Coca-Cola India and India’s largest retailer, Reliance Retail announced the launch of a sustainability initiative titled “BhoolNaJana, Plastic Bottle Lautana”, focused on post-consumer PET collection at Reliance Retail stores in Mumbai through Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) and collection bins.With a vision for a circular economy, this pilot project, aligned with the Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission, has commenced in 36 stores of Reliance Retail including Smart Bazaar and Sahakari Bhandar stores in Mumbai and Delhi, and will expand to 200 stores across the country by 2025 with a target of collecting 5,00,000PET bottles annually in the pilot phase.
The initiative was launched in the presence of Kazi Irfan, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Solid Waste Management, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), at Reliance Retail’s Smart Bazaar store in Santa Cruz. The installation of RVMs and collection bins will allow consumers to deposit used PET bottles in exchange for discounts on Coca-Cola India products.
The disposed PET bottles will be collected and recycled by Reliance Industries, a leader in polyester and plastic recycling, promoting responsible waste management. Ms. Greishma Singh, Vice President – Customer and Commercial Leadership, Coca Cola India and Southwest Asia said, “Partnerships with retail, government, civic societies, and consumer-centric ideas like this one are a powerful multiplier for progress on collection, recycling, and reuse.”
