Coca-Cola UK recently launched #CokeDunks, a sustainability campaign targeting youth. The campaign uses gamification to emphasize the importance of recycling. #CokeDunks challenges teens to film themselves creatively dunking empty plastic bottles into a recycling bin before posting the content on social media with the hashtag #CokeDunks. This campaign aims to show that recycling doesn’t have to be boring.

We have expanded our package-less delivery model for beverages through our innovative Coca-Cola Freestyle technology to more than 50,000 machines serving 14 million drinks daily. We continue to introduce the technology in Europe and Latin America. Coca-Cola Freestyle is a touchscreen-operated dispenser that uses micro-dosing technology to deliver nearly 200 beverage options – including 117 low/no-calorie beverages and more than 100 varieties, with only a cup.

Coca-Cola and five other companies are implementing a Drop Box program in Jakarta, Indonesia with 100 drop boxes placed in public and retail spaces. We have also joined other companies, PepsiCo, Dow and the UK and Canadian governments, in launching the Global Plastic Action Partnership at the World Economic Forum, which will also implement recycling programs in Indonesia.

“Our investment in new and pioneering recycling technologies is an opportunity for significant movement toward closing the loop and creating a circular economy for PET,” said Robert Long, Coca-Cola’s Chief Innovation Officer. “We plan to continue investment in developing the right partnerships and initiatives to support our vision of a World Without Waste.”

"European industry has already clearly committed to more sustainable plastics with the pledges that they have submitted to the Commission. Business understands this is an opportunity to innovate and to become global frontrunners in new technology and materials, in line with circular economy logic,” said Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness. “The platform will encourage cooperation and dialogue between market operators, both on the supply and the demand side, so that we can together build a well-functioning market for recycled plastics." The Circular Plastics Alliance will be a high-level, multi-stakeholder platform gathering key industry stakeholders covering the full plastics value chain — from waste collectors to recyclers and primary producers to converters, brand owners and retailers — with particular emphasis on the packaging, construction and automotive sectors.

Closed Loop Fund is a $100 million social impact fund that is working to increase the recycling of products and packaging. Its investors are some of the world's leading retail and consumer goods companies including 3M, Coca Cola, Colgate Palmolive, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Keurig Green Mountain, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle Waters North America, Pepsico, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Walmart Foundation

The company, which produces more than a billion rPET bottles of carbonated soft drinks a year, currently uses 10% rPET in its bottles and is able to go up to 25%. Despite this, the company is aiming for only 13% rPET content in its bottles because it does not have enough recycled plastic to feed production higher than this level, according to John-Paul Blumenthal, Coca-Cola’s South Africa’s energy and sustainability manager.

Tebogo Tshwane Tebogo Tshwane is an Adamela Trust financial journalism trainee at the Mail & Guardian. She was previously a general news intern at Eyewitness News and a current affairs show presenter at the Voice of Wits FM. Tshwane is passionate about socioeconomic issues and understanding how macroeconomic activities affect ordinary people. She holds a journalism honours degree from Wits University.  Read more from Tebogo Tshwane

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa is partnering with a number of NGOs, local municipalities, regional government departments, as well as the South African Police Services in areas to mobilise communities to take part in the clean-up. CCBSA also includes schools that are involved in the Schools Recycling Programme to join in the initiative. The International Coastal Cleanup on 15 September was started over 30 years ago by Ocean Conservancy and has since mobilised millions of people to participate in the world's largest volunteer effort to help clean our oceans and waterways. Since 1995, The Coca-Cola Company has sponsored the International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Conservancy through educational outreach, community engagement, research, industry collaborations, marketing and more. Last year, Plastics SA co-ordinated over 400 cleanups nationwide during Clean-up and Recycle Week with over 16000 volunteers. Last year, the South African plastic industry recycled a record 2.15 billion PET plastic bottles. The country has seen an increase in PET recycling from single digits in 2000 to 65% in 2017, close to European rates and rates that exceed United States recycling by more than 20%. This has created 64 000 income-generating opportunities for waste pickers, collectors and recyclers. The 93 235 tonnes of collected PET also saved 578 000m3 of landfill space and 139 000 tonnes of carbon. More than 10 years ago, Coca-Cola South Africa funded and co-created the PET Recycling Company (PETCO). PETCO is an industry body that promotes and regulates the recycling of PET material after initial use and has partnered with recyclers to create new products made from disposed PET material. As part of PETCO’s efforts to support Clean-Up and Recycle Week SA 2018 in partnership with Plastics SA, the organisation will be cleaning up Robben Island on Friday 14 September 2018.

Despite tough trading conditions and a 13% fall in the total PET market, the South African plastic industry recycled a record 2.15 billion PET plastic bottles in 2017, setting a post-consumer recycling rate of 65% of PET bottles to put the country on par with international standards. The 93 235 tonnes of collected PET bottles exceeded the industry target of 58% for the year 2017 and created 64 000 income-generating opportunities for waste pickers, collectors and recyclers, saving 578 000m3 of landfill space and 139 000 tonnes of carbon in the process. This was announced this week by national industry body PETCO, which is responsible for fulfilling the sector’s mandate of extended producer responsibility (EPR).

Just 34% of waste in the US is recycled, placing it well behind other developed countries such as Switzerland, which recycles more than 50% of its waste. Outdated facilities and technologies are partly to blame, as is a lack of access to something as simple as a recycling bin in many parts of the country. The Closed Loop Fund (CLF), created last year by some of America’s most well-known consumer brands, is providing zero and low-interest loans to US cities and recycling companies to improve recycling infrastructure. The fund plans to put $100m (£66m) towards recycling initiatives by 2020 and this week announced the first three projects to receive funding.

“One of the things that’s really exciting about World Without Waste is that it is led from the top down,” says Sarah Dearman, Sustainable Packaging Program Director for The Coca‑Cola Company in North America. “As a company, we recognize that our packaging, just like with any other consumer product, is part of the problem, and we want to be part of the solution. We believe our packaging is valuable and has a life beyond its first use. We want to make sure everything we put in the marketplace is recovered so it can be reused again and again. We believe it’s the right thing to do for our planet and our communities.”

The fragmented approach — doling out funds to different groups supporting individual cities — is the most effective way for Coca-Cola to help improve recycling, said Bruce Karas, vice president of environment and sustainability for Coca-Cola North America. “If you take recycling and waste and say, well it’s a national issue, you’re never going to solve it,” he said. “It’s a local issue.” The company will be able to learn from the Atlanta program and figure out how to apply what works to other locations. For Coca-Cola, a shift away from China could be a good thing. “We need to develop the end markets here,” Karas said. “It doesn’t help us if it’s on the other side of the world.” Coca-Cola plans to refine its goals based on what it learns from programs like the one being deployed in Atlanta. “Right now, we’re building out our pilots,” Karas said. “With each year, we’ll be able to refine what would be our target,” he said. Karas is confident that the company will be able to hit its targets by 2030. Coca-Cola has also been working with The Recycling Partnership and other groups to help boost infrastructure throughout the world. Later this year, Coca-Cola will launch a marketing campaign and local events designed to show people what recycled materials can be turned into.

The Petstar plant is owned by Coca-Cola of Mexico and the Mexican bottlers Arca Continental, Bepensa, Corporación del Fuerte, Corporación Rica, Embotelladora del Nayar and Embotelladora de Colima.Testimonies obtained by Univision indicate that PetStar pays the collectors $0.05 per pound of plastic, the lowest price paid within its recyling network in the Mexico City metropolitan area, and far below what it pays to garbage truck workers or at sorting plants in other areas of the city.Camara told Univision that this is because the material they collect in the Bordo of Xochiaca is dirty, devaluing its worth. "That dirt has a cost," he said.

Robert Long, Chief Innovation Officer for The Coca-Cola Company, said: “Our investment in new and pioneering recycling technologies is an opportunity for significant movement toward closing the loop and creating a circular economy for PET. We plan to continue investment in developing the right partnerships and initiatives – like with Ioniqa – to support our vision of a World without Waste.” Ben R. Jordan, Senior Director of Environmental Policy at the Coca-Cola Company, spoke of the importance of recycling at the Sustainable Innovation Forum. He said: "We have teams mapping out where we need to see more bottle to bottle recycling plants...ideally you want to go circular at a local a level as possible!” This news follows the UK Government announcing their new waste strategy to combat the growing plastic pollution.

For more than 4 decades, the Coca-Cola System has been supporting the recycling industry and that is why today, millions of its PET bottles are made with up to 100% of recycled material. For its aluminum and glass packages, the Coca-Cola System has managed to have up to 60% and 40% respectively of recycled material. The PetStar plant is a clear demonstration of the Coca-Cola System’s commitment to the environment in Mexico and in the world, an important contributor to the economic and technological development of the country and an excellent effort of shared responsibility with the authorities and the society in search of a better environment for future generations.

Thanks to the use of top of the line technology, PetStar operations allows its bottling partners–Arca Continental, Bepensa, Grupo RICA, Corporación del Fuerte, Embotelladora de Colima and Embotelladora del Nayar-to advance in the achievement of global sustainability goals set by The Coca-Cola Company, and incorporate up to 100% of recycled material in millions of their PET packages, as well as being able to recycle up to 70% of PET bottles used in their markets. “This important project is part of Coca-Cola’s commitment to the integral wellbeing of communities through the elaboration ofenvironmentally friendly packages,” said Francisco Crespo, President of Coca-Cola Mexico. “Thanks to PetStar, we are contributing to our global goal to incorporaterecycled material in all our packages, and today, millions of them have up to 100%,”, he stated.Francisco Garza Egloff, General Director Arca Continental, affirmed that these type of efforts confirm the Mexican Industry of Coca-Cola’s commitment with the integral development of the country and the preservation of its environment.“Sustainability is part of our long term business strategy because we want to leave a positive mark incommunities, as well as participate actively in the integral development of the society. Apart from making an important environment, social and economic impact, PetStar includes a cultural and educational project, since we are trying to become agents of change in todaysand future generations,”said Garza Egloff.