Maputo – Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Mozambique employees rolled up their sleeves on Saturday (September 17) to collect plastic waste at Costa do Sol as part of International Coastal Cleanup Day.
The event forms part of a week-long campaign in which CCBA Mozambique is hosting several activities to educate employees about the impact that plastic pollution has on the ocean environment.
Every year, on the third Saturday of September, volunteers around the world take part in the world’s biggest coastal clean-up, International Coastal Cleanup Day.
Mozambican environmental activist and lawyer, Carlos Serra, addressed CCBA employees about environmental best practices, saying: “Everyone has a role to play in driving awareness around the importance of protecting our vital environmental ecosystems.”
About 40 staff members volunteered to join the Costa do Sol clean up, in support of The Coca-Cola Company’s World Without Waste vision to collect and recycle a bottle or can — regardless of where it comes from — for every one it sells by 2030.
“We are bringing people together through programmes like beach and river cleanups and other ongoing local activities. To encourage more people to recycle more often, we’re investing to help people understand what to recycle, how to recycle, and where to recycle. We also plan to work with local communities, NGOs, our competitors, and our critics to highlight this critical issue,” said CCBA Southern Region Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Director, Neyde Pires.
To achieve a World Without Waste, CCBA is focusing on:
- Using materials that are recyclable.
- Creating and supporting waste collection and recycling systems across its footprint where they didn’t exist previously.
- Improving collection and recycling rates where systems do exist.
- Educating people about the importance of recycling and material reuse.
- Bringing the cost down and availability up for recycled materials.
“We’re working toward these solutions to create a circular economy that benefits society and works for our business. We’ve set ambitious goals for our business, to take responsibility for our packaging across its lifecycle and reduce ocean pollution,” said Pires.
