The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Coca-Cola

  • ‘Our Coca-Cola stories’

    ‘Our Coca-Cola stories’

    Past participants at the CAMPUSLIFE Correspondents’ Workshop were the cynosure of all eyes as they shared their experiences with others at the 13th edition held last weekend in Lagos. The panel discussion, moderated by a public relations consultant, Mr Agbo Agbo, involved Jumoke Awe, Femi Asu, Gilbert Alasa and Francis Egwuatu. OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI (Language Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University) reports.

    After spending five years for her law degree at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, and one year at the Nigerian Law School (NLS) in Abuja, the only certificate that has taken Jumoke Awe to places is the one given to her by The Nation and Coca-Cola System in Nigeria.

    This is one of the testimonies shared last weekend at the 13th CAMPUSLIFE Correspondents’ Workshop held at CitiLodge Hotel in Lekki, Lagos.

    Jumoke, now a brand strategist, said she would forever be grateful to Coca-Cola Nigeria and Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited for giving her a platform that opened doors for her.

    “I have never put a curriculum vitae (CV) together to look for job after I left school,” Jumoke, Managing Director of Octo Consult, told the participants, adding that she is an employer of labour.

    This, she said, was made possible by the CAMPUSLIFE platform.

    After leaving Law School, Jumoke said she only practised law for four months during which she registered a media consultancy firm. “I never had any background in journalism except writing for The Nation as a student-writer. The certificates given to me at all the CAMPUSLIFE workshops I attended are the ones I am using to carve a niche for myself in the world of brand communication,” she said.

    Jumoke, the co-ordinator of Street2School, a Feminine Care Development Foundation, said the CAMPUSLIFE certificates and her stories in The Nation gave her the opportunity to consult for Osun, Ekiti and Ogun states on communication strategy.

    She urged the participants to use the CAMPUSLIFE platform to prepare themselves for life after school, saying opportunities abound in campus journalism.

    Jumoke, who referred to herself as a “proud product” of CAMPUSLIFE school, praised the management of The Nation for giving undergraduates an opportunity to express their views weekly. She added that her articles in the 10-page pull-out got her connections, praising the late CAMPUSLIFE editor, Mrs Ngozi Agbo, for nurturing her and others.

    Another CAMPUSLIFE product, Femi Asu, an Accounting graduate got a job with an accounting firm, two years after graduation. But he resigned to pursue his dream in journalism. “My stories on CAMPUSLIFE pages stood me out. Two weeks after I submitted my application at Business Day, the Editor called me himself after he read my articles  on CAMPUSLIFE pages, which I attached to my CV,” he said. He is now an Energy reporters with business journal.

    Femi described CAMPUSLIFE as a “life-changing” platform, which must be explored by undergraduates. He said without the opportunities offered him through CAMPUSLIFE, he would not have pursued his dream to do what he had always loved to do.

    “I will enjoin the participants to stay connected to CAMPUSLIFE, because this is a family you will never regret to be part of,” he said.

    For Gilbert Alasa, a graduate of Foreign Languages from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), the platform has elevated him to a height he never dreamt of. Gilbert, who is serving in Ekiti State, said CAMPUSLIFE made it possible for him to get mouth-watering remuneration for his writing skills. Through his award-winning stories, Gilbert was selected as a trainee in an International Investigative Reporting Training in Abuja last June.

    Francis Egwuatu has just won the 2014 edition of Mr Universe Nigeria held in Lagos last month. He is an engineering student of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). He narrated how Coca-Cola System and The Nation contributed to his success.

    Francis won the Anambra edition of the contest last year, qualifying him for the national challenge, which he won last month.

    He said the spirit of friendship among CAMPUSLIFE students was key to his success at the pageant, because he learnt how to live with people of different culture.

    The foursome hailed Coca-Coca Nigeria and NBC for the sponsorship, adding that their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is significant.

     

  • Coca-Cola unveils World Cup campaign

    Coca-Cola unveils World Cup campaign

    Coca-Cola Nigeria has unveiled its marketing communication plans for the 2014 FIFA World Cup holding in Brazil. The company unveils local adaptation of its global TVC using local artiste, Waje, MI to connect with the local consumers in the spirit of the FIFA World Cup 2014. The firm also plans to fly lucky winners of its promotion to the competition.

    The Marketing Manager, Colas for Coca-Cola Nigeria, Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, described Coca-Cola as the ideal brand to connect consumers with the best global soccer entertainment. “This campaign is our way of inviting the consumers to participate and celebrate with fans worldwide as they experience the Brazil World Cup.”

    The World Cup theme song, “The World is Ours” was performed by a Brazilian born artiste David Correy, Brazilian Percussion group Monobloco for football lovers to celebrate and bringing the World Cup to the world. There is a Nigerian version of the song that featured MI & Waje.

     

  • SERAP drags Coca-Cola, NBC to UN over harmful drinks, abuse of right to health

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged Coca-Cola Limited and the Nigerian Bottling Company Limited to the United Nations’ (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights over what it described as “serious breaches of corporate responsibility to respect the right to health of Nigerians and the failure to provide effective remedies to victims.”

    The organisation said: “This failure of due diligence has implications for the enjoyment of the economic and social rights guaranteed under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.”

    The group petitioned the UN following the disclosure by the Nigerian Consumer Protection Council (NCPC) of cases of harmful drinks including two half-empty cans of Sprite, a product manufactured by the NBC under the licence and authority of Coca-Cola Limited, and rusty bottle crown corks, cans and foreign particles in products.

    The NCPC also said  the companies have failed to put in place a shelf life policy for their products to facilitate the removal of expired products from the market.

    According to SERAP, “both Coca-Cola and NBC have failed and or neglected to subject their manufacturing process to inspection by appropriate authorities, contrary to national laws and international standards, in particular, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework. The principles were endorsed by the UN Human Rights’ Council in June 2011.”

    The organisation also argued that: “Coca-Cola and NBC are required to ensure that their activities do not directly or indirectly cause human rights abuses, and to provide effective remedies to victims in cases of abuses of human rights. They must seek to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts that are directly linked to their operations, products or services by their business relationships, even if they have not contributed to those impacts.”

    “The human rights abuses by Coca-Cola and NBC illustrate the lack of explicit human rights policies by several companies operating in Nigeria and which have continued to contribute to the violations and abuses of the economic and social rights of millions of Nigerians. Even companies with human rights policies have failed and or neglected to effectively implement these policies for the sake of profit,” the organisation added.

    SERAP said: “We believe that human rights abuses by Coca-Cola and NBC cannot be justified in the light of the letter and spirit of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the UN Guiding Principles as well as the Committee’s own jurisprudence.”

    It, therefore, requested the committee, “being the principal body established to monitor compliance with the Covenant”, to act urgently not only to ensure that corporate bodies like Coca-Cola and NBC are not directly or indirectly abusing the economic and social rights of Nigerians under the Covenant and the Guiding Principles, but also protect the sanctity, credibility, efficacy and authority of the Covenant and the Guiding Principles and the Committee’s role in ensuring that corporate practices do not directly or indirectly lead to abuses of human rights.”

    “The Committee should work with the Working Group on the issues of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises to put pressure on Coca-Cola and NBC to respect their social responsibility to promote human rights and afford remedies to the victims involved in this case,” SERAP said.

    The communication Manager, Coca Cola/Nigerian Bottling Company, Mrs. Oluyomi Onakoya declined comment on SERAP’s petition to the UN.

    “As you will appreciate, this matter is currently under judicial review. As such, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time. We have been operating in Nigeria since 1951 and at all times have conducted our business in compliance with the country’s laws and regulatory requirements concerning our industry.

    “Throughout the past 63 years we have applied processes and procedures to institute high quality standards in production and achieve international values for all aspects of operations including those involving human rights, community support and environmental protection.

    “Our commitments and our application of our Mission and Values and the monitoring of our progress in these regards, can be found on our website,” she said.

     

  • Mr Biggs, Coca-cola hold promo

    Mr Biggs, Nigeria’s indigenous quick service restaurant, and Coca Cola are set to reward customers with the first-ever Coke Cup promo.

    The promotion, which will push 120,000 Coca-Cola cups into the homes of many Nigerians, is geared towards giving loyal consumers an adventure to spice up the season. The cups have five colours; black, yellow, green, blue and red. According to the Marketing Manager, Nnenna Azuka-Onwuka, the cups are exquisite and once you collect one colour, you want to collect all five. “It is a collector’s item and we want them in as many homes as possible,” he added.

    Managing Director, UAC Restaurants Limited Derrick Van Houten said: “Between November 22 and January 12, during which the promo will last, consumers can collect, one, more or all of the five cups. These cups are a collector’s item; you don’t want to have one colour and not the other.”

    To collect the cup, a consumer will buy products worth N1,500, including a Coca-Cola product from any Mr Bigg’s Restaurant, and get a free cup. ‘’We see this as an exciting adventure for the consumers as there is always something different to look forward to. It is an interesting quest which will keep the consumers coming back for the next cup colour and then the next one and so on until all five colours have been collected,” Hosten added.

    Mr Bigg’s and Coca-Cola officials are excited at this opportunity to deliver another innovation first to consumers; it is the brands’ little way of saying thank you to their loyal consumers.

  • Ambush Marketing: NFF warns of unauthorised use of Super Eagles’ marks

    Ambush Marketing: NFF warns of unauthorised use of Super Eagles’ marks

    Once more, the Nigeria Football Federation has taken exception to the penchant of some corporate organisations who try to appropriate glory not due to them by taking advantage of the excellent performances of Nigeria’s National Teams at the international level.

    Following the Super Eagles’ qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals after a 2-0 dismissal of Ethiopia on Saturday, which made for a 4-1 aggregate win, some corporate establishments have been at their pranks once more claiming part of the glory.

    NFF’s Marketing Consultant, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor was livid on Monday after soft drinks behemoth, Coca-Cola put out an advertisement in the newspaper: Congratulations Team Nigeria – You Qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and We’re Behind You. Go On. Win It For Naija.

    “We are shocked at the penchant of some organisations to sneak into the picture and try to claim they are among those who have been funding the Super Eagles. The public should be aware that all the companies masquerading as supporters of Super Eagles are only doing so for their own merchantile interests. I will say Coca-Cola and Chivita are guilty in this regard.

    “This is unacceptable, because they know the right channel to go if they want to be part of the team. The Nigeria Football Federation is receptive to offers for sponsorship in several categories but some of the corporate institutions only want to be part of the team when it is winning.

    “The Government of Nigeria and the NFF’s partners and sponsors should claim the glory for the string of successes that we have seen in our football this year. For those who are outside the frame, using the name of the Super Eagles for campaigns and identifying their brand with the team is unprofessional and unacceptable, ” Itemuagbor said.

    It would be recalled that on 7th February this year, the NFF was forced to issue a similar statement after some companies who are not NFF partners or sponsors jumped onto the wagon trying to give the impression they were part of the Super Eagles’ performance that led to victory at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    “The Nigeria Football Federation wishes to state without ambiguity that only its partners and sponsors have the rights and privileges to use the name of the Super Eagles for any campaigns, promotions or

    mentions. We will not hesitate to take legal action against any company, institution or establishment that runs foul of this caution,” Itemuagbor added.

  • Photo: Coca-Cola wins award for excellence in food processing

    Photo: Coca-Cola wins award for excellence in food processing

    Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited has been awarded the Industry Award for Excellence in Food Processing by the Nigerian Constitute of Food Science and Technology.

    The award was presented by the Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu,  at  the 37th Conference and Annual General Meeting of the group held in Abuja.

     

  • Joining issues with the National Assembly

    Femi Falana is one Nigerian that needs no introduction, from his days as an undergraduate in the then University of Ife, Ile Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), the lawyer and human rights activist who at a time was the former president of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers and former chairman of the West African Bar Association (WABA), has always been at the forefront in the quest for justice and fairness in society. Falana became a human rights activist as early as 1983 when he took bail of some university students who had been unlawfully remanded in prison custody; he is still in the fight to date. He is renowned for providing free legal services to the poor and disadvantaged, and as is often the case, he has been detained numerous times by the security agencies for his activism.

    He was the lead speaker at the just concluded 11th Coca-Cola/NBC sponsored Campuslife Correspondents Workshop with the theme “Building a drug-free and non-cultist generation” in partnership with The Nation. The legal luminary walked into the venue of the workshop right on time and after exchanging pleasantries and receiving a loud and standing ovation from the more than 50 undergraduates from tertiary institutions across the country he got busy with his blackberry phone. I thought he was replying a text message, but it was when he started his lecture that we got to know that he was busy writing his lecture notes there and then!

    He came right from the onset with a smoking gun and took a rather unusual route to treating the topic of discussion; nothing was projected on the screen behind him as expected of most lectures and there were no “handouts” to pass around and some of our students were a bit confused when he started because he took a historical route to tackling the subject which only started making sense as he progressed.

    The popular analogy of President Goodluck Jonathan that he had no shoes when he was growing up which elicited millions of sympathy votes that brought him into power was the starting point of his presentation. “But most of us in his generation had no shoes, and where we do, they were only meant for special occasions like Christmas and Easter celebrations.” But in spite of this, the Nigerian state invested massively in their future to ensure that poverty is banished from the land by investing in education. Leading the way was the Western regional government in 1955 which laid the foundation for the educational advancement of the region so much so that by 1976 the Western model was adopted as a National education policy.

    Walking down memory lane, he pointed out that the Federal Government provided loans to students while state governments provided bursary allowance to reduce the burden of quality education on the students who even had the luxury of having laundry departments that took care of their laundry needs. Employers often pay regular visits to campuses to recruit prospective employees before the completion of their studies.

    Vacation jobs were also readily available and students have no reason to be idle, even secondary school leavers then registered with the ministry of labour and whenever there were vacancies in any of the factories scattered around Lagos they were contacted and given employment, this was at a time when there were no mobile phones.

    But all these, as our speaker stressed, may appear like tales from another planet due to the gross mismanagement of the economy from 1980, when “the dreams and aspirations of our youth were shattered, things got worse by 1986 when the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). Babangida told the nation that there was ‘no alternative to SAP’, but it was merely a tool by western imperialist to pauperise Nigerians. Attempts by late Gani Fawehinmi, I and others to challenge the legality of SAP were truncated by the military.”

    Confessing that he was up all night monitoring the political development in Egypt and the lesson therein, Falana said the crisis is merely a “street protest” and not a “revolution” as is being erroneously portrayed because it clearly lacked all the elements and strategy of a revolution like clear cut leadership and goal. He likened Egyptian scenario to the June 12 agitation which they undertook after the annulment of the June 12 1993 election, which eventually forced General Babangida from power. “We had a street protest, but no strategy on how to take over power”, he added. He berated the $1.5 billion military aid to the Egyptian military by the United States government. “This amount is enough to wipe out poverty in Egypt. The US government is pumping this huge amount to the military to stifle a real revolution of the people from actually taking place. This is the main reason the US could not even call what actually happened by its real name “a military coup” because of the repercussion it would have.

    Next on the chopping block is the lacklustre student unionism on campuses. Nigeria, he pointed out, used to have a vibrant student unionism in the universities, but the military, in their bid to nib any resistance to their rule in the bud, frustrated students and lecturers unionism and by so doing systematically destroyed the intelligentsia and by implication the entire society. Without vibrant unions on campuses voices from the ivory tower was muffled and has degenerated to the level where student leaders are now appendages of various government houses in the country.

    Since voices of reason are now scarce, the generality of the people choose the route of religious fundamentalism which often leads to the closing down of public highways and roads by various religious organisations in the country. Our penchant for “religiosity” is what has resulted in billions of Naira being spent to sponsor the elites to religious pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem. Those who loot the treasury go to Mecca and Jerusalem to pray weekly. “This is why there is no money to fund education”. Since 1999 also unemployment has assumed a dangerous proportion with corruption taking a never to be imagined direction where billions are looted from the public treasury without recourse to decorum.

    All these, according to him, lead to drug addiction, gangsters on campuses, exam malpractice and cultism in this generation which was not prominent in earlier generations. Our corrupt system thus destroyed merit and paved the way for permanent students on campuses. To this the students concurred and started naming names of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) officials who fall under this category.

    But despite these gloomy postulations, Falana feels there’s hope for genuine change if the youths actually yearn for it. “If the youths want genuine change in the society, they must convince themselves that it requires a surgery and must be done through sacrifice and mobilisation. You should expose your friends who are criminals before they come into position of power,” he said.

    He challenged the youth to take advantage of their share size of over 60 million to cause a change in the history of the country by using the internet effectively to drive home the point that they want and desire genuine change. Raising a very vital point about being disconnected from the process of governance, he encourage them to “join issues with the National Assembly” by ensuring that corrupt officials do not find life easy. He reminded them that when N2.8 billion was declared missing in the 1980s, 600 students from then University of Ife surrounded the then National Assembly complex in Lagos and that action forced the Federal Government to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the issue. Students, he pointed out, can still do the same today by compelling the National Assembly to pass laws that are favourable to educational development and stiff against corruption and outright impunity.

    The second speaker, Mrs. Ngozi Ngwoke of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), handled the technical aspect of drug addiction which she said is difficult to separate from cultism because the two are intertwined, pointing out that there is no drug free society anywhere in the world. Anyone, she noted can fall victim of substance abuse with the most vulnerable being the 11-35-year bracket. At the end of the two-day workshop, the students were challenged to be change agents in their generation.

     

  • Ahead with Coca-Cola

    Just before my final exams as an undergraduate, we were faced with a daunting but exciting term paper in one of our courses titled Environmental Biology. The term paper had as topic “Analytical review of EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) of some firms”. To make it easier, the lecturer, Mr. Collins Onwe, divided us into groups, according to the relevant sectors. At the end, MTN represented telecommunication, Shell Petroleum stood for oil and gas, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited came in for beverage with Nestle. Each group was expected to make its presentation on a fixed date.

    Coincidentally, I was to lead the Coca-Cola team, having been tagged a Coca Cola ambassador owing to my media affiliation with the brand.

    Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a planning tool, which is vital in determining the impact of projects, industries, and other establishments on the environment. This is done by evaluating the environmental consequences of a proposed activity at the design phase of the project. The purpose is to ensure that decision-makers consider the environmental impact of a project. The process entails reports preparation, public participation and independent review, decision making or authorization and post authorization activities.

    Our project was based on post-authorization since all the firms in question were already in operation. We were also told to dwell on the consumer waste which is perhaps higher in magnitude as against the source.

    However, an EIA should be followed by an audit by for performance evaluation by comparing actual impacts with those predicted. In Nigeria, the practice of EIA is enshrined in the constitution through the Environmental Impact Assessment Act promulgated in 1992 and the National Environmental Standard and Regulation (NESREA)

    Our research was based on data received from the internet, journals, and other media since we could not obtain data directly from the source.

    For the Coca-Cola group, we received the most applause and commendation for our foresightedness. The lecturer, Mr. Onwe, specially commended our efforts on the Coca-Cola packaging model. Consequently, the giant strides of Coca-Cola on PET bottles (Polyethylene terephthalate) were brought to the fore. PET is the fastest growing packaging option in the beverage industry owing to changing consumer lifestyle and preference that emphasize convenience unlike returnable glass bottles or cans.

    The PET bottle does not break easily and constitutes no risk to the environment. But it must be properly disposed. However, Coca-Cola blazes the trail, once again through the post-consumer PET bottles recycling project. Interestingly, the PET bottles are being recycled into other useful items such as furniture-pillow, building insulation and other useful household items. It is noteworthy, however, that this has created a value chain which ensures the sanitation of our streets and drainages. It has also provided sustainable jobs for thousands of Nigerians. This is a real case of waste-to-wealth.

    However, for other group, they advocated the promotion of online recharge as typified in their virtual top up (VTU) while doing away with the conventional recharge cards papers.

    Nevertheless, we may choose to like Coca-Cola brand for myriads of reasons or we may equally choose to hate them for various reasons based on unsubstantiated facts as in the case with my friend who attributed his mum’s diabetes to Coca-Cola. But it is heartwarming to note that in a country where corruption is endemic, where institutional failure is the norm and where heinous crimes against humanity and the environment are being committed with impunity, there is a brand that truly thinks and works ahead of our times, generations and even its regulatory bodies. Invariably, Coca Cola has assumed the benchmark for the industry’s standards, believing that there is more in the future than what the present holds for us as a people.

    Lawrence, recently graduated from Applied Biology, EBSU

  • Coca-Cola appoints new Managing Director

    Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited has appointed Adeola Adetunji as its Managing Director.

    He will replace Kelvin Balogun from January 1, 2013. Balogun is now President, Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa (CEWA) Business Unit.

    Adetunji is the General Manager for Manufacturing and Trading Services; he serves as Managing Director for Waveside (Pty.) Limited, a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company in South Africa.

    Adetunji has spent 19 years in Coca Cola, serving in areas spanning finance, marketing and operations.

    He joined the company in Atlanta in 1993 and was appointed the South Africa Division Accounting Manager three years later.

    He led Coca-Cola in East Africa between 2003 and 2005 and helped to stabilise the business in Southern Africa between 2005 and 2007, before he moved to bottling operations in July 2008 as the East and North Africa Operations Director for Coca-Cola Sabco.

    Prior to joining the Coca-Cola, Adetunji worked in audit and consulting with Spicer and Oppenheimer (now Nexia International) for over three years.

    He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife), Nigeria and an MBA in Finance and Strategic Planning from the University of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, United States.

    “We are very pleased to have another strong professional in Adetunji to lead the Coca-Cola business in Nigeria, one of our strategic growth markets,” said Nathan Kalumbu, outgoing President of Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa, who will be moving up as the Group President for Coca-Cola Eurasia and Africa Group.

    “We are confident that he would focus on delivering our system growth plan, leveraging the solid groundwork laid over the past two years,” he added.

    Adetunji said: “I am excited at the opportunity to return to Nigeria as steward the Coca-Cola business; and I look forward to working with the team to further strengthen the fundamentals of our business and grow our market leadership.”

  • Coca-Cola partners firms to protect environment

    Coca-Cola partners firms to protect environment

    Coca-Cola Company is supporting industry coalition to protect the environment by encouraging proper disposal and management of its wastes, including used packaging materials.

    The company, according to its Technical Director, Mr Nkem Akobundu, is supporting the conversion of its PET bottles into fibres for making pillows, clothes and mattresses.

    Akobundu spoke at the launch of the new look Eva Water, in Lagos. He said the company had 13 sites where it treats waste water.

    He said: “Our company is conscious of how it manages our carbon foot print. Besides, we have in place energy management devices that reduce our energy consumption.

    Where we use a lot of energy we combine heat and water to heat our boilers. Additionally, we do not release gas to the environment, as we have installed coolers with carbon dioxide (Co2) compressors.”

    Akobundu also said plans were ongoing with Tetra Pack to recycle the seven-layer paper packaging of 5alive juice.

    On the new look Eva,  he insisted that it is of the same quality but with a better appeal.

    In his contribution, Senior Brand Manager, Still Beverages of Coca Cola, Mr Otome Olumide Oyo, said: “The DNA of Coca Cola runs in all its brands and as a global player in beverages, it is important to us to continue to leverage our global foot print regardless of where we are.

    Our new Eva has better handling and stand up distribution challenges, we continuously engage ourselves and also take care in the preservation of the environment.”

    Coca-Cola, he said, has supported the recycling of PET bottles since 2005, helping to establish a collection and buyback system that includes 22 collection centres in 10 States across the country.

    He maintained that through the project, nearly one billion bottles have been recycled with about 6,000 tonnes recycled this year, stressing that the new Eva bottle is another sustainable way the company is demonstrating its commitment to environmental sustainability.

    ”The new Eva water bottle is safe for the consumers and safer for the environment.

    We at Coca-Cola would never compromise our existing standards and would continue to bring our consumers the best innovative products to cater to their needs and ensure the safety of the environment,” he said.