CocaCola Africa Operating Unit (“AOU”) and its bottling partners announced the introduction of JAMII, a new Africa-focused sustainability platform, in January 2022. The platform houses both existing and new sustainability efforts for the company. CocaCola intends to attract like-minded partners through its trademark platform to assist speed the on-the-ground effect of its projects.
The new platform will build on previous achievements in three areas: water stewardship, economic empowerment of women and youth, and trash management. This will be carried out in collaboration with bottling partners, system staff, and many NGO partners.
“We recognize the responsibility we have as market leaders to make a meaningful difference – to empower and protect the communities and the environment in which we operate. Whether it is giving people access to safe drinking water, creating economic opportunities for people in dire need of it, or reducing the impact of our operations on the environment- we are committed to making that difference,” said Bruno Pietracci, Africa President at The Coca‑Cola Company.
Patricia Obozuwa, AOU Vice President for Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability added; “We chose the name JAMII, a Swahili word that means Community, Society, People – because it represents who we are as Africans and aligns with our values as an organization- our resilience, our commitment, and our spirit of community. Consolidating our sustainability efforts under this umbrella will allow us to strengthen our value proposition and make good on our promise to continue to be a trusted partner for sustainable growth in Africa.”
In the area of women and youth economic empowerment, JAMII will promote and stimulate entrepreneurship opportunities through the provision of improved access to skills training, networks, finance & markets. To date, over 2 million women across Africa have been economically enabled as part of the 5by20 program.
In the area of water stewardship, we will replenish 100% of the water used in production of our products by managing water use efficiency in our operations, supporting the conservation of natural water resources and improving community water access and climate change adaption. So far, combined efforts by Coca‑Cola Africa, The Coca‑Cola Foundation and its partners have resulted in sustainable access to drinking water for over 6 million people through the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN).
For waste management, Coca‑Cola Africa is committed to driving a world without waste. Nearly all of Coca‑Cola’s packaging is already recyclable with the goal of recycling the equivalent of 100% of its packaging waste by 2030.
Obozuwa added that “Coca‑Cola Africa is already forming new partnerships to facilitate the implementation of JAMII projects that will deliver on these goals.”
Internally, JAMII will inspire employees to make a difference in their immediate communities. Employee-nominated charities will receive grants and employee volunteering will be encouraged. Also, The Coca‑Cola Employee Disaster Relief Fund will support employees facing financial hardship as a result of a natural disaster.
About The Coca‑Cola Company
The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca‑Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, Vitaminwater, Topo Chico, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
