Coca-Cola Philippines drives circularity in packaging as PETValue facility goes fully operational

by Sam Oliquino / October 20, 2022

In the recently concluded 4th year of Coca-Cola Philippines’ World Without Waste progress report, the company unveiled the 100% operational status of its first-ever recycling facility, PETValue Philippines in General Trias, Cavite. The facility is the result of the partnership between Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc.—the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country–and Indorama Ventures, packaging solutions and green technology company.

“We are extremely proud of PETValue Philippines and our partnership with Indorama Ventures, whose global expertise in recycling technologies will prove to be an asset to the Philippines’ collective goals for sustainability,” said Gareth McGeown, President and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. “Sustainability is at the heart of who we are as a company, as proven by more than a century of Coca-Cola treating the Philippines as its home. And it is through innovations like PETValue and strengthened sustainable practices that we will be here for another 100 years, serving Filipino communities.”

PETValue Philippines is Indorama Ventures’ latest and most advanced recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) facility, joining a family of recycling plants across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. It has the projected capacity of processing around 2 billion pieces of used clear PET bottles.

“The linear economy of the past was about ‘make, use, dispose.’ The circular economy of the future is about ‘make, use, collect, and recycle.’ A circular economy is a place where we all work together. It is a future where the government, civic society, and industries deliver sustainable solutions,” said Sanjay Ahuja, Executive President of Combined PET, Indorama Ventures.

As the operation of the new PETValue facility goes full blast, according to Coca-Cola Philippines, it will be a major contributor to a circular economy in packaging in the country and create more direct and indirect job opportunities for Filipinos. 

Coca-Cola Philippines also announces that it will transition key brands Coca-Cola Original Taste and Wilkins Pure to 100% recycled PET plastic packaging (excluding caps and labels) by 2023. These new packaging formats will expand the company’s line-up of products in recycled plastic packaging in the Philippines. 

Coca-Cola PH’s collection programs

In line with its mission to collect and recycle every bottle and can it sells by 2030, the company partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to create the National Solid Waste Management Training Program for a World Without Waste (NSWMTP-WWW). This will help develop the competencies of workers in the waste sector. The program is currently being piloted by TESDA in the municipal government of Angono, Rizal, which has committed the full participation of all its 10 barangays.

Coca-Cola Philippines also built a program with Plastic Bank, enabling the collection and recycling of almost 13.7 million PET plastic bottles—an undertaking that has simultaneously benefited the lives of informal waste collectors in Cavite. They were given access to training, tools, and equipment for efficient waste collection and a source of livelihood and were connected to Materials Recovery Facilities and junk shops that buy their collections to ensure the sustainability of the program. 

As of September 2022, it has also established over 800 collection points for used PET bottles nationwide to help gather and segregate them for recycling. This includes Tapon to Ipon – Basta Klaro, Panalo! and Tindahan Extra Mile: Balik PET Bottle Program.

Coca-Cola partners with traditional trade outlets such as sari-sari stores and carinderias to become collection hubs, where community members can drop off used, clear PET plastic bottles and get incentives in return. The goal is to activate a total of 2,200 collection hubs across the Philippines. 

“As a global beverage company, we are continuously innovating our packaging lifecycle and we recognize our role and responsibility to help tackle the plastic packaging waste issue in the Philippines,” said Anthony del Rosario, Coca-Cola Philippines President. “We are committed to finding and deploying sustainable, effective solutions to help address the issue at its very core, with the support of our partners and communities.”

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