Coca-cola commits to POST-COVID-19 sustainable environment for women, young Nigerians

The Coca-cola Company has created a POST-COVID-19 sustainable environment initiative to help vulnerable women and young Nigerians cope with the hardship and economic loss to individuals and communities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As part of Coca-cola’s efforts to support communities recover from the economic challenges posed by the pandemic, a post-covid economic empowerment programme tagged ‘Project Revive’ has been launched,” said Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, the public affairs, communications and sustainability manager, Coca-cola Nigeria Limited.

According to her, Project Revive will support the economic recovery and empowerment of women and youth who have been most impacted by the pandemic.

“We have always remained committed to ensuring we achieve our environmental goals and this initiative is one of the many ways we aim to do so.

“We all have the collective responsibility of keeping our environment clean and CocaCola is committed to promoting a sustainable environment through its plastic recycling and recovery activities,” she stated.

They will be equipped with recyclables collection materials, training and access to drop-off points or recycling banks where they can exchange their recyclables for cash or household supplies. “We’re resolutely focused on how we can create value and contribute best to our collective recovery like never before,” said Onyemelukwe.

She opined that Coca-cola remains committed to ensuring the buy-in of everyone into the “World Without Waste” campaign and is much more committed to rewarding and encouraging, regardless of social class, those who participate in creating a sustainable environment for us all.

With grants of over $800,000 from the Coca-cola Foundation to multiple local NGOS, several recycling and women empowerment programs are being implemented to address the issue of environmental protection.

As part of the initiative, a recycling bank was commissioned to aid the gathering and processing of the collected materials. “With this site, we’re very optimistic about the project as we’re working on making this a first of many,” said Aderonke Oduneye, the permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Environment.

According to Oduneye, the recycling bank will make collection and onward processing of recycled materials seamless and easy.

Taiwo Adewole, the executive director of Recyclepoints, said partnership with CocaCola will inform the setting up of more Recycling Banks and Drop- off Points in the country to make recycling very accessible and convenient for post-consumers to dispose their waste responsibly.