| TYPE OF PROGRAM: CSR
| START: January 2021
| STATUS: Ended
| TARGET: 500 Metric Tons
| PARTNERSHIP SUMMARY:
“More than a million plastic bottles are sold throughout the world every minute, and most, 91%, are not recycled. All plastic packaging can and should have more than one life. The beverage industry, including Coca-Cola HBC, has an obligation to take significant action to solve this problem”
Coca-Cola Far East Limited Philippines
The partnership with Coca-Cola Far East Limited Philippines allows The Plastic Flamingo to continuously support community pickers with additional income. In return, the pickers provide the social enterprise the plastics for recycling.
About the Partnership
The Coca-Cola Company is one of the biggest beverage companies that carries 200 brands worldwide including their very own Coca-Cola carbonated soft drink. Since 1886, the Coca-Cola Company has lived to its purpose and passion in refreshments. The company promises to craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love and to refresh them in body & spirit.
More than serving the people through their refreshments, the company also recognizes its worldwide influence and contributions to the global plastic crisis. In 2015, a study showed that 141 million tons of plastics came from the packaging industry—an industry where Coca-Cola is a major contributor. Given this, the company launched World Without Waste in 2018 that aims to help collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one they sell by 2030.
The Coca-Cola Company also recognizes its responsibility in solving the plastic crisis through their three-point agenda: Make 100% of their packaging recyclable by 2025, use 50% recycled material in their packaging by 2030, and have at least 25% of their beverages sold in refillable/returnable packaging by 2030.
The company’s initiative extends to all its networks. In the Philippines, the Coca-Cola Far East Limited (CCFEL) Philippines, Inc. partnered with The Plastic Flamingo to contribute in the reduction of plastic waste solution and promote circularity of recycling. They engaged with Philippine Business for Social Progress, Inc. (PBSP), the largest business-led non-governmental organization in the country, to support the efforts of the social enterprise.
CCFEL, through PBSP, provided The Plastic Flamingo a collection expansion grant which consists of a motor vehicle, plastic shredder, heavy-duty weighing scales, pallet lifters, and trolleys to make the collection services of the social enterprise more efficient and capable of meeting the demands.
Today, the collection expansion and equipment grant work wonders as the social enterprise is now capable of collecting plastic wastes from different locations within Greater Metro Manila. The expansion project aims to collect at least 500 metric tons of plastic waste collected from The Plastic Flamingo’s collection points, communities, and junk shops.
Apart from the collection expansion grant, the partnership also provided at least 20 community pickers with additional household income from waste picking. The social enterprise collects from the said pickers and buys the plastics up for recycling from them. Moreover, the partnership also aims to engage at least 27 junk shops in the collection network of The Plastic Flamingo.
The Coca-Cola Company and The Plastic Flamingo are one in serving a significant role in fighting the worldwide plastic crisis. By becoming active role players, both can be great examples on how each one can serve a greater purpose in leaving a significant social impact through solving the marine plastic pollution in the world.