Jacques Vermeulen, CEO Coca-Cola Beverages Africa
Water is essential for life, it is a scarce resource in many parts of Africa, and it is also the first ingredient in the products made by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA). Plastic, on the other hand, has become an indispensable part of modern life, especially in its role as a hygienic, affordable, lightweight and convenient packaging material for food and beverage products, yet is also a threat to the sustainability of the continent’s water sources.
Africa is blessed with some of the world’s most significant freshwater bodies, which support agriculture, human settlements and economic activity for millions of people, as well as being vital habitats for aquatic life.
Unfortunately, plastic waste pollution is threatening the health of these water bodies.
The issue is compounded by poor waste management systems, pervasive littering and a lack of suitable waste management infrastructure. Many people simply don’t know how to dispose of plastic waste properly.
Responsible water stewardship and managing plastic waste therefore go hand in hand.
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 country projects that reduce water use in our operations, protect local water resources and provide safe, clean drinking water to communities in need.
Across all our facilities, we put water protection plans in place so our presence doesn’t harm communities’ vital water resources.
Because people need water to thrive, we support local water access projects that help bring safe, clean drinking water to communities in need.
In Tanzania we have partnered with the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) Tanzania: Entrepreneurship for Resilient Village Water Systems since 2018, enabling 70,000 rural Tanzanians in 14 communities countrywide to have safe water access through solar-powered water systems. In South Africa, our Coke Ville Project, an off-grid, solar-powered groundwater harvesting and treatment system, has provided over 400 million litres to over 25 000 households experiencing water insecurity.
With regard to plastic waste, our commitment is to invest in our planet and our packaging, to help make the world’s packaging problem a thing of the past. We work in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company which launched a sustainable packaging initiative called World Without Waste in 2018.
We believe that industry led and managed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a sustainable funding approach which ensures that producers of brands take full responsibility for the choice of packaging they place on the market, and enable the collection and recycling value chain for packaging.
Coca-Cola and other like-minded industries came together in 2004 to set up such an industry funded and self-regulated EPR scheme, 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. If done the right way, PET waste management comes with significant investment and economic opportunities.
The PETCO model has proven so effective it is now being rolled out to eight other African countries.
To increase consumer and community awareness and clean up existing packaging, we’re bringing people together through programmes like beach and river clean ups and other 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.
And we are reimagining our packaging to make it better for our planet and our business. We are working to make packaging part of a circular economy, placing a strong emphasis on packaging design, and expanding the use of clear and returnable plastic bottles.
We are well on our way to achieving our ambition of a 100% recycling rate. As at the end of 2021, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa achieved a 84% collection and recycling rate (industry 41%). Leading countries were Kenya (141%), Ethiopia (138%), Tanzania (95%) and Zambia (92%).
The problem of plastic waste in Africa, and its impact on water resources, requires concerted efforts from governments, corporates, civil society organisations and individuals. By working together, we can create a more sustainable future for African water bodies and the communities that depend on them.
Source: The African Report
