BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28. The Coca-Cola Company is pulling out all the stops with its World Without Waste strategy, setting its sights on having 50 percent of its packaging made from recycled plastic by 2030, Elshad Farzaliyev, Senior Director of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Eurasia and the Middle East at the company, said at the Green World Solidarity: Waste to Value for Sustainable Future International Forum, Trend reports.
"Currently, Coca-Cola's packaging is 100 percent recyclable in Azerbaijan, with this process set to be completed in other countries by 2025. In Azerbaijan, we plan to ensure that at least 50 percent of the plastic used in our production is reused by 2030," he said.
He noted that, globally, the company developed a prototype bottle made from plant-based paraxylene (bPX) using the Virent process a few years ago.
Additionally, Farzaliyev brought up the fact that Coca-Cola, being one of the biggest private taxpayers in Azerbaijan, helps with trash reduction by using a circular economy strategy.
According to the official, Azerbaijan does not yet have a system in place specifically for collecting plastic waste and reusing it.
Up until now, every company in the plastic industry has been tackling this problem on their own, and Coca-Cola has emerged as a frontrunner in developing technological solutions. The company is actively working on various environmental initiatives, such as aiming to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 and ultimately achieving zero emissions by 2050.
To note, Coca-Cola has been operating in Azerbaijan since 1994.
The Green World Solidarity: Waste to Value for a Sustainable Future International Forum forum started its work in Baku on June 27 and will end today.
The forum is organized with the support of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and Tamiz Shahar OJSC. It is attended by officials from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, UN representatives, and delegates from various international organizations, including several foreign countries.
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