Coca-Cola, Thai firm to put up biggest bottle recycling plant

MANILA, Philippines — Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc. (CCBPI) and Thailand-based Indorama Ventures have signed a joint venture agreement to set up a P1-billion bottle recycling facility in Cavite.

CCBPI said the recycling facility, which will be located in General Trias, would be the largest in the country.

The facility is expected to be completed next year.

To be equipped with cutting-edge technologies and industry-leading best practices for the most advanced recycling process for plastic bottles made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) material, the facility will be able to process 30,000 metric tons (MT) or almost two billion pieces of plastic bottles per year, with an output of 16,000 MT per year of recycled PET resin.

Through the facility, used PET bottles will be given a new life after they are collected, processed and used again and again within a circular economy.

As a producer of polyester products and polyester feedstocks, Indorama Ventures will bring its expertise in recycling to the Philippines through the partnership.

“We are very proud of our partnership with Indorama Ventures; they’ve been helping us with innovative initiatives on sustainable packaging – from light-weighting efforts that allow us to lessen the amount of plastic we use in our packaging, to developing the country’s the first-ever beverage bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic,” CCBPI chief executive officer Gareth McGeown said.

“Through this facility, we will boost the collection rates of clear plastic bottles – collecting not just Coca-Cola bottles, but even ones from other companies. The facility will also support Filipino jobs as well as the livelihoods of people within the waste value chain,” he said.

Indorama Ventures chief recycling officer Yashovardhan Lohia said the partnership is in line with the company’s commitment to sustainability.

“We firmly believe that a circular economy for plastic bottles, particularly PET plastic bottles, is possible and must be established. We cannot let the potential of this recyclable resource go to waste. This is a philosophy shared by Coca-Cola and our partnership with them is testament to how two organizations that share the same principles can institutionalize sustainability practices among industries and be of benefit to local communities,” Lohia said.

CCBPI is the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Indorama Ventures has established itself as a global leader in PET plastic manufacturing and recycling.

Indorama Ventures has over 70 manufacturing sites in over 30 countries and employs more than 24,000 individuals.