LAHORE: Coca-Cola was honored with the Governor’s Appreciation Certificate, the most esteemed recognition from the Governor’s office. This accolade commends Coca-Cola’s visionary approach and innovative endeavors in embracing sustainability principles across its operations. Dr. Faisal Hashmi, the Director of Public Affairs & Stakeholder Management, accepted the award on behalf of the company.
The acknowledgment specifically highlights Coca-Cola’s commitment to environmental and social sustainability through its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiatives. Notably, the company’s pioneering efforts in securing approval for recycled PET (rPET), its contribution to Punjab’s adoption of Pakistan’s inaugural plastic road initiative, and its advocacy for plastic circularity have been lauded.
Faisal Hashmi emphasized the significance of this recognition, affirming Coca-Cola’s dedication to collaborative efforts and efficient collection systems, particularly within Punjab, where most of its bottling partner plants are situated. Coca-Cola’s bottling partner, Coca-Cola İçecek, a Turkish investor with nationwide operations, employs approximately a million individuals across the supply chain.
As part of its commitment, Coca-Cola has pledged to recycle around 6000 metric tons of plastic in 2024. Collaborating with the government and the packaging alliance, CoRE, the company is actively involved in formulating a regulatory framework for rPET.
In collaboration with its partners, including the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the National Incubation Center (NIC), Coca-Cola will soon commemorate the three-year anniversary of Pakistan’s first plastic road. This 1 km road, built in Islamabad through a public-private partnership, utilized 10,000 tons of recyclable plastic, showcasing scalable solutions for reusing non-recyclable plastic in infrastructure projects.
