In a significant step towards bolstering sustainability efforts, Coca-Cola India and Reliance Retail have collaborated to launch the ‘Bhool Na Jana, Plastic Bottle Lautana’ initiative, focusing on post-consumer PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) collection and recycling. The project, in alignment with the Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission, aims to promote a circular economy, starting with a pilot phase in 36 Reliance Retail stores, including Smart Bazaar and Sahakari Bhandar stores in Mumbai and Delhi.
The initiative was inaugurated at Reliance Retail’s Smart Bazaar store in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, in the presence of Kazi Irfan, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for Solid Waste Management at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The pilot project will expand to 200 stores across the country by 2025, with an ambitious goal of collecting 5,00,000 PET bottles annually.
To encourage participation, Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) and collection bins will be strategically installed in Reliance Retail stores. Consumers will have a convenient method to deposit used PET bottles, receiving compelling discounts on Coca-Cola India products in return. Reliance Industries (RIL), a leader in polyester and plastics recycling, will collect and recycle the disposed PET bottles.
Damodar Mall, Chief Executive Officer, Grocery Retail, Reliance Retail Ltd, highlighted the importance of involving consumers in responsible waste management, stating, “Indian families have had the habit of not trashing milk pouches, plastic bottles, even newspapers, daily. Our pilot with our store shoppers, with the support of Coca-Cola India and Reliance Industries, is one such attempt we plan to pursue with our wide network of stores.”
Greishma Singh, Vice President – Customer and Commercial Leadership, Coca–Cola India and Southwest Asia, emphasised the initiative’s role in generating awareness and providing shoppers with a convenient and engaging way to recycle PET bottles. Singh stated, “Partnerships such as this one built around consumer-centric ideas can be a powerful multiplier for progress on collection, recycling, and reuse.”
Hemant D Sharma, President – Growth and Strategy, Polyester, RIL, underscored Reliance’s commitment to sustainability, stating, “Recycling 2 billion PET bottles annually, with a plan to scale it to 5 billion, RIL epitomises a commitment to sustainability that predates current trends and sets the standard for eco-friendly manufacturing.”
The initiative is a step towards Coca-Cola’s broader commitment to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of the packaging it produces, aligning with its World Without Waste strategy. It builds on the momentum created by Coca-Cola India’s ‘Return and Recycle’ initiative in collaboration with Zepto, which has seen participation from 50,000 households and successful RVM installations across 75 cities, collecting 1 tonne of PET waste.
