Coca-Cola India hopes to achieve 100% recycling of bottles, cans in 2-3 yrs
Coca-Cola India hopes to achieve 100% recycling of bottles, cans in 2-3 yrs
SYNOPSIS
Coca-Cola India also announced its ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across its entire value chain by 2050. Currently, 44% of energy being used in manufacturing is from renewable and green/clean fuels, leading to a reduction of 170K Metric Ton of carbon dioxide emissions
Coca-Cola India on Monday said the firm is hopeful of achieving 100% recovery and recycling of post-consumer packaging, mainly bottles and cans, in the next 2-3 years as part of its ‘World Without Waste’ initiative.
The company also announced its ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across its entire value chain by 2050. Currently, 44% of energy being used in manufacturing is from renewable and green/clean fuels, leading to a reduction of 170K Metric Ton of Carbon Dioxide emissions.
Coca-Cola said recycling post-consumer packaging is one of the three focus areas of the company’s ESG (Environment, Sustainability and Governance) priorities. The other two are related to water and sustainable agriculture, news agency PTI reported.
Devyani Rajya Laxmi Rana, Coca-Cola India vice president public affairs, communications and sustainability, said the company’s main focus is on recovery and recycling of bottles and cans, and not the Multi-Layered Plastic. MLP used in the packaging of food items like chips, biscuits, chocolates and other snacks are most difficult to recycle.
Rajesh Ayapilla, Coca-Cola India Director (CSR and Sustainability for India and South West Asia) said, “About 62,825 tonnes of post-consumer packaging was recovered in 2020. The company refilled or helped recover 36% of bottles and cans, equivalent to what we introduced into the marketplace in India.”
Ayapilla said the company by design is making packaging more sustainable, including redesigning lightweight packaging, maximising use of recycled content and introducing innovative packaging, he said.
Coca-Cola India, along with its partners, is working to develop sustainable, community-led programmes for integrated plastic waste management and promote efficient recycling in India, Ayapilla added.
He said the company is promoting segregation of waste at source, streamlining collection mechanisms and helping build infrastructure to recycle post-consumer packaging into value-added products.
The company has partnered with multiple agencies like Saahas, Chintan, American India Foundation, Mahila Sewa Trust (SEWA), Hasiru Dala Foundations for setting up self-sustaining waste management infrastructure and models, bringing about citizenship awareness and movements, improving livelihoods of waste workers, and women workers associated with the programmes by providing social security and dignity of labour, he said.
With these efforts, Ayapilla said, “We are hopeful of achieving 100% collection of bottles and cans for recycling in next 2-3 years. That is our internal target. In 2020, we had achieved 36%.”
The ‘World Without Waste’ is a global initiative under which the company aims to collect and recycle every bottle or can that it sells globally by 2030.
