The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of soft-drink producer Coca-Cola Group,
has granted $15 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to scale up plastic waste management initiatives in Asia, as reported by Sustainable Plastics.
Asia accounts for around 80% of all global plastic waste emitted into oceans, with sixteen of the top twenty polluting rivers in the world located in the region.
Plastic waste imports from the West, increasing demand for single-use plastics, and gaps in waste management infrastructure have contributed to a rising volume of plastic waste.
Coca-Cola, the world’s largest plastic polluter, is hoping to help address these challenges by funding UNDP plastic waste management initiatives in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
The three-year programme was launched in India last week. It will help improve plastic waste management, promote recycling, reduce plastic leakage into the environment, foster country-based solutions, and facilitate regional collaboration.
