Coca-Cola PH Strengthens Recycling Presence in Bacolod, 500 Stores to Join Tindahan Extra Mile

MANILA, Philippines, 08 March 2024 — Coca-Cola Philippines, in partnership with Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies, Inc. (BEST) and the Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners (PASCO), has launched the Tindahan Extra Mile (TEM): Balik PET Bottle Program in Bacolod City.

By engaging 500 sari-sari stores and carinderias as new collection partners, consumers in Bacolod City can take more action around recycling and help advance a circular economy for plastic packaging.

Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez welcomed the initiative and emphasized the importance of partnering with industries, companies, social enterprises, and non-government institutions to deliver impactful and sustainable opportunities that can help uplift lives.

"The Tindahan Extra Mile Program is a testament to our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. By mobilizing our local entrepreneurs and fostering community engagement, we are taking significant strides towards a greener and more sustainable Bacolod,” he said.

"As we launch the Tindahan Extra Mile Program, we are not merely initiating a program; we are igniting a movement," Mayor Albee emphasized. "Together with BENRO, BEST, Coca-Cola Philippines, and our dedicated micro-retailers, we have the power to effect real change and preserve our environment for future generations,” he added.

How does TEM benefit micro-retailers?

Through Tindahan Extra Mile, participating micro-retailers will receive financial incentives by collecting PET plastic bottles. The program encourages the community to partake in a shared responsibility towards a cleaner Bacolod by providing convenient collection points in front of sari-sari stores and carinderias. Residents can easily drop off their empty bottles for recycling. Store owners will accrue environmental points proportional to the bottles they collect, redeemable for cash or products through the bXTRA app.

"Investing in the Tindahan Extra Mile program aligns perfectly with Coca-Cola Philippines' goal to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle we sell in the country. By empowering women micro-retailers, who make up a significant portion of sari-sari stores and carinderia owners in the Philippines, TEM creates a convenient and accessible network for consumers to recycle,” said Pablo Medina, Senior Director for Franchise Operations at Coca-Cola Philippines. “This program not only helps foster environmental responsibility but also provides opportunities for financial independence and growth for these female entrepreneurs, driving positive change within their communities.”

How can a micro-retailer become a TEM member?

Any sari-sari store and carinderia owner can become a member of the Tindahan Extra Mile in three easy steps.

Step 1: On the Tindahan Extra Mile Facebook page, sign up on the bXTRA website using your email address.
Step 2: Collect empty PET plastic bottles and bring them to the nearest TEM Trash to Cashback Collection Hub.
Step 3: Exchange your PET bottles for a TEM kit and card to start earning environmental points.


Watch here to learn more about Tindahan Extra Mile.

BEST Senior Vice President Jan Vincent Mercado urges micro-retailers to join TEM as
members. "In partnership with Coca-Cola Philippines, our aim is to empower micro- entrepreneurs to become environmental stewards,” he said. “We acknowledge their significance and influence within communities, emphasizing their potential to encourage community members to segregate plastic waste and participate in recycling endeavors,” Mercado said.

Empowering micro-retailers for a World Without Waste

To enable more micro-retailers and inspire collective action towards plastic bottle recycling, Coca-Cola Philippines will bring the Tindahan Extra Mile Program to other areas such as Cebu and Cagayan de Oro in 2024.

Last year, Coca-Cola Philippines launched its consumer engagement program, “May Ikabobote Pa”, to educate, inspire, and engage more consumers to return their empty bottles and cans for recycling.
 
To advance the circularity of plastic packaging, the company also introduced new bottles made from 100% recycled PET plastic. This packaging innovation is now available in Coca-Cola Original 190ml, Wilkins Pure 500ml, and Sprite 500ml. These bottles can be recycled many times, significantly reducing the volume of virgin plastic created and used. 
 
Consumers can locate the nearest collection points and discover more about Coca-Cola Philippines’ recycling initiatives through the Coca-Cola Sustainability Hub. 

Coca-Cola PH, Partners Collect more than 1,000 Kgs of Waste in Coastal Cleanup in Tanza, Cavite

Coca-Cola Philippines President Tony del Rosario joined hundreds of volunteers in the coastal cleanup at Julugan Fish Terminal in Tanza, Cavite

MANILA, Philippines — Coca-Cola Philippines, together with Plastic Bank Philippines and Lighthouse Legacy Foundation, led over 200 volunteers to collect debris and marine waste at Julugan Fish Terminal in Tanza, Cavite, on September 16, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).

Plastic Bank Philippines, ICC Philippines, Lighthouse Legacy Foundation, and the Don Bosco School of Theology were some of the organizations that joined Coca-Cola Philippines in collecting debris and marine waste during the coastal cleanup

Employees from the Coca-Cola Philippines system, together with waste collection members of its Ecosystem Impact Program with Plastic Bank Philippines and volunteers from ICC Philippines, Lighthouse Legacy Foundation, the Local Government of Tanza, Philippine Coast Guard Cavite Chapter, and Don Bosco School of Theology collected more than 1,000 kgs of waste to help address coastal waste issues in the area.

Zed Avecilla, President of Lighthouse Legacy Foundation, commended Coca-Cola Philippines for its longstanding commitment to responsible waste management, highlighting the company's "World Without Waste" strategy that was initiated in 2018, well before the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Law was enacted in the country.

Avecilla also emphasized the impact of raising awareness on the importance of managing waste to prevent them from getting into Philippine waters- through events like ICC. “What we are achieving through these events is the creation of awareness on responsible waste management and educating Filipinos about the EPR Law. In a way, we are appealing to their emotions to help the environment,” he said.

The ICC is renowned as the world's largest volunteer effort for ocean sanitation, with The Coca-Cola Company serving as a founding member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance since 1995. In partnership with its local bottling partners, the company is engaging employees, consumers, and communities in cleanups, providing resources, grants, and in-kind donations to help remove trash from beaches and waterways.

In the Philippines, Coca-Cola is doing its part to prevent marine debris through community-based initiatives like the Ecosystem Impact Program with Plastic Bank. This initiative helps build collection and recycling systems in communities to prevent plastic bottles from ending up in places where they should not be, while at the same time, empowering workers in the solid waste management sector.

Dhang Tecson, Global Director for Country Operations of Plastic Bank, thanked Coca-Cola Philippines for its annual coastal cleanup activity as well as the company’s invaluable contribution to advancing the circular economy of plastics in the Philippines. “Maganda ‘yung ginagawa ng Coca-Cola kasi hindi lang sa ating mga bahay nasisimulan ‘yung action, kundi pati sa ating komunidad (What Coca-Cola is doing is great because change doesn't just start in our homes but also in our community),” Tecson said.

Coca-Cola bottles can have many lives

Coca-Cola Philippines President Tony del Rosario emphasized that coastal cleanup activity is part of the company’s wider commitment to help tackle plastic waste. “No one wants to see empty packaging end up where it doesn’t belong. Our World Without Waste program is an ambitious global sustainable packaging strategy that aims to help drive a circular economy for our packaging in the Philippines. Together with our partners, we are making progress with still much more to do,” he said.

Coca-Cola Philippines President Tony del Rosario reaffirms the company’s commitment to help address the plastic waste problem through the World Without Waste global sustainable strategy and the May Ikabobote Pa consumer engagement initiative

The Coca-Cola Company’s World Without Waste global sustainable packaging strategy aims to make 100% of its packaging recyclable globally by 2025, use at least 50% recycled plastic in its packaging by 2030, help collect the equivalent of every can and bottle it sells by 2030, and bring people together to support a healthy, debris-free environment.

In line with this, Coca-Cola Philippines recently introduced new bottles made from 100% recycled PET plastic (rPET) for Coca-Cola Original (190ml and 390ml) and Wilkins Pure (500ml), in addition to Sprite 500ml introduced in 2019. The company also launched "May Ikabobote Pa" a consumer engagement initiative aimed at educating people about the actions they can take around recycling. Currently, Coca-Cola Philippines is expanding its network of over 2,800 recycling drop-off points across the country to make it easier for consumers to return their empty bottles.