New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) The Coca-Cola Company said on Monday that its India business hopes to achieve 100% recovery and recycling of post-consumer packaging, primarily bottles and cans, within the next 2-3 years as part of its “World Without Waste” initiative.
‘World Without Waste’ is a global initiative where the company aims to collect and recycle every bottle or can it sells globally by 2030.
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Recycling post-consumer packaging is one of three focus areas of the Coca-Cola Company’s ESG (environment, sustainability and governance) priorities. The other two relate to water and sustainable agriculture.
Speaking to PTI, Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability of Coca-Cola India, Devyani Rajya Laxmi Rana, said the company is focusing on recovery and recycling of bottles and cans. , not on multi-layer plastic (MLP).
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MLP, a type of plastic used in the packaging of food products such as crisps, cookies, chocolates and other snacks, is the hardest to recycle, she added.
Coca-Cola India Director (CSR and Sustainability for India and South West Asia), Rajesh Ayapilla, said: “Around 62,825 tonnes of post-consumer packaging was recovered in 2020. We filled or helped recover 36% of bottles and cans, equivalent to what we introduced to the market in India.”
The company, focusing on three fundamental objectives – design, collection and partnership – emphasizes the entire life cycle of packaging – from how bottles and cans are designed and produced to how they are recycled and reused.
By design, the company is making packaging more sustainable, including redesigning lightweight packaging, maximizing the use of recycled content and introducing innovative packaging, he said.
Ayapilla further said that the company, together with its partners, is working to develop sustainable community-led programs for integrated plastic waste management and promote effective recycling in India.
He said the company promotes source separation of waste, streamlines collection mechanisms and helps build infrastructure to recycle post-consumer packaging into value-added products.
The company has partnered with several agencies such as Saahas, Chintan, American India Foundation, Mahila Sewa Trust (SEWA), Hasiru Dala Foundations to build self-sustaining waste management infrastructure and models, create awareness and citizen movements, improving the livelihoods of waste workers. , and women workers associated with programs by ensuring social security and the dignity of work, he said.
Through these efforts, Ayapilla said, “We hope to reach 100% collection of bottles and cans for recycling within the next 2-3 years. This is our internal objective. In 2020, we had reached 36%”.
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