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FEATURE

COCA-COLA KEEPS

SUSTAINABILITY FLOWING

The Coca-Cola Company’s Africa Operating Unit has launched a new Africa-focused
sustainability platform comprising existing and new sustainability initiatives.

he platform, known as JAMII – a Swahili word meaning
“community, society, and people” – focuses on three areas,
Tnamely the economic empowerment of women and
youth, waste management, and water stewardship. The unit will
collaborate with its bottling partners, system employees, and
several NGOs to ensure that sustainability issues are top priorities
on the continent.
Vice president of the South Africa franchise for Coca-Cola, Phillipine
Mtikitiki, said that prioritising such key sustainability issues is at the
top of her agenda.
“Through JAMII, we are collaborating with like-minded partners
in South Africa to accelerate the on-the-ground impact of our
sustainability initiatives,” she said. “Such partnerships between
government, the private sector, NGOs and communities expand
our ability to help improve reliable access to safe drinking water, The Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) was launched and funded by the
create economic opportunities for those most in need, and limit the Coca-Cola Foundation
impact of our operations on the environment, through our waste
management initiatives.”
Cola Company in South Africa saved over 760 million litres of water,
An African initiative equivalent to supplying 8,000 homes with 250 litres of water a day.
JAMII will drive Coca-Cola’s Africa World Without Waste initiative,
launched in 2018. World Without Waste signalled Coca-Cola’s global Partnerships for sustainability
commitment to re-examine its entire packaging life cycle – from One central water initiative was the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN),
how bottles and cans are designed and produced to how they’re funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF). Launched by TCCF in
recycled and repurposed, including the ambitious target to collect 2010 in response to the severe health challenges millions of Africans
and recycle a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030. Nearly all of face living without access to safe drinking water, RAIN aimed to
the company’s packaging is recyclable, and the goal by 2025 is for improve access to safe water for six million people in Africa over ten
recycling the equivalent of 100% of its packaging waste. years. In addition, RAIN sought to create employment opportunities
for women, youth and families through water project activities.
Patricia Obozuwa, AOU vice president for public affairs, RAIN was backed by a $65 million commitment by TCCF and made
communications and sustainability, said: “JAMII consolidates our possible through the support of more than 140 partners.
sustainability efforts under one umbrella that will allow us to make
good on our promise as a trusted partner for sustainable growth RAIN worked with implementing partners such as the Endangered
in Africa. The name represents who we are as Africans, aligns with Wildlife Trust (EWT), the Nature Conservancy, World Wide Fund
our values as an organisation, and expresses our commitment and for Nature-South Africa (WWF-SA) and Living Lands. As a result, it
community spirit.” has supported multiple projects directly related to South Africa’s
watersheds and the wetlands they serve. Globally, the planet lost
Sustainability demands inclusive economic growth, and Coca-Cola 35% of all wetlands between 1970 and 2015 and it cannot survive
South Africa has invested across its value chain, working on the this loss. The projects focus on replenishing water into nature in
principle of “operate, source and employ locally”. critical watersheds, clearing alien invasive plants, and improving
water security for communities across Africa.
Working with water
One of the most significant sustainability projects of the company Since 2019, RAIN has facilitated the clearing of 3,400 ha in its priority
is its work around water. Its 2030 water strategy recognises the catchment areas, which helped replenish more than 1.5 billion litres
urgency of shared water challenges – under the mantra of “reduce, of water into nature over a decade. The programme also provided
recycle and replenish” – and the interconnection of water and other employment and skills training for roughly 400 women and young
priority goals. Its vision is to increase water security and improve people in rural areas of South Africa.
people’s lives by providing access to drinking water.
Through RAIN, The Coca-Cola Foundation continues its fight to
In 2004, it took 2.7 litres of water to make one litre of product. By preserve clean water sources and restore those that are degraded,
2020, the company’s progress on water efficiency had placed it drained or depleted. In so doing, it has continued to maintain the
among the leading companies in the beverage industry, according flow for sustainability the planet requires.
to a benchmarking report by the Beverage Industry Environmental
Roundtable. The water use ratio at its bottling partner in South Information and photos supplied by FTI Consulting on behalf of Coca-Cola
Africa was 1.6 litres in 2020. Over the past seven years, The Coca- south Africa n

14 Landscape SA • Issue 112 2022