Coca-Cola Sri Lanka was awarded under the ‘Best Sustainability Projects’ category for its ‘Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs): Revolutionizing waste management in Sri Lanka’ and ‘Access to Water for Agriculture and Livelihoods for women in the Moneragala district’ (WALK) projects at the eagerly-awaited ‘Best Corporate Citizen Awards 2022’.
Organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the awards recognize best practices of corporates relating to environmental, social, and economic sustainability while pursuing corporate goals.
MRFs is a unique initiative recognized for the first time and is a highly valued award for Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka (CCBSL) which established the country’s first-ever comprehensive MRFs; a community-centric, replicable and sustainable model providing a ground-breaking solution to key waste management issues identified in Sri Lanka.
Thamari Senanayake, CCBSL Director Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability (PACS) Thamari Senanayake, said, “This award recognizes the value of our MRFs project. Waste collection has been a significant issue for Sri Lanka, with a wide gap between the amount of waste generated and the amount collected and disposed of responsibly.”
MRFs collect, buy-back and process many types of post-consumer waste for recycling. Established in Ratnapura (Go Recycling Hub) and Wadduwa (Eko Plasco), the two MRFs are operated very successfully with dedication and commitment by two young local entrepreneurs, who have helped upscale recyclable waste collection in their areas.
The project contributes to Coca-Cola’s ‘World Without Waste’ sustainability goal in Sri Lanka and the local waste management program ‘Give Back Life’ – To ‘Collect and Recycle a Bottle for each one we sell by 2030’.
Coca-Cola was also awarded a‘Best Sustainability Project’ Award for the second time for its ‘Water Stewardship’ initiatives through the W.A.L.K Project. This project was funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation and implemented by NGO ACTED in collaboration with local Farmers Organisations. The project rehabilitated the Samurdhi water tank in Galahitiya village, Monaragala, enabling a replenishment capacity of285,054 KL annually.
Lakshan Madurasinghe Regional Lead: PACS Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan said: “Access to water plays a critical role in ensuring equitable and sustainable opportunities in rural communities where agriculture is the main livelihood. This project supports the pressing needs of farmers in the Monaragala District, Uva Province, which is the poorest region of Sri Lanka, with 15.4% of the population living below the poverty line.”
WALK has ensured that an additional 100 acres of paddy field can be cultivated during both the dry and wet season, as well as 150 acres for field crops such as maize and vegetables. Water pumps were also distributed to farmers as a mitigation measure to offset the impacts of periods of low rainfall, thus rendering the community more resilient to droughts, changing weather patterns and climate change. WALK improved the livelihoods of 1,769 farmers, including women farmers.
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