Pepsico Egypt injects EGP 10 m into “Recycle for Tomorrow” platform

12 / 04 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

PepsiCo Egypt pledged EGP 10 million investments into its nascent waste management platform “Recycle for Tomorrow” in 2021.

The platform was launched under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with DORNA initiative. It was designed and implemented by CID Consulting.

Pepsico Egypt Chairman Mohamed Shelbaya said the platform aims at collecting and recycling 8 million kilograms of plastic waste during 2021 in addition to raising awareness about the importance of recycling plastic waste.

Pepsico has always cherished global efforts for waste management. The company spent from 2018 to 2020 about 65 million on its initiatives for protecting the environment.

The platform will secure jobs for 1000 workers – 20 percent of them are women, he added.

The platform depends on Reverse Credit System that would help documenting the amount of waste collected and getting financial return for this effort.

The platform was spearheaded in Manshiyat Nasser, 15th of May, and Izbat Al Nakhl where workers are encouraged to collect plastic waste in return for financial bonuses, he said.

The platform is also meant to stand on the amount of the company’s plastic waste, he said.

The platform includes several projects that help in collecting the largest amount of plastic waste and facilitating the process of waste documentation between waste collectors, intermediators, and PET processors.

Shelbaya said “recycling waste is not the responsibility of the government alone, however the private sector has a key role to play.”

He highlighted the great efforts exerted by Egypt in this respect, referring to the Egyptian Environment Ministry’s efforts to reduce the negative impact of plastic waste.

He noted that Egypt produces about 1.3 million tons of plastic waste annually.

He added that protecting the environment is vital for the company, noting that Pepsico managed to sharply reduce its water and electricity consumption.

For her part, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad – who marked the launch of the platform – hailed the initiative as coinciding with the declaration of the first Egyptian Day for Recycling.

This day witnessed the inking of several heavyweight companies on the Egyptian charter for recycling plastic waste, including Pepsico, to protect the environment and maintain value chain of plastic by establishing plastic circular economy.

She noted that Egypt has realized over the past years a great progress in environment-related legislation, especially in the waste management domain.

Thanks to the political leadership’s support for the environmental issues, a law was issued on waste management to highlight the importance of recycling to cut waste for the best interest of the economy, she said.