Food

On November 16, 2023, Coca-Cola Philippines held a varied assembly of interested parties to deliberate on water-related matters that are pertinent to the local community and investigate cooperative approaches to tackle these problems.

Speakers included Sen. Grace Poe, Y. Robert Ewing, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in the Philippines, Tony del Rosario, President of Coca-Cola Philippines, Director for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs at Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI), and Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Juan Lorenzo Tañada and Cecile Alcantara, President of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. (CCFPI).

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 the following:

●   Achieve 100% circular water use across 175 facilities globally identified as leadership locations.

●   Form partnerships to improve the health of 60 critical watersheds worldwide.

●   Return 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. Building a water-secure Philippines is a shared goal that we can achieve by working together.”

Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe, Chairperson of the Senate Public Services Committee, renewed her call for the creation of the Department of Water. “Water is indispensable for leading a life of human dignity. Let us work together to lift the floodgates of bureaucracy, attain sustainable consumption and production, and ensure that clean water flows to every household like a mighty stream.”

Efficient water use in manufacturing

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.

“Our passion for water sustainability is evident in the way we operate. From conducting Source Water Vulnerability Assessments to understanding and monitoring our water sources, making sure that we improve on our water use in our plants, to ensuring that we have the right people and the right technological investments in our facilities,” shared Atty. Juan Lorenzo Taňada, Director for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs of CCBPI.

Improving watershed health

CCFPI prioritizes nature-based solutions as a way to conserve watersheds using natural processes such as reforestation, wetland restoration, and sustainable agriculture. 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.

Helping communities access safe and clean water

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.

To achieve these objectives, the firm works with more than 25 partners across the country through the Foundation. For example, the installation of more than a hundred ram pump projects nationwide has resulted from CCFPI’s collaboration with the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation for more than ten years, supplying water for home use and assisting in the decline of waterborne disease prevalence.

“The results of our water stewardship program testify to the power of collaboration on our shared advocacy on water security. We are committed to continue working with partners to reach more Filipino communities in the future,” said Cecile Alcantara, President of CCFPI.

Follow Coca-Cola Philippines on social media at @CocaColaPhilippines on Facebook and @cocacolaph on X (previously Twitter) and Instagram, or go to www.coca-cola.com.ph for additional information on the company’s sustainability activities. 

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People are feeling the effects of global warming in the Philippines and other parts of the world due to variations in water, such as floods, droughts, and rising ocean temperatures. These alterations have a negative impact on rural communities and pose difficulties for the production of food.

The Coca-Cola Company, which is present in more than 200 nations and territories, is aware of its obligation to save regional water supplies and assist those who reside in areas where there is a shortage of water. Coca-Cola prioritizes the areas around its manufacturing facilities, the cities where its goods are marketed, and the rural farms where it procures and cultivates its components.

The corporation also funds programs to purify and recycle water when it may be used to make beverages using less water. Restoring the amount of water needed to manufacture its products to communities and nature is the aim. The company also prioritizes sophisticated water management procedures and the preservation of biodiversity and the natural world.

Through improved irrigation efficiency and decreased water contamination, water stewardship initiatives run by the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines (CCFPI) are helping farmers in the Philippines secure water for their crops.

Watershed projects supported by the CCFPI promote nature-based solutions, such as reforestation, wetland and meadow restoration, invasive species removal, and check dam construction. These projects highlight the importance of sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices, as they aim to boost farmers’ productivity and empower communities to build resilience against climate change. 
 

Moreover, local water programs and partnerships supported by the CCFPI have empowered hundreds of communities to access clean water by facilitating the development and installation of ramp pump technology in remote areas, addressing the persistent challenge of limited electricity and water access in households. Watch a video highlighting these efforts here: 
 

Coca-Cola Water Stewardship

All these efforts align with The Coca-Cola Company’s 2030 Water Security Strategy, which focuses on:  

• Operations: Striving to achieve 100% circular water use across 175 facilities identified as leadership locations.  
• Watershed: Partnering with like-minded organizations to enhance the health of 60 critical watersheds.  
• Communities: Aiming to return a cumulative total of 2 trillion liters of water to nature and communities globally between 2021 and 2030.  

Follow Coca-Cola Philippines on social media at @CocaColaPhilippines on Facebook and @cocacolaph on X (previously Twitter) and Instagram, or go to www.coca-cola.com.ph for additional information on the company’s sustainability activities.

Reimagine Recycling, a project by Coca-Cola Philippines and Save Philippine Seas that strives to scale developing circular economy projects, is once more looking to assist trash solutions through project financing and capacity-building opportunities. The project is now in its fifth year. The search this year will concentrate on initiatives that promote circular economies, assist underprivileged communities, and stop garbage from leaking into riverine and marine habitats.

Up to 10 finalists will be chosen from the pool of applicants to attend the Reimagine Recycling Summit in January 2024. They will have the chance to network with previous winners, take part in seminars, and present their ideas in front of a group of specialists and experts during the summit. The Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines may provide funds for selected projects to support their execution of up to Php 500,000.00.

“Coca-Cola Philippines is proud to continue working with Save Philippine Seas to promote marine conservation. We recognize the importance of our oceans in life. Through Reimagine Recycling, we are helping support a circular economy for our packaging – including uplifting informal livelihoods, and working to reduce marine pollution in our rivers and oceans,” said Tony del Rosario, President of Coca-Cola Philippines and Vice President for Coca-Cola Franchise Operations in the East Region (Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines).

The program is part of Coca-Cola’s continuous efforts to achieve a World Without Waste through partnerships with organizations. In 2018, The Coca-Cola Company pledged to collect and recycle an equivalent of every bottle and can it sells by 2030; make its packaging recyclable globally by 2025, and use at least 50% recycled materials in its bottles by 2030. The company has also opened a state-of-the-art bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in General Trias, Cavite in 2021.

“At Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, we believe in the power of collective action and the ability to make a difference. That is why we are excited to support the 5^th year of Reimagine Recycling! We continue to seek new innovations from groups who share our vision of caring for our communities and supporting our informal waste sector,” said Cecile Alcantara, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines President.

“Reimagine Recycling has enabled past winners to make new connections, grow their projects, and support the collection of over 195,000 kilograms of waste. The ingenuity of Filipinos is inspiring,” said Anna Oposa, Executive Director of Save Philippine Seas.

Applications must be submitted by November 20, 2023. For any questions or concerns, please email Ms. Mo Maguyon, Reimagine Recycling Project Manager, at [email protected].

Eligibility

Applicants should have an established and ongoing project that addresses issues in coastal community engagement, improving the welfare of informal waste pickers, gender mainstreaming in waste management, and preventing waste from river and marine ecosystems. The project must be at least six (6) months old by November 2023. The initiative must be a community-based project. Priority will be given to projects that work at the barangay level and collect and recycle hard plastics.

Two to three representatives from each project’s organization, association, or group are required to submit applications. Applicants may be affiliated with academic institutions, civil society organizations, or private businesses (including start-ups and social entrepreneurs).

Examples of initiatives

Supporting informal livelihoods

●        Capacity-building opportunities

●        Implementing models of cooperative organizing and community governance

●        Improving facilities for workers to safely process collections

Developing circular systems

●        Providing access to recycling markets and solutions

●        Improving local infrastructure for waste collection, recovery, recycling and disposal facilities

●        Developing roadmaps and strategies for solid waste management and/or circular economy

Visit www.savephilippineseas.org/reimagine-recycling for additional details. Applications must be submitted by November 20, 2023 (11:59 PM GMT+8). Please read the FAQs at  www.savephilippineseas.org/faq-reimagine-recycling if you have any questions or concerns, or send an email to [email protected].    

In its Asia’s Outstanding Poll 2023, one of Asia’s top financial publications, Asiamoney, chose Universal Robina Corp. (URC) as the Philippines’ most outstanding company in the consumer staples sector for the third consecutive year.

After conducting a thorough poll of the top capital movers and financial experts in the area, Asiamoney presented the prize to URC, one of the major food manufacturers in the Philippines.

URC president and CEO Irwin Lee said clinching the award three times in a row “serves as a validation of the quality of our product, and a testament to the unyielding trust and confidence that our valued customers have in us”.

“It is also a recognition of the remarkable dedication shown by our workforce, and a reaffirmation of the overall excellence that defines our company,” he added.

Asiamoney is a top source of news, commentaries and data services for international capital markets.

The  2023 Asia’s Outstanding Company Poll  covered over 1,225 fund managers, analysts, bankers and ratings agencies. In total, 7,653 votes were received for publicly listed companies across 13 markets in Asia.

The results recognized 194 companies as being the most outstanding in their respective sectors and markets.

The poll was designed to acknowledge listed firms that have excelled in areas such as financial performance, management team excellence, investor relations and corporate social responsibility.

Lee thanked the diverse group of fund managers, analysts, bankers, and ratings agencies who participated in the voting. 

“We are also grateful to all our stakeholders – employees, suppliers, customers, and consumers – whose unwavering support and dedication have been instrumental in our resilience during the recent challenging years,” he added.

Lee said the latest award reinforces URC’s commitment to becoming the “foremost sustainable food and beverage enterprise from the Philippines, that delight consumers around the world with good food choices”.

The legendary products produced by URC, which have long been a part of Filipino culture, include Great Taste, C2 Cool & Clean, Piattos, Maxx sweets, and Cream-O cookies. URC, one of the biggest food and beverage producers in the nation, has a substantial and expanding presence in ASEAN. A few of its top regional brands are Fun-O, Tivoli, and Lexus.

For the third consecutive year, Universal Robina Corp. (URC) has been recognized the Philippines’ most outstanding firm in the consumer staples sector by Asiamoney, one of the region’s top financial periodicals. Popular food and beverage brands like Cream-O cookies, which are widely distributed in the area, are produced by URC.