Coca-Cola is celebrating 30 years since it started operating in Vietnam with a grand event at GEM Center, celebrating three decades of success and launching the second year of its “Our Bottles Can Live Many Lives” program.
30 years of Coca-Cola in Vietnam
Coca-Cola has been refreshing Vietnamese consumers since 1994. Today, the Coca-Cola system in Vietnam operates three manufacturing plants in Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City, with a new plant under construction in Long An. The Coca-Cola system in Vietnam serves seven regions via six distribution centers, and more than 800,000 retail outlets. Employing around 4,000 people in Vietnam, Coca-Cola also creates six to eight times as many indirect jobs. Coca-Cola’s commitment to its workforce in Vietnam has been recognized by Anphabe Company, earning the “Best Place to Work” award consistently from 2018 to 2023.
The anniversary celebrations brought together a wide diversity of guests, including government officials, business partners, special guests, and media representatives. The event showcased Coca-Cola’s journey in Vietnam with exhibits featuring TV commercials, sustainability and community programs, and a unique collection of Coca-Cola bottles and cans from the past 30 years, including the beloved Coca-Cola Tet limited edition packages.
Mr. Leonardo Garcia, General Director of Coca-Cola Vietnam and Cambodia, said: “As we celebrate three decades in Vietnam, Coca-Cola takes pride in having become an integral part of the lives of Vietnamese consumers. We are proud to deliver high-quality beverages and remain committed to doing business responsibly, creating positive value for the local economy, and giving back to the communities we serve.”
Doing business sustainably in Vietnam and supporting communities
For almost 30 years’ operating in the country, Coca-Cola Vietnam remains committed to maintaining responsible business practices and giving back to the communities it serves.
Coca-Cola’s sustainability efforts in Vietnam emphasize packaging, water stewardship, climate action, and community support. Through its sustainable packaging “World Without Waste” strategy, Coca-Cola aims to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle and can it sells by 2030 and use at least 50% recycled materials in its packaging globally. Other sustainable practices include:
- Launching 100% rPET Coca-Cola bottles (excluding caps and labels) in Vietnam in 2022
- Coca-Cola is helping to support and drive locally relevant collection and recycling solutions. Coca-Cola Vietnam is one of the founding members of Packaging Recycling Organisation (PRO) Vietnam, a partnership with other leading companies, recyclers and government agencies to accelerate local packaging collection and recycling in support of a clean and green Vietnam
- Coca-Cola partnered with The Ocean Cleanup in Vietnam to deploy the scalable Interceptor™ technology in the Can Tho River to prevent plastic from entering the ocean.
- Moreover, Coca-Cola Vietnam collaborated with VECA, a digital scrap collection app, to facilitate convenient PET plastic bottle recycling in Ho Chi Minh City, allowing consumers to schedule collections and earn rewards.
- Thanks to the support of the Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) as the company’s global philanthropic arm, drinking water filtration systems have been installed across 39 Da Nang high schools for the past six years, benefiting thousands of students, teachers and nearby residents;
- A 10-year partnership with World Wildlife Fund Vietnam and TCCF for water recovery at Tram Chim National Park;
- Additionally, Coca-Cola has focused on community support through partnerships with the Red Cross Vietnam including supporting Vietnam’s COVID-19 response, emergency relief during the 2022 Danang floods and support to those in need during the Tet festival.
Continuing the “Our Bottles Can Live Many Lives” Program
Building on the success of its inaugural year, Coca-Cola announced today the continuation of its “Our Bottles Can Live Many Lives” program. This initiative aims to inspire consumers, especially Gen Z, to segregate and recycle empty bottles or cans.
For the first time Coca-Cola Vietnam is collaborating with BOTOL to install bottle and can reverse vending machines in residential areas and universities across Ho Chi Minh City. The bottles and cans collected via the machines will then be processed for recycling.
In 2024 the recycling program now includes a redemption system and a dedicated hub on Zalo, offering prizes for recycling to top-performing individuals and universities to drive engagement and foster a community-driven approach to recycling.
Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, shared: “Vietnam has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and is in the process of negotiating with other countries to establish a Global Plastic Treaty to address plastic pollution issue. The government is also encouraging and implementing a circular economy model to achieve environmental and climate goals. With its Sustainable Development Strategy, Coca-Cola is striving to contribute to these objectives. We highly appreciate Coca-Cola’s efforts and hope that more businesses will join hands and collaborate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other ministries to achieve sustainable and economic prosperity goals, while also contributing to the global common effort.”
