Johannesburg  — The Coca-Cola Company in Africa and its bottling partners Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company (ECCBC) and Coca-Cola HBC announced a nearly USD 25 million investment to help address critical water-related challenges in local communities in 20 African countries, starting this year through 2030. The work will be led by Global Water Challenge (GWC) and implemented by a consortium of partners, including The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The effort, called ‘The Coca-Cola System’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative’, was introduced in Cape Town, South Africa, in presence of executives from the Coca-Cola system in Africa and NGO partners. During the event, Karyn Harrington, Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company’s Africa Operating Unit indicated “Water is a priority for The Coca-Cola Company and its local bottling partners because it is essential to life, the communities we serve and our beverages. As we face increasing water insecurity worldwide, with demand outstripping supply in many regions such as Africa, Coca-Cola is taking steps to help accelerate efforts to address water stress, protect local water resources, and build community climate resilience. Our 2030 Water Security Strategy focuses on helping enhance water security where we operate, source ingredients, and touch lives.”

“One in three Africans face water insecurity. The Global Water Challenge and ‘The Coca-Cola System’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative’ partner coalition will seek to improve water security for millions across the African continent, helping advance community health and resilience through abundant, clean water. We applaud Coca-Cola’s continued leadership on African water security” said Monica Ellis, CEO of GWC.

‘The Coca-Cola System’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative’ aims to help protect and enhance the health of important watersheds and to help improve access to water and sanitation services in local communities. We will have projects in Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  

“CCBA has a responsibility to help those who face water scarcity and to help protect local water resources where we operate, especially in places with the biggest challenges. We are proud to partner with The Coca-Cola Company on this project,” says Layla Jeevanantham, Chief Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Officer at CCBA.

“We are proud to partner with The Coca-Cola Company and fellow bottlers on this critical initiative to help tackle water challenges across Africa. By working together, we can leverage the expertise of our partners and the knowledge of local communities to help create sustainable solutions that enhance water access and safeguard vital water resources,” said Sonia Ventosa, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Manager at ECCBC.

“Coca-Cola HBC has been part of African communities for more than 70 years, and sustainability is an important part of how we operate. We’re very happy to see this new water initiative come to life and to support the system’s water stewardship efforts,” said Marcel Martin, Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer, Coca-Cola HBC.

Recognizing that partnerships are critical to support this work, the company and its bottlers are collaborating with governments, businesses, and civil society organizations to design and implement strategic interventions. In addition to supporting the company’s water strategy, this effort also aims to contribute to advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation. 

This water initiative will build upon The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF)’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), a groundbreaking collaboration with key partners and co-funders which helped improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for 6 million people across African countries between 2009 and 2019. Through 120 projects, the initiative positively impacted homes, schools and healthcare clinics in more than 4,000 communities.

 

*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

Ahafo – The Dantano, Anwiam, Otariso and Kabu communities have been provided with water after boreholes were commissioned and handed over recently by Voltic (GH) Ltd.

With the new boreholes installed by Voltic, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, each community now has access to a regular supply of water.

“Water is a priority for Voltic because it is essential to life, our beverages and the communities we serve,” said Flora Jika, General Manager, Voltic.

“As part of the Coca-Cola system, our 2030 Water Security Strategy is focused on accelerating the actions needed to increase water security where we operate, source ingredients and touch people’s lives.

“We do that by contributing toward sustainable, clean water access that improves livelihoods and wellbeing,” said Jika.

“The 2030 Water Strategy is grounded in the fact that water is a shared resource. As such, our work is organised to address water security in our operations, our watersheds and our communities,” Jika said.  

 

*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

Johannesburg, – “At Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), our sustainability strategy is centred around people—consumers and our employees—and driving sustainable solutions that build resilience into our business to respond to current and future challenges, while creating positive change for the planet,” said CCBA Chief Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Officer, Tshidi Ramogase.

“Water is a priority for the Coca-Cola system because it is the first ingredient in all our beverages and is essential to the communities we serve.

“The Coca-Cola Company’s 2030 Water Security Strategy focuses on increasing water security. We work with partners to provide access to a steady supply of clean water for people and ecosystems in the areas where we operate and source ingredients,” Ramogase said.

“We do that by contributing toward sustainable, clean water access that improves livelihoods and wellbeing while protecting against water-related disasters.

“Inside our operations, we are committed to regenerative water use. This means using less water as well as re-using and treating wastewater.  

“For example, in Kenya we opened a new wastewater treatment plant at our Equator Bottlers plant in Kisumu, which will promote more sustainable water use and help reduce the factory’s environmental impact. The new plant will enable us to treat and recycle wastewater generated from the production facility, which will be used for non-potable purposes such as irrigation and cleaning. 

”Our subsidiary, Coca-Cola Beverages Botswana, signed an agreement last year with the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources to donate water from its newly installed water treatment plant for agricultural irrigation at the campus. The new state-of-the-art water treatment plant has made the company fully effluent compliant by ensuring that clean water is returned to the environment. 

“For our packaging, we seek to drive a circular economy because this helps to reduce waste and carbon emissions. We’re working to use more recycled content in our packaging, to expand our use of refillable bottles, and to collect packaging for recycling through Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste initiative. We also partner to design new solutions for packaging.

“As an example, Coca-Cola and other like-minded industries came together in 2004 to set up the PET Recycling Company (PETCO) in South Africa to promote and regulate the recycling of PET plastic, taking responsibility for recovering and recycling beverage PET plastic bottles.   

“The PETCO model has proven so effective it has been extended to three other markets, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia, with plans to include additional countries like Namibia.  

“While we strive to make progress on our own, we are committed to fostering partnerships that drive collective impact in areas including water stewardship, packaging circularity, climate action and many more.

“We engage with stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, communities, suppliers, business partners, customers and consumers in all the markets where we operate, in many forums and formats. Feedback from our stakeholders allows us to learn and improve, and informs our business and sustainability strategy,” Ramogase said.

 

*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

Byline: Tshidi Ramogase, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa’s Chief Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Officer

Africa’s vulnerability to climate change was once again demonstrated in late 2023, when torrential rains swept across much of East Africa, bringing devastating floods just six months after a record-breaking five-season drought in the region.

Vast areas of farmland in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia were inundated, washing away homes and destroying thousands of hectares of crops.

These events highlight the urgency of improved water security and climate resilience on the continent.

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) partners with governments, the private sector, NGOs and communities to promote water security. Water is a priority for Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) because it is essential to life, our beverages and the communities we serve.

The Coca-Cola Company’s 2030 Water Security Strategy is focused on accelerating the actions needed to increase water security where we operate, source ingredients and touch people’s lives.

We invest in water initiatives that benefit nature and communities. This includes projects that provide benefits to local watersheds that supply water for drinking, agriculture and manufacturing, restore and conserve habitats for plants and animals and offer opportunities for local economic development. 

 As part of this work, we collaborate with partners to understand the inextricable link between water, climate, agriculture and biodiversity.  

In addition, many of our water replenishment projects have additional co-benefits such as helping improve soil health, sequester carbon, conserve water, restore degraded lands, contribute to biodiversity and help mitigate climate change.

Our work is organised to address water security inside our operations, in our watersheds and in our communities. Also, we continue to replenish the water we use in our finished beverages to nature and communities.

Inside our operations, the Coca-Cola system is committed to regenerative water use. This means using less water as well as re-using and treating wastewater.

For example, in Kenya we opened a new wastewater treatment plant at our Equator Bottlers plant in Kisumu, which will promote more sustainable water use and help reduce the factory’s environmental impact. The new plant will enable us to treat and recycle wastewater generated from the production facility, which will be used for non-potable purposes such as irrigation and cleaning.

Our subsidiary, Coca-Cola Beverages Botswana, signed an agreement last year with the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources to donate water from its newly installed water treatment plant for agricultural irrigation at the campus. The new state-of-the-art water treatment plant has made the company fully effluent compliant by ensuring that clean water is returned to the environment.

We also aim to improve the health of watersheds identified as most critical for our operations and agricultural supply chain by supporting nature-based solutions, investing in landscape solutions and helping farmers to use less water.

CCBA in Kenya has been actively engaged over the past three years in reforesting 90 hectares of critical forests that play a significant role in Nairobi’s water catchment areas in collaboration with implementing partner, Nature Kenya.

When it comes to communities, we aim to help provide access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and advocate for good water governance.

Our South African bottler, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA), supported good water governance in Grabouw in the Western Cape, where the municipality was losing a significant amount of its potable water due to leaks and failing infrastructure. Through this partnership, we trained young community members in plumbing to support the rehabilitation of water infrastructure, including fixing leaks in informal areas.

In response to a looming Day Zero in parts of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa, CCBSA deployed off-grid, solar-powered groundwater harvesting and treatment projects called Cokevilles in the region. A total of nine systems, or water tanks, have been deployed in Gqeberha and similar Cokeville projects have been installed in other peri-urban and rural communities in Limpopo, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

We do business the right way as a trusted partner for sustainable growth by managing packaging waste, water stewardship, and economic inclusion, particularly for women and youth. We are committed to making a positive impact on people’s lives and communities for a better shared future in Africa. 

 

*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

Lusaka — In response to the pressing cholera outbreak affecting Lusaka, Coca-Cola Beverages Zambia (CCBZ) is taking proactive measures to support the community by contributing four 10,000 litre water tanks to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). With daily cases reaching more than 500 and a devastating toll of over 200 lives lost since October 2023, CCBZ’s commitment is to provide clean water to those in need.

Expressing the company’s deep concern for the community’s wellbeing, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Director, Fronscen Haloba stated, “In light of the ongoing cholera crisis, CCBZ recognises the urgency of addressing the immediate need for clean water. Our hope is that these water tanks will contribute to the relief efforts led by DMMU and make a meaningful impact on the affected residents.”

CCBZ’s water programme aligns with the company’s 2030 water strategy, focused on accelerating actions to enhance water security in operational areas, source ingredients responsibly and positively impact lives.

Haloba emphasised, “A key aspect of our strategy is replenishing the water used in our products. For the water used in finished beverages, our aspiration is to return the same amount to nature and communities. We are also enhancing community access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, supporting people—especially women and girls—to prepare and recover swiftly from water-related crises.

 

*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

Accra – Two farming communities in the Akuapem North Municipality in the Eastern Region have been provided with a secure supply of water after boreholes were commissioned and handed over today by Voltic (GH) Limited. 

At Otariso, the community of about 4,000 people were using a local stream as their water supply, despite it not being safe for drinking. In Kebu, with an estimated population of 3,000, the community also depended on a stream for water, leading to the risk of water-borne diseases. 

With the new boreholes installed by Voltic, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, each community now has a safe and regular supply of water, with a daily capacity of 20,000 litres. 

“Water is a priority for Voltic because it is vital to our business and critical to public health, food security, biodiversity and climate resilience. We have a responsibility to address water stress, protect local water resources and help build community climate resilience,” said Managing Director of Voltic, Flora Jika.  

“Our 2030 water strategy is focused on accelerating the actions needed to increase water security where we operate, source ingredients and touch people’s lives.   

“Voltic is focused on good water stewardship, starting within our operations, and extending to the communities where we work.  

“We invest in initiatives to reduce the amount of water used in making beverages, and to treat and reuse water where possible. We also work to preserve nature and biodiversity, and promote advanced water management practices,” said Jika. 

“A key aspect of our strategy is replenishing the water used in our products. This means that, for the amount of water used in finished beverages, our aspiration is that the same amount is returned to nature and communities. 

“We are also improving community access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene while supporting people – especially women and girls – to prepare and rapidly recover from water-related crises. 

“In priority watersheds, we are establishing and implementing watershed stewardship plans to address shared challenges, such as water quantity, quality, ecosystems, infrastructure and governance. 

“No entity can solve the water challenges alone. We believe in collective action and partnership to tackle this issue together,” said Jika. 

“It is important that all relevant stakeholders have a voice, an investment and a shared understanding of the outcomes to ensure we make the lack of access to safe water an issue of the past.” 

 

*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

Gaborone – The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) has secured a precious supply of free water after Coca-Cola Beverages Botswana (CCBB) committed to donating water from its newly installed water treatment plant for agricultural irrigation at the campus.

The parties shared the news at a ceremony where they signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise the agreement.

This comes after CCBB, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, unveiled a new state-of-the-art production line and water treatment plant earlier this year, representing a total investment of P310 million which has significantly increased the factory’s production capacity and made the company fully effluent compliant by ensuring that clean water is returned to the environment.

The new facilities were constructed using local suppliers as far as possible, including the large water tanks and the water reticulation machinery.

CCBB General Manager, David Chait, said water was a priority for the company because it is vital to its business and critical to public health, food security, biodiversity and climate resilience.

“We have a responsibility to address water stress, protect local water resources and help build community climate resilience,” Chait said.

Professor Ketlhatlogile Mosepele, Vice Chancellor of BUAN reiterated, “ Water is a shared resource that binds communities, businesses, and the world around us. This MOU is an acknowledgment that we can achieve more when we work together, that we should break down these self-contrived silos amongst us and collaborate for the benefit of our communities. It is a commitment to addressing the very nature of water, reducing shared water challenges, enhancing community water resilience, and improving water-based health.”

“Our 2030 water strategy is focused on accelerating the actions needed to increase water security where we operate, source ingredients and touch people’s lives,” said Chait.

 “CCBB is focused on good water stewardship, starting within our operations, and extending to the communities where we work. We invest in initiatives to reduce the amount of water used in making beverages and to treat and reuse water where possible. We also work to preserve nature and biodiversity and promote advanced water management practices.

“A key aspect of the strategy is replenishing the water used in our products. This means that, for the amount of water used in finished beverages, our aspiration is that the same amount is returned to nature and communities.

“The MOU we have signed with the university today is an example of how we put our water strategy into practice, replenishing water and giving it back,” said Chait.

“We want our business and the communities we serve to benefit from greater shared opportunity. This is about more than the bottom line, because opportunity is not measured by money alone. Opportunity means a better future for people across the African continent.”

*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

Nairobi – The seeds of a greener future have been sewn on the banks of the Sasumua Dam with the planting of 2,500 indigenous trees in a partnership between Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Kenya and Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC).

The collaboration will contribute to efforts to reforest the water catchment area and riparian land around the dam to safeguard the quality and availability of water resources for Nairobi’s residents, ensuring a sustainable future for all.

John Mwendwa, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Director at CCBA in Kenya, says the initiative is an integral component of CCBA’s broader mission to support water replenishment efforts, specifically focusing on the rehabilitation and protection of key water catchment areas relevant to the company’s operations.

NWSC and CCBA in Kenya share a common goal of preserving Kenya’s natural resources and promoting environmental conservation.

Over the past three years, CCBA in Kenya has been actively engaged in reforesting 90 hectares of critical forests that play a significant role in Nairobi’s water catchment areas in collaboration with implementing partner, Nature Kenya.

“At CCBA, we are leading the industry in making our value chain increasingly sustainable in the way that we manufacture our products, how we distribute them and how we sell them.

“We have the scale and reach to make a real difference, and we’re using our leadership position to drive change and help put our planet on a more sustainable path,” Mwendwa said.

“Water is a priority for CCBA because it is vital to our business and critical to public health, food security, biodiversity and climate resilience. We have a responsibility to address water stress, protect local water resources and help build community climate resilience.

“Our 2030 water strategy is focused on accelerating the actions needed to increase water security where we operate, source ingredients and touch people’s lives.

“CCBA is focused on good water stewardship, starting within our operations, and extending to the communities where we work. We invest in initiatives to reduce the amount of water used in making beverages, and to treat and reuse water where possible. We also work to preserve nature and biodiversity, and promote advanced water management practices.

“A key aspect of the strategy is replenishing the water used in our products. This means that, for the amount of water used in finished beverages, our aspiration is that the same amount is returned to nature and communities,” said Mwendwa.

“We will maintain the aspiration of 100% replenishment, focusing on improving watershed health in water-stressed areas that are critical to our business and our agricultural supply chain. We are continually assessing our priority watersheds and engaging local stakeholders to devise integrated and holistic plans for collective action.

“This partnership to reforest the banks of the Sasumua Dam is just one example of our water strategy in action.”

*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

Graaff-Reinet – Residents of drought stricken Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape, are set to receive a much-needed boost in their water supply. This comes with the launch of a Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) R12-million mega project, which will supply the entire town of Graaff-Reinet with potable water.

The Coke Ville mega project is powered by solar energy which feeds directly into the municipality’s infrastructure and is able to supply between 27 million and 30 million litres of water every month to the surrounding communities and town.

Coke Ville is CCBSA’s off-grid, always-on solar-powered groundwater harvesting and treatment project; which has proven to be the perfect solution to address Graaff-Reinet’s water supply challenges.

CCBSA handed over the Coke Ville system at a ceremony on Thursday 19 October 2023. The project is supported by the National Department of Water and Sanitation, and the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality, in Graaff-Reinet.

According to Nozicelo Ngcobo, Director of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability at CCBSA, the newly-installed Coke Ville systems have the capacity to deliver over 324 million litres of drinkable water per year, using the installed 89.7 kW solar PV system. The borehole pump is able to extract at a rate of 107,000 litres per hour.
“The community of Graaff-Reinet faces multiple challenges, including widespread poverty, limited access to safe and drinkable water, as well as the impact of load shedding which  exacerbated the ability access water,” Ngcobo said.

Graaff-Reinet, the fourth oldest town in South Africa, has been dealing with recurrent droughts that have led to low water levels in the Nqweba Dam, the town’s primary water source. As the town’s population has grown, so have the challenges associated with water supply.

“CCBSA had an opportunity to use its resources to be part of the solution in Graaff-Reinet, and after conducting feasibility studies and due diligence, we found that there was enough ground water, we determined that our solar-powered Coke Ville system would provide the ideal solution to assist the town.”

Groundwater has become an increasingly important source of water, with multiple drilling programmes initiated since 2017. However, the impact of load shedding has caused irregularities in water abstraction from this source, creating a new set of problems.

The company’s Coke Ville systems are able to pump, treat, store, and distribute clean water to communities in need and operate at no cost to the residents.

There are four borehole site systems in Mimosadale; which have now been equipped with renewable solar energy systems. The system is completely independent from Eskom power supply and the Coke Villes have the capacity to fill up the town’s 18 Mega Litre storage reservoir at 1,5 Mega litres per month.

A total number of 3,882 households in Asherville, Kroonvale and Adendorp area, with a total population of 20,449 residents, are set to benefit from the project. Of the 3,882 households, 1,680 are registered as indigent.

Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality Mayor, Cllr Willem Safers, said: “For over a decade we have struggled with water supply issues, which has only become worse in recent years. We appreciate the support provided by CCBSA to help alleviate the water challenges we have faced. Our vulnerable communities in particular will now have access to clean and safe drinking water.”

Portia Makhanya, the Provincial Head of the Department of Water and Sanitation expressed appreciation for CCBSA’s intervention to support the vulnerable Graaff Reinet community and urged residents to focus on behavioural changes to help preserve limited water resources.

“We all have a part to play in preserving water and to help build communities that are not only resilient, but sustainable in the long-term,” Makhanya said.

According to Ngcobo, each Coke Ville comes complete with tank stand, storage tanks, lockable manhole for pump, alarm system for security, palisade fencing around tank stand and solar panels with lockable gate. The taps are located outside the system to allow communities to fetch water at their convenience.

“The deployment of the Coke Villes is part of the company’s commitment to replenish every drop of water we use back to communities and the environment as part of the company’s 2030 Water Security Strategy. Securing long-term water and sanitation solutions is intricately linked with the country’s social and economic prosperity.

“As a company that uses water as one of its key ingredients, we are very conscious of the importance of preserving water for future generations, as we operate in a water scarce country that’s also prone to droughts,” Ngcobo added.
CCBSA has installed Coke Ville systems in Limpopo, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape, including in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area which in recent years has faced a devastating drought.

To date, CCBSA has distributed over 658 million litres of water to over 35,000 households throughout the country.
Globally, The Coca-Cola Company’s Water Security Strategy 2030, is a three-pronged strategy to water, which is focused on regenerative operations, healthy watersheds, and ultimately supporting the resilient communities.

 

*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