Coca-cola invest over $3 million, targets 100% collection, recycling by 2030

As part of its efforts to promote environmental sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria said it has invested over $3 million in building recycling infrastructure, working with various social ventures and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to educate Nigerians to ensure they possess the knowledge of how and where to recycle.

The projects, which the company said spanned 3 years in its collection and partnership pillars, include Mission Zero Plastic by AREAi, Cash 4 Trash by W.A.S.T.E Africa, Project Revive by RecyclePoints, Project DORI by RecyclePoints Foundation and RESWAYE by MEDIC.

Others are the Plastics 2 Resources by Global Shapers, Waste in the City by SWEEP Foundation, Waste to Wealth by Do Good Africa, Waste to Strap by PSSI, CleanUp Naija and RecyclesPay by African Cleanup Initiative.

Speaking on the company’s community programmes and its vision for a World Without Waste, Managing Director and Vice President, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Alfred Olajide, reiterated the company’s commitment to a waste-free world.

Alfred said “We want to make recycling more accessible (to people and communities) to achieve 100 percent collection and recycling by 2030”.

“Our goal is to help collect and recycle a bottle or can for everyone we sell globally. To achieve this, we will continue to make our packaging 100 percent recyclable and work with varied stakeholders to ensure the bottles are collected and recycled”.

On the socioeconomic impact of its World Without Waste initiative, he expressed optimism “that this initiative will continue to help communities identify and better understand how and where to recycle, further empowering women and youths who will be able to earn a living through recycling”.

“It will also help improve the existing collection and recycling systems. A litter-free world is possible and we at The Coca-Cola Company are leading the way”.

Providing insight on the company’s sustainability journey, the Director of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, explained that a “A greener environment remains a priority for us at Coca-Cola as seen via the numerous initiatives launched and supported by the company. We aim to fundamentally change how we design, collect, and partner with others to help recycle packaging across our entire system”.

“We believe that every package has value and life beyond its initial use and should be collected and recycled into either a new package or for another beneficial use. While the company and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company, will not own collection infrastructure in most cases, Coca-Cola continues to support locally tailored collection and recycling programs.

It is unacceptable that packages end up in the wrong place, in our oceans and waterways or littering the communities where we work and live. We have a responsibility to help ensure our impact is a positive one and our actions inspire others to help generate solutions that leave our world better for generations to come”.

She explained further saying, “This is why we led and formed an industry coalition known as the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) which has grown from a consortium of four founding members to a membership of 21 food and and beverage organizations championing the recovery and recycling of food and packaging waste. So far, FBRA has supported over 10 collectors, enabling the recovery and recycling of over 18,000 tons of plastic materials from the environment.