Putting into practice its belief that it is only as strong as the communities it operates in, Coca-Cola Philippines has created and participated in numerous initiatives and community service projects such as Brigada Eskwela, tree-planting campaigns, coastal clean-ups, and disaster response. When Typhoon Haiyan / Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas, Coca-Cola Philippines provided water to the affected communities, and opened its Tacloban Plant as a command post for disaster relief operations and as a temporary shelter for employees and their families in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
In 2017, Coca-Cola Philippines, together with the Philippine Disaster Relief Foundation and the Makati Medical Center Foundation, launched medical and relief operations for more than 1,500 individuals displaced by the Marawi Siege, providing 9,000 cases of its products to various military camps and facilities and over 500,000 gallons of clean water to thousands of affected families. As part of rehabilitation efforts, the Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) Program was introduced to Marawi to improve the livelihoods of women micro-entrepreneurs affected by the conflict, and a Little Red Schoolhouse classroom was constructed to ensure the continuation of children’s education.
The Little Red Schoolhouse initiative launched in 1997 enables children to complete elementary education through the construction of schoolhouses and the training of teachers in public elementary schools located in remote and underserved areas. To date, more than 120 schoolhouses have been built nationwide. Through its Brigada Eskwela annual program, Coca-Cola Philippines associates volunteer in local schools in partnership with the Department of Education. Brigada Eskwela volunteers paint, repair school furniture, and spruce up their partner schools to create a welcoming and conducive learning environment.
Coca-Cola Philippines’ dedication to the local community is matched only by its commitment to environmental sustainability. Coca-Cola Philippines anchors its water conservation goals on three pillars: Reduce, Recycle, and Replenish. It works to constantly improve its water efficiency ratio, retrieve and treat its waste water for reuse, and safely return to the environment and to water-poor communities the equivalent amount of water used in its production processes. Through wide-reaching programs in the Philippines, the company has returned an estimated 108 percent of water.
Six of Coca-Cola Philippines’ 19 plants use renewable energy in their operations, with the company incorporating energy- and fuel-efficient practices and equipment in their operations to reduce its carbon footprint.
