Coca-Cola announces $600K grant to tackle marine pollution

The Coca-Cola Australia Foundation has announced a grant focused on tackling marine pollution in Australia, inviting environmental organisations to apply. Funding is available to organisations that are working on solutions to tackle the issue of marine pollution in Australian coastal and inland waterways.

Grant applicants are required to: propose a program that addresses the issue of marine pollution in coastal and/or inland waterways in Australia; demonstrate how this program is a creative solution for protecting and enhancing waterway sustainability; and demonstrate how the program will help address the UN Sustainable Development Goal, Life Below Water.

Submissions will be open from 19–30 August with the successful organisation receiving up to $600,000 over a three-year period.

Christine Black, Coca-Cola Australia Foundation Board Member and Director of Sustainability at Coca-Cola Australia, said, “Coca-Cola in Australia is committed to keeping plastic from ending up in the ocean or landfill.

“We recognise no one organisation can solve the issue of marine pollution alone. We’re working with many partners locally and globally to help achieve our vision of creating a world without waste.

“We are pleased to announce that the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation’s new mission is focused on creating a sustainable future for all Australians and we look forward to supporting a new flagship partner,” Black said.

As part of its World Without Waste vision, Coca-Cola aims to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can the company sells globally by 2030, ensuring they do not end up in waterways or landfill. This is supported by the company’s commitment to sustainable packaging, with 70% of its plastic bottles in Australia to be made entirely from recycled plastic by the end of 2019.

For more information, visit www.coca-colacompany.com/au/foundation.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Martin Valigursky