Food and beverage packaging is an important part of our modern lives, yet the world has a packaging problem, which Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA), together with The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC), have a responsibility to help solve.
Through the World Without Waste (WWW) initiative, CCBSA and TCCC have committed to investing in the planet and packaging to help make the world’s packaging problem a thing of the past; the issue of packaging waste features high on its list of priorities, and have the following goals in Africa:
- Help collect an equivalent of a bottle for every one we sell by 2030;
- Focus on making all our packaging 100% recyclable by 2025;
- Have 50% recycled content in our packaging by 2030; and
- Make 25% of our packaging reusable by 2030.
“We are a proud industry leader in developing increasingly sustainable ways to manufacture, distribute and sell our products. Together with TCCC, we are working to bring people together to help us collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030, regardless of where it comes from – we want every package to have more than one life”: said Pirtunia Dhlamini, Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Manager at CCBSA in Gauteng.
Dhlamini added: “We are honoured to be part of this national clean-up campaign alongside Brand South Africa and its partners, such as the Royal Young Leopards Movements NPC taking place in Soweto (Mzimhlophe, Meadowlands Zone 11)”.
This initiative is aligned to Brand South Africa’s Play Your Part Programme (PYP), a nationwide initiative created to inspire, empower and celebrate active citizenship in South Africa. It aims to lift the spirit of our nation by inspiring all South Africans to contribute to positive change, become involved and start doing.
She concluded: “In 2022, we have participated in similar campaigns with the City of Joburg and the City of Ekurhuleni municipalities. As part of the WWW and to drive inclusive economic growth, particularly in the communities in which we operate, we also support enterprises such as Phillipi Garden Site women Empowerment (Eldorado Park), Masakanhe Youth Economic Empowerment Forum (Freedom Park), Windsor Community Cleaning Association (Maraisburg, West Rand), and Okuhle waste Management (Joburg).”
Through partnering for the clean-up campaigns, CCBSA also aims to encourage more people to recycle more often – to help people in its Host communities understand what to recycle, how to recycle, and where to recycle. They work with local communities, NGOs, competitors, and critics to highlight this critical issue.
*Update* On December 2, 2024, The Coca-Cola Company announced updated voluntary environmental goals. Read more here: The Coca-Cola Company Evolves Voluntary Environmental Goals
