Coca-Cola Amatil is serious about the circular economy.

This is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.

To prove just that, Coca-Cola Oceania and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Fiji will reward its customers five cents when they redeem any of their bottles at one of their collection points.

This was announced by the Group Head of CDS Implementation and Packaging Sustainability at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia, Jeff Maguire, at an event in Suva yesterday.

Mr Maguire said to get and maintain circularity they needed to collect as many bottles as possible in their bid to remove of 300 tonnes of virgin plastic from its production.

“We are committed to the circular economy for the Pacific commencing in Fiji,” he said.

“We want to use our bottles again and again to deliver our beverages and to reduce the use of virgin plastic.”

“We currently collect our empty PET containers and cans but we want to do more.”

“We want to do more to drive the collection rate higher and ensure we collect our PET (polyethylene terephthalate) footprint by 2030.”

“By that we want to collect one container for every container we put into the market as this is our commitment in the World Waste Programme.”

Group Head of CDS Implementation and Packaging Sustainability at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia, Jeff Maguire. Photo: Laisa Lui

The bottles that can be redeemed are Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Powerade, Minute Maid and Schweppes.

Meanwhile, the companies jointly announced that plastic PET bottles, smaller than one litre, are now made from 100 per cent recycled plastic.

This means more than half the bottles in its portfolio of beverage brands in Fiji are now made from 100 percent recycled plastic.

Pacific Islands at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Fiji General Manager, Roger Hare has encouraged everyone to recycle their plastic bottles, so they can collect, process and help them achieve their goal.

Feedback: laisa.kabulevu@fijisun.com.fj