Latin America

In Latin America we are focusing on well-being and the environment. In 2006, we launched Movimiento Bienestar, an integrated platform on well-being. We also launched Acción Planeta, a common framework for our environmental programs and initiatives.

Sustainable Packaging

Colombia: In Colombia, The Coca-Cola Company has helped establish a system for converting recycled plastic bottles into clothing. This project makes economic sense because it transforms waste plastic into a valuable product that can be sold for profit. Our system uses nearly 350 tons of plastic bottles each month in Colombia. Used plastic bottles are collected and sorted by a local recycling company, providing employment for approximately 300 people. Labels and other colored bottle parts are used to make brooms and roof tiles. The rest of the bottle is made into chips that are sold to textile manufacturers. The chips are then turned into a fiber used to make fabric. It takes about two plastic bottles to yield one T-shirt. A uniform requires up to 10 plastic bottles. This reduces waste and the impact of packaging on the environment.

Ultralight Bottle: Coca-Cola Mexico recently launched an innovative new design for the 600ml PET bottle. This new package weighs 18 percent less than the previous one, and we have plans to expand the technology to other brands and packaging options.

Environmental Stewardship

Acción Planeta: We created this framework to educate our associates and the public about our environmental efforts, and to begin a defined tracking system of our efforts. This program includes initiatives from innovative packaging to water projects to fleet and vending equipment efficiencies.

Well-Being & Choice

Movimiento Bienestar (Well-being Movement): In 2006, we launched this program aimed at promoting the wellbeing, both emotionally and physically, of our associates and consumers. Initiatives include educating and informing consumers about our products and ingredients, expanding support of education-based well-being programs, promoting our portfolio of brands (sparkling beverages in particular) and expanding the nutrition information we have provided on our labels since 2006.

Water Stewardship

Guatemala: Partnering with WWF and others, we are implementing a plan in the Motagua-Polochic System that includes watershed management and awareness campaigns, as well as improvement of plant efficiencies. The Motagua-Polochic area covers 1 million acres, includes 500 communities and is one of the most biologically diverse mountain ranges within the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.

Energy & Climate

Brazil: In 2007, the Coca-Cola Brazil Institute launched the Brazilian Rainforest Water Program in Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest, a vital but neglected neighbor of the more famous Amazon. Beginning in the State of Sao Paulo, the project will reforest more than 3,000 hectares, improving the health and vitality of two major watersheds, and mitigating climate change effects by reducing greenhouse gases and removing more than 3 million tons of CO2 (over 30 years).

Mexico: We joined a program that includes management and restoration of soil and the planting of 30 million trees over five years. The aim of this $6 million investment is to protect the productivity and health of forest ecosystems, benefiting local communities.