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Coca-Cola Philippines, together with Plastic Bank Philippines and Lighthouse Legacy Foundation, led over 200 volunteers to collect debris and marine waste at Julugan Fish Terminal in Tanza, Cavite, Sept. 16, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).
Employees from the Coca-Cola Philippines system, together with waste collection members of its Ecosystem Impact Program with Plastic Bank Philippines and volunteers from ICC Philippines, Lighthouse Legacy Foundation, the Local Government of Tanza, Philippine Coast Guard Cavite Chapter, and Don Bosco School of Theology collected more than 1,000 kilograms of waste to help address coastal waste issues in the area.
Zed Avecilla, President of Lighthouse Legacy Foundation, commended Coca-Cola Philippines for its longstanding commitment to responsible waste management, highlighting the company's
"World Without Waste" strategy that was initiated in 2018, well before the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Law was enacted in the country.
Avecilla also emphasized the impact of raising awareness on the importance of managing waste to prevent them from getting into Philippine waters- through events like ICC.
The ICC is renowned as the world's largest volunteer effort for ocean sanitation, with The Coca-Cola Company serving as a founding member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance since 1995. In partnership with its local bottling partners, the company is engaging employees, consumers, and communities in cleanups, providing resources, grants, and in-kind donations to help remove trash from beaches and waterways.
In the Philippines, Coca-Cola is doing its part to prevent marine debris through community-based initiatives like the Ecosystem Impact Program with Plastic Bank. This initiative helps build collection and recycling systems in communities to prevent plastic bottles from ending up in places where they should not be, while at the same time, empowering workers in the solid waste management sector.
Dhang Tecson, Global Director for Country Operations of Plastic Bank, thanked Coca-Cola Philippines for its annual coastal cleanup activity as well as the company’s invaluable contribution to advancing the circular economy of plastics in the Philippines.
What Coca-Cola is doing is great because change doesn't just start in our homes but also in our community,” Tecson said. (PR)