Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) — Coca-Cola’s local bottling arm and one of the country’s top employers — remains committed to supporting the Filipino people throughout the pandemic and the collective journey to recovery. In partnership with Indorama Ventures — a global leader in packaging solutions and green technology — PETValue Philippines, the country’s first food-grade bottle-to-bottle recycling facility, is set to be completed by Q4 of 2021 and fully operational by Q1 of 2022.
With construction currently ongoing in General Trias, Cavite, PETValue PH is expected to generate an estimated 200 job opportunities for Filipinos. This is also seen to have a downstream effect: according to a study, for every one direct job within Coca-Cola's value chain, an estimated seven indirect jobs are created. Moreover, this will definitely help uplift livelihoods in the waste value chain, with the upcoming establishment and institutionalization of circularity for 100-percent recyclable packaging, specifically used PET plastic bottles.
Video of the Construction of the PETValue PH facility
“We want to help Filipinos get back on their feet and create as many employment opportunities as possible,” shares Gareth McGeown, President and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages PH. “Our advocacy for sustainability and environmental protection, as manifested through PETValue PH and our World Without Waste initiative, is also an avenue that supports the Philippines’ long-term economic recovery.”
“As a company, we also faced a lot of challenges because of the pandemic, but we remained committed to our long-term vision, which is to continue supporting the communities we operate in. Coca-Cola recognizes the need to step up and support Filipinos through job generation, so we can collectively overcome the economic impact of COVID-19,” said McGeown.
In the latest figures reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), unemployment dropped to 6.9-percent last July, which translates to 3.073 million unwaged Filipinos.
PETValue PH has begun the hiring process for around 200 associates for the facility. They are looking to fill up various positions such as site head, engineering, procurement, HR, finance, and other manufacturing personnel.
A shared vision of a World Without Waste
PETValue is Coca-Cola's biggest World Without Waste (WWW) investment in the Philippines. With the vision to collect and recycle 100-percent of its plastic bottles by 2030, the facility will help ensure that used PET bottles — packaging that is 100-percent recyclable and not single-use — will be given a new life and function as they are collected, processed, and used many times over within a circular economy.
The facility will be employing the safest, most advanced, and world-class recycling technologies for PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. This is a technology that is proven not just in ASEAN but also globally. For Phase 1 or the first three years of operations, its projected capacity — the amount of used plastic bottles it can process — is around 30,000 MT, which is equivalent to approximately two-billion pieces of plastic bottles.
The bottle-to-bottle recycling facility was granted Pioneer Status by the Board of Investments (BOI) IN 2020, in recognition of being the first of its kind in the country-- employing technology that has not yet been used in the Philippines before. Having been granted pioneer status by the DTI-BOI, PETValue PH will thus be entitled to various financial and non-financial incentives.
World-Class Green Technology Partner
Indorama Ventures, a global leader in PET manufacturing and recycling, has a global footprint covering 136 manufacturing sites in 34 countries.
“Indorama Venture’s global vision is to increase our global recycling capacity to 750,000 MT or 50 billion bottles annually by 2025. This partnership with Coca-Cola, with whom we share a vision for sustainability, will help us advance towards our goal,” said Yashovardhan Lohia, Chief Sustainability Officer of Indorama Ventures.
He adds, “Together, we will lead the way in engaging in sustainability practices that will benefit the environment and communities we operate in.”
CCBPI’s McGeown says, “Our partnership with Indorama Ventures is critical to our World Without Waste commitment. Their expertise in green technology and sustainable manufacturing will strengthen our efforts in packaging innovation and in helping address the country’s plastic packaging waste problem.”
In addition to the progress of the PETValue facility, other key World Without Waste initiatives have been further strengthened by Coca-Cola. It recently announced its decision to phase out its sachet business by 2022, to build on its overall advancement of sustainable packaging. The company will also start introducing paper straws and remove plastic straws for its juice and dairy products. Lightweighting of packaging also continues, as is the acceleration of the use of recycled PET materials in its beverage bottles.
Coca-Cola Philippines has also launched a public campaign enjoining its customers to participate in sustainability efforts via the Recycle Me labels on its products. The campaign’s aim is twofold: to reiterate the recyclability of Coca-Cola packaging and to encourage consumers to be part of the virtuous cycle of collecting and recycling their used plastic bottles and cans.
Through the partnership between Coca-Cola and Indorama Ventures, world-class green technologies will help in the Philippines’ recovery on both an economic front and an environmental one.