Coca-cola has announced its new partnership with The Ocean Cleanup.
The FMCG giant will become the first global implementation partner for the tech non-profit’s river project.
The initiative will see Ocean Cleanup’s technology supporting solutions across 15 rivers around the world in a bid to stop plastic waste from reaching the oceans.
The technology innovator said it aims to take advantage of the brand’s global scale and influence.
Coca-Cola’s role will be local community engagement on the ground to support implementation of the new interceptors and processing the plastic waste after it has been collected.
“With 1000s of rivers emitting nearly 80 per cent of river-carried plastic into oceans, this massive problem grows by the day, which is why we are always looking to accelerate our progress,” The Ocean Cleanup founder and chief executive Boyan Slat said.
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“Among the waste we collect with our cleanup systems, we find many plastic bottles, including Cocoa-Cola packaging, so I applaud them for being the first in the industry to join our mission, as part of their wider actions to make a positive impact on worldwide plastic pollution.
“Our clear intent is to take our learnings from this partnership, which has the potential to evolve in the future, and continue to scale rapidly.
“That’s why I believe this is good news for our oceans.”
Cocoa-Cola chairman and chief executive James Quincey added: “As a global business, we are working to ensure that all of the material we use in our packaging is collected and recycled, so that none of it ends up as waste,”
“We support The Ocean Cleanup teams and technologies that are working to protect ocean ecosystems in the journey to safeguard our waterways.”
“The Ocean Cleanup has a clear vision and proven technologies to support its goal to rid the world’s oceans of plastic,” Coca-Cola president and chief operating officer Brian Smith sa
“At Coca-Cola, we have teams on the ground who will support the deployment of new Interceptors in rivers around the world, as well as the processing and recycling of the waste collected. Working together, we believe we can have real impact.”
