Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Kenya has today announced a US$2 million investment in upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant at its Equator Bottlers Ltd plant in Kisumu after the company adopted an international environmental management system standard known as ISO 14001.

The upgrade, including civil works, related equipment and accessories, will treat water from the manufacturing process to consistently meet company specifications and water quality requirements, while recovering more portable water and allowing sludge to be disposed of in solid form.

The investment follows a detailed concept and feasibility study which was conducted in 2021, benchmarking the Kisumu plant against global best practice water and waste treatment plants.

“CCBA, together with The Coca-Cola Company, are leaders in using water responsibly in our operations and giving it back. We continue to manage water resources through projects that reduce water use in our operations, protect local water resources and provide safe, clean drinking water to communities in need,” said Xavier Selga, managing director CCBA Kenya.

“As part of the world’s leading beverage company, we have a responsibility to use water as respectfully and efficiently as possible. We’re continuously looking for new ways to reduce water use in our operations, while treating our wastewater to the highest standards.

“Across all our facilities, we conduct thorough assessments of local water resources and put water protection plans in place so our presence doesn’t harm communities’ vital water resources,” said John Mwendwa, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability director, CCBA Kenya.

CCBA has adopted the ISO 14001 environmental management system at all its plants across Kenya in line with its commitment to conduct all its business activities responsibly, with due regard to environmental impact and environmental sustainability.

“Minimising our environmental impact across the whole value chain is a core target for us, and in partnership with the Water Resource Authority and the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), we are working to achieve this,” Susan Maingi, Country Lead, Regulatory and Stakeholder Engagement added.

Water for use at the Equator Bottlers Ltd plant is sourced from Lake Victoria and undergoes a series of primary and secondary treatments to achieve the potable water quality standard required for industrial use and human consumption. Water from the manufacturing process is treated through the wastewater treatment plant before being discharged.

CCBA acquired Equator Bottlers Limited in 2017 and has made extensive efforts to maintain and improve its performance.

CCBA has developed a robust sampling and testing plan for wastewater for quality assurance and to enable timely interventions for continuous improvement.

The Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company, Water Resource Authority and NEMA regularly monitor the quality of this effluent through sampling, testing and surveillance visits.

“At CCBA, we are a proud industry leader in developing increasingly sustainable ways to manufacture, distribute and sell our products,” said Selga.

“We use our industry leadership to be part of the solution to achieve positive change in the world and to build a more sustainable future for our planet.”