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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Coca-Cola, Basco LGU ink PET bottle pact

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Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI), the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country, and the Municipality of Basco, Batanes held a fitting commemoration of Earth Day on April 22 by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the collection and recycling of PET bottles. 

Mayor Demetrius Narag signs the MOU, sealing the partnership between Basco and Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines for PET plastic bottle collection and recycling . Mayor Narag is joined by Mr. Carlito Cari, Municipal Environment Officer of Basco.

Batanes is considered a prime tourism destination and is part of the tentative list for inscription in the UNESCO-World Heritage List—which the Philippine government has been pursuing through the establishment of art and conservation projects within the island province. 

Due to various factors, such as the need for a more robust waste management system, the Batanes capital Basco faces a critical issue over its waste disposal processes.

As part of its World Without Waste vision, Coca-Cola reached out to the Basco local government with a proposal to clear Basco’s Eco Center of about 20,000 kilograms or 20 tons of post-consumer recyclable PET bottles, which have accumulated throughout the years. Further to this, the MOU also establishes a post-consumer PET flow from Batanes to Gen. Trias, Cavite—where Coca-Cola and Indorama Venture’s bottle-to-bottle recycling facility PETValue will rise. 

“This project is very important to us because for the longest time, it has been a challenge especially for our MENRO on how we can take out from Basco the piled-up PET bottles [in our area]. The Municipal government’s budgetary and operational limitation hamper us from doing a big scale transport of our PET bottles, and there are only a few junkshops that operate in Basco who can help us ship out these materials.” said Mayor Demetrius C. Narag of Basco, during a virtual signing ceremony.  

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Mayor Narag, in his address to CCBPI representatives, said, “On behalf of the whole community of Basco, we are sending you our heartfelt thanks for initiating this project. This morning signifies our commitment to our partnership.” 

Director for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs of CCBPI Atty. Juan Lorenzo Tañada (left panel) and Mayor Demetrius Narag (rightmost) of Basco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 22, 2021. Almost 20,000 kgs of post-consumer PET plastic bottles in Basco will be collected and diverted to the PETValue recycling facility in General Trias, Cavite. This partnership demonstrates the vast potential of PET plastic bottle collection for recycling here in the Philippines. Mayor Narag is joined by Mr. Carlito Cari, Municipal Environment Officer of Basco.

PETValue and value in every PET bottle 

“We are grateful to the Basco local government for welcoming us as a partner in the collective pursuit of a World Without Waste. There is inherent value in every post-consumer PET bottle as a 100% recyclable material, and these, therefore, should not be stockpiled in dumpsites,” said Atty. Juan Lorenzo Tañada, Director for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. 

“What we will collect from Basco will be used as initial feedstock for PETValue’s processes,” adds Tañada, “and we will be storing them responsibly while we wait for the facility to be operational.” 

In 2019, Coca-Cola embarked on building the country’s first bottle-to-bottle, food-grade recycling facility called PETValue Philippines. In partnership with Indorama Ventures, a global leader in green technologies, this PHP1B facility is set to have the capacity to process approximately 30,000 metric tons/year or almost 3 billion pieces of plastic bottles.

Around 20,000 kilograms or 20 tons of post-consumer recyclable PET bottles, which have accumulated throughout the years in Basco’s Eco Center. Coca-Cola and Basco’s partnership establishes a post-consumer PET flow from Batanes to Gen. Trias, Cavite—where Coca-Cola and Indorama Venture’s bottle-to-bottle recycling facility PETValue will rise. 

In 2020, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Board of Investments (BOI) granted PETValue a pioneer technology status, which means that PETValue’s green technologies and processes are the first of their kind in the country. 

Coca-Cola aims to establish a circular economy for its packaging by collecting clear bottles made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate)—even those produced by other manufacturers—and create a value chain that will make it for these recyclable materials to be collected and recycled. Pet Value will also generate more jobs for Filipinos, overall contributing to economic recovery alongside ecological welfare. 

The construction of the PETValue facility in General Trias, Cavite is underway and is projected to be completed by Q4 of 2021. Coca-Cola has been working with local government units and NGO partners to help build the recycling facility’s feedstock or stored post-consumer PET bottles to ensure enough input will be fed into the facility.

A commitment to packaging innovation and energy and water sustainability

In 2019, Coca-Cola changed the iconic Sprite green packaging to clear PET to increase recyclability. Clear PET plastic bottles have the highest recyclability compared to colored ones.

Coca-Cola, Basco LGU ink PET bottle pact
A photo of one of the junkshops in Batanes. In his message during the virtual signing, Mayor Narag explained that only a few small junkshops that operate within Basco can help them ship out plastic PET bottles from Batanes.

The Company has also been delivering solid results in its energy efficiency and water replenishment targets. Water savings initiatives in operations and community projects such as the Coca-Cola Foundation PH’s AGOS program, have enabled the Company to achieve an estimated 112% water replenishment. 

In March of 2021, Coca-Cola completed the installation of 14,000 solar panels in three of its plants, in a move toward more expansive renewable energy sourcing. To date, 65% of the CCBPI’s total energy consumption across the Philippines is sourced from clean and renewable sources. 

A materials recovery facility in Brgy. Kaychanarianan in Basco, Batanes

“Our partnership with Basco has effectively opened up the vast potential of PET collection for recycling here in the Philippines,” says Tañada. “This is only the beginning, and we at CCBPI will continue working with our partners for sustainability.”

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