” said Gareth
McGeown, President and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc.
“Sustainability is at the heart of who we are as a company, as proven by more
than a century of Coca-Cola treating the Philippines as its home. And it is
through innovations like PETValue and strengthened sustainable practices that
we will be here for another 100 years, serving Filipino communities.”
As
the world’s largest producer of recycled resin used in plastic beverage
bottles, PETValue Philippines is Indorama Venture’s latest and most advanced
recycled PET facility, joining a family of recycling plants across Europe, the
Americas, and Asia. Sanjay Ahuja, Executive President of Combined PET, Indorama
Ventures shared, “The linear economy of the past was about ‘make, use,
dispose.’ The circular economy of the future is about ‘make, use, collect, and
recycle.’ A circular economy is a place where we all work together. It is a
future where the government, civic society, and industries deliver sustainable
solutions.”
Ahuja
encouraged the public, “When you enjoy a Coke in a PET bottle and ensure it is
collected and sent to PETValue for recycling, you play an active part in the
sustainable future of the Philippines. The new science and technology that
PETValue will use—to give old bottles new life—is a key part of this journey
into the future.”
Supporting recycling and
collection: Empowering MSMEs and the solid waste management sector
Coca-Cola
Philippines makes use of every opportunity to bring positive change to
individuals and small businesses such as sari-sari stores, waste collectors,
and junk shops, with the belief that much more can be achieved through
partnerships—whether with the private sector, government units, or civil
society.
The
company has also partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to create
TESDA-certified skills training programs that will help develop the
competencies of workers in the waste sector. The National Solid Waste
Management Training Program for a World Without Waste (NSWMTP-WWW), is
currently being piloted by TESDA in the municipal government of Angono, Rizal,
which has committed the full participation of all its 10 barangays.
Department
of Natural Resources Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga has commended this
effort. “The public private partnership that Coca-Cola
Philippines has with TESDA is extremely important in creating an ecosystem to
support our work. The NSWMTP-WWW is an initiative that we at the DENR would like to
closely partner with the company on,” she said. “I understand that discussions
are currently in place to scale up on national implementation, and we hope to
be a part of that, at the grassroots community level as well,” she added.
The
company’s program with Plastic Bank has enabled the collection and recycling of
almost 13.7 million PET plastic bottles—an undertaking that has simultaneously
benefited the lives of informal waste collectors in Cavite. They were given
access to training, tools, and equipment for efficient waste collection and a
source of livelihood and were connected to Materials Recovery Facilities and
junk shops that buy their collections to ensure the sustainability of the
program.
As
of September 2022, Coca-Cola Philippines has also established over 800
collection points for used PET bottles nationwide. These collection points help
promote the segregation and collection of used PET bottles for recycling.
The
company has been working with MSMEs to expand this network of collection
points—through programs like Tapon to Ipon – Basta Klaro, Panalo! and Tindahan
Extra Mile: Balik PET Bottle Program, Coca-Cola partners with traditional trade
outlets such as sari-sari stores and carinderias to become collection hubs,
where community members can drop off used, clear PET plastic bottles and get
incentives in return. In turn, sari-sari store and carinderia partners also
earn additional income from selling collected PET plastic bottles directly to
waste management companies and recyclers. The goal is to activate a total of
2,200 collection hubs across the Philippines.
Promoting sustainable packaging
solutions
Innovation in sustainable packaging remains a
key objective for Coca-Cola, and the company announced that it will transition
key brands Coca-Cola Original Taste and Wilkins Pure to 100% recycled PET
plastic packaging (excluding caps and labels) by 2023. These new packaging
formats will expand the company’s line-up of products in recycled plastic
packaging in the Philippines. In 2019, the company was the first to launch 100%
recycled PET plastic for its Viva! bottles and shifted its Sprite 500ml to 100%
recycled PET plastic. Today, meanwhile, the company continues to utilize
returnable glass bottles for approximately 50% of its products in the
Philippines.
Coca-Cola
also continues to redesign its PET plastic packaging by light weighting
products to reduce the overall impact of its carbon
footprint in the Philippines.
Collaborating and cooperating to
create a circular economy
The
company’s efforts in contributing to a circular economy have demonstrated,
impact can be made through the power of partnership—whether it’s connecting
NGOs and the private sector with communities or empowering them through various
resources and business opportunities.
Alongside
partnerships with the private sector, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, and its
28 partner NGOs, Coca-Cola’s goal of a World Without Waste has spread to 204
barangays, leading to the collection of over 119,000 kilos of waste, and
empowering over 680 waste pickers nationwide.
Five winners of Reimagine Recycling Year 4—a
project of Save Philippine Seas and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines that helps
scale community-based plastic waste solutions—were also announced during the
event, awarding the winners with grants of up to P500,000 each for their
winning programs. Barrio Studios, Sagip Kalikasan, KAKASIE Eco-Park,
#RefillNotLandfill, and Alon and Araw will continue their work this time with
more project funding not just on collection and recycling but also in educating
communities on proper waste segregation and management. Smart Recyclers was
also awarded the Tetra Pak Special Award for helping minimize landfill waste by
bridging together citizens, business organizations, and collection partners.
For
Coca-Cola, bringing together communities and uniting them towards a common
pursuit is a crucial step in its sustainability journey. Cecile Alcantara,
President of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc., shared, “Aligned with the
company’s commitment to providing a better shared future for people,
communities, and the planet, we ensure that we support a circular economy.
There is no single or simple solution to the problem of plastic waste in our
country. We need to come together to drive sustained progress and
impact.”
Coca-Cola
looks forward to partnering with more like-minded organizations and communities
to make its vision of a World Without Waste a reality—supporting the creation
of a circular economy in packaging, where jobs are created and livelihoods are
supported.
“As a global beverage company, we are continuously
innovating our packaging lifecycle and we recognize our role and responsibility
to help tackle the plastic packaging waste issue in the Philippines,”
del Rosario concluded. “We are committed to finding and deploying sustainable,
effective solutions to help address the issue at its very core, with the
support of our partners and communities.”
To
learn more about Coca-Cola Philippines’ World Without Waste roadmap, visit
http://www.coca-cola.com.ph.
