VIETNAM – Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam Co.is planning to invest US$136million in the development of its largest beverage factory in Phu An Thanh Industrial Park of Ben Luc district in the southern province of Long An.

This announcement was made by Peeyush Sharma, CEO of Coca-Cola Beverage Vietnam Co., Ltd, who also noted that the Long An Economic Zone management board granted an investment license in January to Coca-Cola to implement the project.

Sharma added that covering a total of 19 hectares, the building will apply a smart factory model with modern techniques.

The company has also pledged to unite with the province in several community activities, including a zero-waste program, waste sorting efforts, and the establishment of a community center providing clean water for local people.

According to the provincial local authority, this is a major investment project licensed by the Long An area this year.

In the past three quarters of the year, Long An ranked ninth nationwide in terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) with more than US$665 million.

Coca-Cola Vietnam introduces COCA-COLA beverage bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastic

Coca-Cola Vietnam is also taking a meaningful step toward supporting a circular economy by introducing bottles made from 100% recycled PET plastic (rPET) excluding caps and labels, across the country.

By introducing COCA-COLA bottles made from 100% rPET, the company expects to reduce the usage of around 2,000 tonnes of new plastic in Vietnam annually.

The new rPET packaging has launched these new bottles on COCA-COLA Original and COCA-COLA Zero Sugar including 300ml bottles and offers the double benefit of convenience and sustainability for on-the-go consumers in Vietnam.

The company said the safety of the new recycled PET (rPET) plastic packaging has been thoroughly reviewed and complies with Vietnam regulations and The Coca-Cola Company’s strict global standards for food-grade rPET packaging.

Leonardo Garcia, General Manager of Coca-Cola Vietnam and Cambodia commented that the soft drink company wants to ensure that all its bottles have more than one life, in support of a circular economy in Vietnam.

To achieve this, the bottler must have enough supply of food-grade recycled plastic to meet demand, this is why Coca-Cola Vietnam, together with its bottling partner, is also investing in the collection and recycling of PET plastic bottles.

Since 2018, Coca-Cola Vietnam has been working with partners such as the Centre for Supporting Green Development (Green Hub), and local recyclers to support and incentivize informal plastic waste collectors who are the backbone of the recycling industry in Vietnam.

 With support from The Coca-Cola Foundation, the company is furthermore partnering with UNESCO in their programs to raise community awareness and find innovative solutions for plastic waste management at Cu Lao Cham and Cat Ba islands since 2020.

Coca-Cola Vietnam is one of the founding members of Packaging Recycling Organization (PRO) Vietnam, a partnership with other leading companies, recyclers, and government agencies to accelerate local packaging collection and recycling in support of a clean and green Vietnam. 

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