Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. nabs win at the FMCG Asia Awards

The winning initiative empowers MSMEs to participate in a global commitment to sustainability

Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) is promoting packaging circularity, responsible waste management, and community advocacy through the “Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo!” (“Discard to Earn: If It's Clear, It's a Win”) plastic bottle collection programme. Launched in 2021, the initiative collects post-consumer clear PET plastic bottles, regardless of their brand, to be given new life and incentivises communities to take part in a culture of recycling.

“Tapon to Ipon," pursued with the help of CCBPI’s partners across the country, works to address the urgent need for sustainable waste management in the Philippines and is in line with Coca-Cola’s global World Without Waste commitment—to collect and recycle every single bottle and can it sells by 2030. 

The initiative takes its name from a play on Filipino words—tapon means “to throw away” or “discard” and ipon which can mean “collect” or “earn,” which points to the incentivised nature of the programme. This encapsulates the goal of encouraging consumers to not just throw away used bottles but to collect them and deposit them at the collection hubs for incentives. 

Accelerating reach through community participation

CCBPI has been collaborating with various stakeholders, including local government units (LGUs), private organisations, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to establish collection points nationwide.

One of the key features of the campaign is how it partners with its rich network of ‘sari-sari’ stores. Sari-sari stores are traditional trade outlets or small convenience stores that are ubiquitous in Philippine neighbourhoods. The term ‘sari-sari’ means ‘variety’ or ‘sundry.’ These micro-enterprises typically operate within residential areas and offer a variety of products, including snacks, canned goods, beverages, toiletries, and other daily necessities.

Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. has tapped almost 700 of its partner sari-sari stores across the country to provide convenient drop-off points for used clear PET plastic bottles. They also serve as frontline outlets for offering incentives to consumers in return for their surrendered used plastic bottles.

The “Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo!” plastic bottle collection programme also focuses on educating communities about the recyclability of clear PET plastic bottles. Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc., in partnership with LGUs and other stakeholders, conducts awareness campaigns during local festivals, events, and in high-visibility areas. These initiatives, coupled with information, education, and communication (IEC) materials, contribute to improving recycling awareness amongst community members.

Collaboration with local government units has been pivotal to the success of “Tapon to Ipon,” which has reached almost 170 cities and municipalities since its inception. Amongst many notable partnerships are with the Basco, Batanes LGU, and provinces such as Davao del Sur, Iloilo, and Camiguin, all of which have significantly contributed to the programme's success. Davao del Sur, for instance, has officially integrated “Tapon to Ipon” into its solid waste management plans, resulting in the hauling of approximately 20MT of PET bottle stockpiles across the province.

Closing the loop towards a fully circular economy, collected PET bottles are brought to PETValue Philippines, Coca-Cola's bottle-to-bottle recycling facility and a joint venture with Indorama Ventures, a global sustainable chemical company. PETValue, the first bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in the Philippines, has been in operation since Q4 2022 and has the capacity to process approximately two billion post-consumer PET bottles annually.

Because of this initiative, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. won the ESG Initiative of the Year - Philippines at the recently concluded FMCG Asia Awards. The company’s “Tapon to Ipon programme” stands as a testament to the brand's commitment to environmental sustainability, community engagement, and creating a positive impact on a national scale.

The FMCG Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional products or initiatives in the FMCG industry, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].