Applications for 5th Reimagine Recycling Now Open! Save Philippine Seas, Coca-Cola Team Up to Provide Waste Solutions Funding

From the pool of applications, up to 10 finalists will be selected to attend the Reimagine Recycling Summit in January 2024. During the summit, they will have the opportunity to meet with past winners, participate in workshops, and pitch their proposals before a panel of experts and specialists. Selected proposals have the chance to receive up to Php 500,000.00 in funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines to support their implementation.

“Coca-Cola Philippines is proud to continue working with Save Philippine Seas to promote marine conservation. We recognize the importance of our oceans in life. Through Reimagine Recycling, we are helping support a circular economy for our packaging – including uplifting informal livelihoods, and working to reduce marine pollution in our rivers and oceans,” said Tony del Rosario, President of Coca-Cola Philippines and Vice President for Coca-Cola Franchise Operations in the East Region (Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines).

The program is part of Coca-Cola’s continuous efforts to achieve a World Without Waste through partnerships with organizations. In 2018, The Coca-Cola Company pledged to collect and recycle an equivalent of every bottle and can it sells by 2030; make its packaging recyclable globally by 2025, and use at least 50% recycled materials in its bottles by 2030. The company has also opened a state-of-the-art bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in General Trias, Cavite in 2021.

“At Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, we believe in the power of collective action and the ability to make a difference. That is why we are excited to support the 5th year of Reimagine Recycling! We continue to seek new innovations from groups who share our vision of caring for our communities and supporting our informal waste sector,” said Cecile Alcantara, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines President.

A program participant joining a brainstorming session on waste segregation and collection
“Reimagine Recycling has enabled past winners to make new connections, grow their projects, and support the collection of over 195,000 kilograms of waste. The ingenuity of Filipinos is inspiring,” said Anna Oposa, Executive Director of Save Philippine Seas.

Applications must be submitted by November 20, 2023. For any questions or concerns, please email Ms. Mo Maguyon, Reimagine Recycling Project Manager, at rr@savephilippineseas.org.

Eligibility

Applicants should have an established and ongoing project that addresses issues in coastal community engagement, improving the welfare of informal waste pickers, gender mainstreaming in waste management, and preventing waste from river and marine ecosystems. The project must be at least six (6) months old by November 2023. The initiative must be a community-based project. Priority will be given to projects that work at the barangay level and collect and recycle hard plastics.

Applications must be by an organization, association, or group, with two to three representatives per project. Applicants may represent private entities (including startups and social enterprises), civil society organizations, or academic institutions.

Examples of initiatives

Supporting informal livelihoods
● Capacity-building opportunities
● Implementing models of cooperative organizing and community governance
● Improving facilities for workers to safely process collections

Developing circular systems
● Providing access to recycling markets and solutions
● Improving local infrastructure for waste collection, recovery, recycling and disposal facilities
● Developing roadmaps and strategies for solid waste management and/or circular economy

For more information, please visit www.savephilippineseas.org/reimagine-recycling. Deadline for applications is on November 20, 2023 (11:59PM GMT+8). For any questions or concerns, please review the FAQs at www.savephilippineseas.org/faq-reimagine-recycling or email rr@savephilippineseas.org.

IN CHOOSING PURIFIED WATER, ARE YOU SURE IT’S ‘UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN HANDS’?

Sanitation concerns in the ongoing pandemic calls for ‘contactless’ procedures—that is, human touch at barest minimum during transactions whenever possible. This prevents the potential spread of the virus through human hands.

It makes sense that this same norm should also be applied in the production of packaged goods we buy, especially in something as essential as bottled water. When you wonder about your cleanest, safest choice for your everyday drinking water, it’s worth asking: which among the countless water brands available are bottled with the least hand contact? Is zero human intervention even possible in the bottling process?

It’s reassuring to know that Coca-Cola Philippines has Wilkins Pure which is guaranteed to be ‘untouched by human hands.’ A state-of-the-art and fully-automated production line helps ensure that every bottle is safe and free from harmful contaminants unseen to the naked eye, and is at peak quality for your daily hydration needs.

It doesn’t stop there. Every bottle of Wilkins Pure undergoes all of the 7 stages of purification — micro-filtration, multi-media filtration, carbon filtration, polishing filtration, reverse osmosis, UV treatment and ozonization. Such a thorough process ensures high quality water that is pure to the last drop.

This certainty of purity is authoritatively vouched for by international global safety standards. Wilkins Pure has qualified for: Food Safety System Certification version 5 as recognized by the Global Safety Initiative; NSF Certification; Certification of Good Manufacturing Practices, Certification for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Codex Alimentarius and ABWA Certification under the International Bottled Water Association; among other certifications for Occupational Health and Safety Management and Environmental Management. That’s all on top of the exacting the exacting global audit standards of the Coca Cola Company, acknowledged for its longstanding quality reputation worldwide.

“We know how important water is for our daily health and hydration. But in these times of uncertainty, we also know that the last thing consumers need to worry about is what bottled water to buy,” says Teejae Sonza, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Philippines. “With Wilkins Pure, they can be assured that what they’re buying is internationally certified safe and free from unseen contaminants, giving them peace of mind knowing what they are drinking is indeed pure and good for every day consumption.”

At a time where each day is faced with the threat of unseen enemies, don’t leave one’s health and safety to chance. Go with guaranteed safe drinking water, and ‘para sure’ choose Wilkins Pure. Order Wilkins Pure via cokebeverages.ph or call the hotline at (02) 8813-2653 for deliveries within Metro Manila and 1800-1-888-2653 for orders outside Metro Manila.


About Coca-Cola in the Philippines

Coca-Cola has been refreshing Filipinos and making a difference in the Philippines for 108 years. The Philippines was Coca-Cola’s first market in Asia to begin local bottling operations. Today, the Coca-Cola system in the Philippines has evolved into a total beverage company, offering 19 brands in its beverage portfolio and employing over 10,000 Filipinos in over 19 manufacturing facilities and more than 60 distribution centers nationwide. As part of its long-standing commitment to the country, Coca-Cola continues to #GOBEYONDGOOD as a business by continuously supporting safe water access programs in over 200 communities, empowering over 200,000 women entrepreneurs through training and peer mentoring, and accelerating packaging collection and recycling under its global World Without Waste initiative.

EXPERTS URGE PUBLIC TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT DRINKING WATER

M

MANILA, July 6, 2020 – Health experts reveal that it is not enough that the water you drink looks clean to the naked eye. Your water should also be proven clean through lab tests, to avoid common water bourne diseases, such as cholera, dysentery, and gastroenteritis. Unfiltered water also has many potential contaminants, such as chlorine, heavy metals and allergens, as well as parasites.

Despite this, keep in mind that water is also important in everyday hydration. A document released by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition cites hydration as a key to supporting the body’s ability to fight the COVID-19 virus and support the immune system, recommending 2-4 ounces of clear liquid beverages every 15 minutes.

“Keeping properly hydrated at a time like this refreshes our bodies and keeps the virus away,” said Dr. Sybil R. Bravo, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and a member of the Blood-Bourne Infectious Diseases Core Team.

Health experts around the world continue to stress the need for proper hydration, along with getting enough sleep and proper handwashing, as the best ways to ward off the COVID-19 virus. However, access to safe and clean water continues to be a challenge. There are many harmful substances and minerals in unpurified water, and not all bottled water in the market is the same

Finding clean water that undergoes stringent purification processes to filter harmful substances and minerals means checking the purification process of which it undergoes. Some follow stricter and more stringent global processes to ensure that they are truly clean. Wilkins Pure, one of the water brands of The Coca-Cola Company, is certain to be clean and pure. With international certifications under its belt, Wilkins Pure goes through an advanced, seven-step purification process, which help assure that the water you drink purifies the body of toxins.

Learn more about the Wilkins via its official Facebook page or cokebeverages.ph.


About Coca-Cola in the Philippines

Coca-Cola has been refreshing Filipinos and making a difference in the Philippines for 108 years. The Philippines was Coca-Cola’s first market in Asia to begin local bottling operations. Today, the Coca-Cola system in the Philippines has evolved into a total beverage company, offering 19 brands in its beverage portfolio and employing over 10,000 Filipinos in over 19 manufacturing facilities and more than 60 distribution centers nationwide. As part of its long-standing commitment to the country, Coca-Cola continues to #GOBEYONDGOOD as a business by continuously supporting safe water access programs in over 200 communities, empowering over 200,000 women entrepreneurs through training and peer mentoring, and accelerating packaging collection and recycling under its global World Without Waste initiative.