Coca-Cola Philippines brought together a diverse group of stakeholders on November 16 to discuss locally relevant water issues and explore collaborative solutions for addressing these water-related challenges.
Among the speakers were Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Sen. Grace Poe, US Embassy in the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission Y. Robert Ewing, Coca-Cola Philippines President Tony del Rosario, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) Director for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs, Atty. Juan Lorenzo Tañada, and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. (CCFPI) President Cecile Alcantara.
Water is the primary ingredient used in Coca-Cola beverages and is an essential resource for the well-being of communities around the world. With a presence in more than 200 countries and territories, The Coca-Cola Company believes it has a responsibility to protect local water resources and help people who live in places that face water scarcity.
“In the Philippines, we invest in initiatives to reduce water in making beverages and to treat and reuse water where possible. The goal is to return to nature and communities the amount of water used to produce our finished beverages. Efforts to preserve nature and biodiversity and promote advanced water management practices are among our company’s priorities,” said Coca-Cola Philippines President Tony del Rosario. “We have an array of partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, and communities to generate an even bigger impact and we encourage others to join us in these efforts.”
To accelerate its actions on water, The Coca-Cola Company launched this year its holistic 2030 Water Security Strategy, which focuses on: achieving 100% circular water use across 175 facilities globally identified as leadership locations; forming partnerships to improve the health of 60 critical watersheds worldwide; and returning a cumulative total of 2 trillion liters of water to nature and communities globally between 2021 to 2030.
“Coca-Cola has significantly contributed to water stewardship and in the pillars of water access, sanitation and health, watershed conservation, and water for productive use. They have demonstrated that the private sector can be pivotal in addressing water-related challenges,” said DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.
US Embassy in the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission Y. Robert Ewing also commended Coca-Cola Philippines for its efforts. “Coca-Cola has been a long-standing partner of the U.S. government. I am proud of our strong partnership and shared commitment to providing water access, sanitation, and health services to underserved communities while conserving valuable water resources for future generations.”
CCBPI has improved its national water use efficiency across 18 manufacturing plants throughout the country through stringent water-saving initiatives.
From 2015 to 2022, CCBPI saved approximately 11 million cubic meters of water, equivalent to about 4,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Together with WWF Philippines, the Foundation has worked to improve the health of Ipo Watershed, one of the main sources of water of Metro Manila.
Their 5-year partnership has replenished approximately 400 million liters of water per year due to decreased runoff, helped reduce 2,500 metric tons of CO2 per year from reforestation, and improved sustainable food supply for the people living in the community.
Coca-Cola Philippines aims to return to nature and communities the amount of water used to produce its finished products and help increase access to drinking water, sanitation, and washing facilities for the most impacted communities.
Through the Foundation, the company collaborates with more than 25 partners nationwide to make these goals happen.*