NWAMAKA Onyemelukwe, Director, Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, of The Coca-Cola Company has revealed rea- sons why the company changed its Sprite PET bottles from green to clear bottles.
She said the change was not a marketing gimmick but a response to feedback Coca-Co- la Company received from recycling compa- nies. The feedback was that green bottles are more difficult to recycle, and are of less value when recycled.
On the other hand, the clear bottles are eas-
ier to recycle and more valuable. Onyemelukwe stated this while speaking as
a facilitator at a media parley organised by the Statewide Waste and Environmental Educa- tion Foundation (SWEEP).
At the event, SWEEP Foundation in collabo- ration with circular economy practitioners and journalists covering the environment launched ‘Journalists for the Environment’ to popularise habits that support reuse, recy- cling, and reduction of plastic waste.
Onyemelukwe said, “We changed Sprite bottle from green to clear bottles not to give our customers a new bottle, but because we received feedback from recycling companies that green bottles are more difficult to recycle, and are of less value when recycled.
“The clear bottles are easier to recycle and have more value.”
She added that “Eva bottles were made lighter to reduce the amount of plastic used in the production process.”
Phillips Obuesi, President, SWEEP Founda- tion, said: “We are excited to inaugurate the Journalists for the Environment group. We recognize the power of storytelling and un- derstand journalists are critical stakeholders in this circular economy.
“We don’t understand that our actions af- fect the environment. It is a knowledge gap, and the group we are launching today is set to close that gap.
“To educate people the media are impor- tant. We are bringing journalists under one coalition to drive this initiative.”
An interim set of executives for the Journal- ists for the Environment group include Sani Gbenga, Managing Editor, Lagos Waste Re- porters; Chibuike Chukwu, Senior Correspon- dent, Daily Independent; Paul Omorogbe, On- line News Editor and Environment Journalist, Nigerian Tribune; Funke Adesoji, Environmen- tal Correspondent and Presenter, Silverbird Television, and Adeola Ogunalade, Weekend Desk, The Nation.
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