Coca-Cola Colombia and retailer Grupo Éxito have come together to open a new 'Soy RE' recycling point, at Éxito’s WOW Country outlet in Bogotá.
Grupo Éxito said it plans to open 17 similar recycling points across Colombia, where consumers can obtain loyalty points by returning containers.
The initiative will contribute to recycle and recover bottles and other materials that can be reused, and to promote better consumption habits, according to the group.
Coca Cola added it will refill said containers where possible and return them to the market, to reduce plastic use and boost sustainability.
“At Coca-Cola, we celebrate this alliance as a way to move forward in our purpose to refresh the world, and to make a change through innovative actions that promote a circular economy model," said Juan Sebastián Jiménez, public affairs, communication and sustainability director at Coca-Cola Colombia.
Pablo Montoya, Grupo Éxito’s sustainability director, added that the group's Soy RE programme grew more than 215% last year, managing more than 12 million containers.
"In 2022, we have gathered 671 tonnes of materials from 11,4 million packages," he added. "Having Coca-Cola as an ally shows the common commitment we have within our sustainability strategy.”
One Tree At A Time
Elsewhere, Coca-Cola will also donate 5,000 trees to Grupo Éxito’s #UnÁrbolALaVez (One Tree At A Time) initiative, which aims to plant one million trees to protect the country’s watersheds.
Every time a consumer buys a certain number of Coca-Cola products at Éxito, Carull, Surtimax, Super Inter and Surtimayorista outlets, a tree will be donated to the #UnÁrbolALaVez initiative, the company said in a statement.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest packaging and design news. Article by Amanda Merchán. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
