REIMAGINE RECYCLING YEAR 4: Coca-Cola PH, Save Philippine Seas help expand community-based waste solution programs

Five community-based programs that offer circular economy solutions have each received up to Php 500,000 in grant funding from the Reimagine Recycling initiative of Save

Philippine Seas and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, with special participation from Tetra Pak Philippines.

Reimagine Recycling is a program that aims to help non-government groups with emerging circular economy solutions that address issues in solid waste management and help improve the welfare of the informal waste sector. The program will help expand these projects through capacity-building workshops on stakeholder management, communications and business models, mentoring, and financial grant funding.

Now in its fourth year, it sought program proposals to support and fund through Coca-Cola

Foundation Philippines, Coca-Cola Philippines’ social investment arm. Since the call for applications was opened in June 2022, 10 were shortlisted to present their waste solutions and receive training and tools that will equip them in growing their initiatives.

Out of the 10 shortlisted initiatives, Alon and Araw, Barrio Studios, #RefillNotLandfill, Sagip Kalikasan and KAKASIE Eco-Park were awarded grants and will continue their work this time with more project funding, not just on collection and recycling but also in educating communities on proper waste segregation and management.

“We at Coca-Cola believe in the power of partnerships to help address waste pollution and help establish a circular economy in the Philippines. This is why we continue to be supportive of collaborations like Reimagine Recycling that empower innovative and sustainable waste management solutions that create impact in the communities they serve,” said Tony del Rosario, President of CocaCola Philippines and Vice President for the East Franchise Operations of Coca-Cola ASEAN and South Pacific. “By partnering with Save Philippine Seas and Tetra Pak Philippines, we can help support entrepreneurs to scale up their existing programs that promote a circular economy, while also strengthening our efforts to achieve our goal of a World Without Waste.”

With additional funding from Coca-Cola Philippines and its partners, winners of Reimagine Recycling Year 4 can now focus on expanding and building a stronger foundation for its initiatives:

• Alon and Araw provides opportunities for underprivileged children of coastal communities through sports, which enable them to foster love for the environment and aspire for a future with a better quality of life. Alon and Araw regularly conducts coastal cleanups as well as sports, education, and personal development workshops that reinforce important values and encourage responsibility within the family, society, and the environment;
• Barrio Studios is a textile and manufacturing hub by TenTwenty Kids that helps businesses manage their pre-consumer textile waste through the collection, segregation, and transformation of reclaimed fabrics into higher-value goods;
• #RefillNotLandfill is an advocacy of Suds Sustainable Pods, the country’s first pod brand that offers personal hygiene and household cleaning products packaged in water-soluble film that is biodegradable, non-toxic, and waste-free, offering a sustainable solution to sanitation. Suds was created to help reduce plastic waste and carbon footprint while providing a sustainable alternative that effectively cleans;
• Sagip Kalikasan aims to prevent the leakage of plastics into the ocean through environmental education, waste segregation, and collection in the municipalities of Naic, Marogondon and General Trias, Cavite. And lastly;
• Kasambuhan A’a Kauman Association for Sustainability, Innovation and Empowerment

(KAKASIE) seeks to help address issues on improper waste disposal in Sapa-sapa, TawiTawi by conducting regular training on recycling and upcycling. The community-based organization also aims to build an environmentally-friendly park.

“It is truly inspiring to work closely with entrepreneurs and advocates on programs that help tackle waste pollution—from plastic waste collection, managing textile waste, to educational training. We are excited to support this year’s Reimagineers and see their initiatives grow through the resources and mentorship provided by the program,” said Anna Oposa, Executive Director of Save Philippine Seas.

Smart Recycle PH was also awarded the Tetra Pak Special Award with grant funding for helping bridge ordinary citizens, business organizations, and verified collection partners, especially for the benefit of local junk shop owners.

“We congratulate Smart Recycle PH for the milestone they have achieved. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support high-potential community-based programs that not only advance grassroots innovation and circularity, but also share our commitment to protecting what’s good through multilateral collaborations,” said Michael Wu, Managing Director, Tetra Pak Market Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines & Indonesia.

“Together with our partners, we hope to continue empowering the next generation to make a positive impact in building a future without waste.”

“Consistent with our mission to help uplift the lives of the communities that we serve, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines will continue to support innovations that will empower communities and inspire

Filipinos to initiate their own waste solution programs, as this year’s Reimagineers have,” said Cecile Alcantara, President of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc.

“This year’s winners have proven that there are individuals and organizations who are eager to step up and create an impact in their own ways, and we in the Coca-Cola Foundation always welcome such efforts,” she adds.

In 2018, The Coca-Cola Company, through its World Without Waste vision, announced its global ambition to support a circular economy to help eliminate waste through the continual use of packaging as a valuable resource.

In addition to the Reimagine Recycling program, Coca-Cola Philippines is accelerating more waste management solutions aligned with its World Without Waste goals.

The company has this year opened PETValue, the first bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in the country.

PETValue is a joint venture between Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc. and Indorama Ventures, a global leader in packaging solutions.

Coca-Cola also continues to find and deploy sustainable, effective solutions to help address the waste issue with the support of partners and communities.

For more information about Reimagine Recycling, please visit https://www.savephilippineseas.org/. You may also read more about Coca-Cola Philippines’ World Without Waste initiatives at https://www.coca–cola.com.ph/news/our–world–without–waste–progress.