In a significant initiative supported by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), a group of 98 women dedicated to collecting plastic waste in Mozambique has successfully completed a 12-week training program aimed at enhancing their skills and expanding their economic prospects. This program is part of CCBA’s efforts to foster economic inclusion and create job opportunities while addressing the issue of plastic waste.
The primary objective of the program was to formalize an association of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic collectors, equipping them with essential training in various areas. The curriculum covered health and safety, technical skills, planning, leadership, organization, and control. Through this training, formal collection teams were established, empowering the PET collectors to operate as independent business owners.
The program, known as VEM (Valorização e Empoderamento da Mulher), adopted a train-the-trainer approach to reach a broader audience within local communities. It was structured into different phases, including health and safety training and workplace safety training, which encompassed collecting, sorting, and transporting PET plastic.
Participants received instruction on collection standards, particularly in identifying and sorting PET plastic correctly. They also gained insights into record-keeping for budgeting and planning purposes, as well as the significance of contracts in fostering business growth and formalization. Additionally, they learned innovative ways to repurpose plastic bottles, including using them to grow vegetables for personal consumption or sale within their communities.
These dedicated women earn their livelihoods by collecting plastic bottles, which they then sell to the recycling company AguaPET. AguaPET converts these bottles into PET flakes, which are subsequently transported to South Africa for recycling.
Arnalda Armando Manhiça, a 27-year-old mother of two and a businesswoman, embarked on her journey as a plastic waste collector in 2021 when she found herself unemployed for nearly two years. She began by working for another PET collector and, with encouragement and support, eventually ventured into independent collection. Arnalda expressed her gratitude for the training program, emphasizing that it has helped her recognize the greater value of her work. Her favorite aspect of the course was “the strength it gave her to establish her own business.”
Duncan Wyness, General Manager of CCBA in Mozambique, commented on the program, stating, “This program continues CCBA’s mission of leading the way as a responsible business in Africa and aligns with our objectives to develop increasingly sustainable ways to manufacture, distribute, and sell our products.” He further highlighted the program’s focus on sustainability pillars, such as waste management and economic inclusion, which aim to create opportunities for local individuals and communities within the Coca-Cola value chain.
As part of the Coca-Cola system’s World Without Waste initiative, CCBA has committed to several sustainability goals, including collecting a bottle or can for every one it sells by 2030, making all its packaging 100% recyclable by 2025, incorporating 50% recycled content into its packaging by 2030, and ensuring that 25% of its packaging is reusable by 2030. Wyness emphasized their commitment to “making recycling more accessible and achieving 100% collection and recycling by 2030.”
In the previous year, CCBA’s training program empowered 50 women directly in Mozambique, and through the train-the-trainer model, it reached a total of 3,034 women. This initiative reflects a significant step towards addressing plastic waste while empowering women in the region.