Coca-Cola Receives Highest Honor At 2021 Brandcom Awards For Environmental Sustainability
The Coca-Cola System, which comprises Coca-Cola Nigeria and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company has won two excellence awards at the third edition of the Brandcom Awards which was held at Podium International Event Center, Lagos on Friday, November 19, 2021.
According to Joshua Ajayi, convener of the Brandcom Awards and publisher of Brand Communicator, the stage is set to celebrate and honour brands, agencies, and notable individuals making significant strides in the brands and marketing industry “This year despite the challenging and changing times this year some players continue to be outstanding and make an impact in the industry,” he said.
With nominations in two categories, Coca-Cola Nigeria and its bottling partners, The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), were awarded the ‘Best Brand In Environmental Sustainability’ and the ‘Brand Leadership In Carbonated Soft Drink’ respectively.
Speaking at the awards, the Director, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria Nwamaka Onyemelukwe said, “This year marks our 70th anniversary in Nigeria. In that time we have worked hard in partnership with relevant stakeholders on both the marketing and sustainability pillars to put customer satisfaction first, and also to ensure that the communities we serve and the environment we live in are suitable for socio-economic growth. These awards encourage our unwavering commitment and we appreciate Brand Communications for the recognition.”
Coca-Cola has, so far, donated over $1 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world, and with a vision to refresh the world and leave a legacy wherever it operates, there’s been extensive and deep impact felt across the globe, especially in Nigeria.
In March 2021, The Coca-Cola Foundation awarded N303m in grants to eight local NGOs, and so far, these NGOs have made great strides with their respective initiatives, and have reported significant impact numbers. Some of these initiatives are covered under key sustainability pillars of The Coca-Cola Company which are Women, Water, Waste, and Wellbeing.
Some of the key initiatives for Coca-Cola that have been impactful this year include the Tech-Relevant Teacher Programme, which offers teacher training support and technologies for virtual learning across 200 low and middle-cost schools. So far, the project has impacted over 24,000 children and 648 classroom teachers in a seven-month period. The Youth Information Communication and Technology Skills Acquisition Project (YISAP) plans to impact the lives of over 600 youths, including persons living with disabilities, through the provision of vocational and entrepreneurial training. The initiative recently announced the training of over 200 entrepreneurs in Enugu. Worthy of note is the Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE), an environmental sustainability and women empowerment initiative which has recovered about 159,000kg of plastic waste in Ibeju Lekki, resulting in the economical empowerment of over 2000 women and youth in the coastal area.
