Riga, February 1st, 2022. Beverage deposit system in Latvia, launched on February 1st 2022, is an essential milestone for the whole beverage industry on the transition to greater sustainability and a circular economy. “Coca-Cola HBC Latvia”, as one of the founders of “Depozīta Iepakojuma Operators”, has been actively involved in the designing and developing of this system to reach ambitious targets intended to improve the packaging waste collection and recycling efficiency in Latvia.
The deposit system is a meaningful step towards a cleaner country both now and in long-term perspective and it will help to steer the actions of beverage producers, traders and society in a climate-friendly direction, while providing the opportunity to fully manage the most common beverage packaging.
“Coca-Cola HBC Poland and Baltics” General Manager Jaak Mikkel says: “We are very happy that with this new deposit system, Latvia is joining its Baltic neighbors Lithuania and Estonia, which have already implemented similar systems. It is an important step towards a cleaner environment and also essential for society and producers helping to increase the collection and recycling of the packaging waste. I am proud that “Coca-Cola HBC Latvia” has been engaged in the set-up of the beverage deposit system from the very beginnings and is a co-founder of the “Depozīta Iepakojuma Operators”. By 2030, in line with “Coca-Cola” global ambition "A world without waste", we intend to collect and recycle as many bottles and cans we put on the market and beverage deposit systems are the most effective known collection systems to achieve this goal.”
Edgars Sproģis, “Coca-Cola HBC Latvia” representative and a member of the “Depozīta Sistēmas Operators'' Council: “The aim of the deposit system is to promote positive changes in the habits of the society by providing a friendly and easy-to-use deposit system. As producers we are happy to be a part of it, working together to implement this new habit in our daily lives. We believe every package has value and life beyond its initial use and that it should be collected and recycled into a new package and with the introduction of the deposit system, everybody has the opportunity to get involved in the collection process of used packaging, concluding the life cycle of packaging and providing long-term investment to the environment and society”.
In addition, “Coca-Cola HBC” is systematically reducing the amount of plastic used in the production of the bottles. Over the past 20 years, we have reduced the weight of PET packaging by 45 percent. We also strive to ensure that the packaging contains as much recycled material as possible. “Coca-Cola HBC” intends to reduce the need for new materials by working to reuse collected packages, helping prevent litter and other related environmental impacts. As part of the World Without a Waste strategy, “Coca-Cola HBC” aims to recover 75% of the primary packaging for recycling by 2025 and 100% by 2030. Deposit return system for beverage packaging is a very important instrument to reach this goal followed by other activities encouraging consumers to recycle the packaging. This also allows beverage producers to have more material to create new bottles from recycled plastic, reducing the environmental impact.
All non-alcoholic beverages from “Coca-Cola HBC Latvia” portfolio, including the most known brands, such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite, will be a part of the Latvian deposit system. Customers will have a chance to collect and return glass, plastic (PET), and cans at their nearest deposit return point.