Coca‑Cola commits new investments to Maldives

Coca‑Cola, a total beverage company refreshing Maldivians with a wide range of beverages from soft drinks to water, is expanding its packaging offerings in Maldives with a new, first-of-its-kind canning line in the country. Launched as part of the company’s commitment to introduce sustainable packaging solutions, the new investment by Coca‑Cola’s bottling partner in Maldives, Male’ Aerated Water Company, allows for the first time ever the company’s much-loved beverages to be packaged in cans manufactured directly in the island nation.

Coca‑Cola is taking bold steps to enable and promote solutions that effectively tackle plastic pollution and create a circular economy around the use of its packaging. Sprite recently transformed its packaging from the famous green bottle to a clear one.  It has a higher chance of being collected, recycled and reused, thus creating a circular solution for plastic in the Maldives. The entire beverage range offered by The Company is available in glass bottles too across Coca‑Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Schweppes and Bon Aqua.

“At the Male’ Aerated Water Company, we are committed to creating economic opportunities through new investments. As we stay true to our aim of better serving consumers and the tourism sector, we are also keen to engage with the government in exploring ways to create a circular economy around our packaging and tackle plastic pollution in the Maldives,” said Mr. Sanjay Maniku, Managing Director of Male’ Aerated Water Company.

The canning line at Male’ Aerated Water Company’s bottling plant on the Thulusdhoo Island adds to Coca‑Cola’s efforts to innovate and expand its packaging offerings in Maldives. Coca‑Cola, Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Fanta Strawberry, and Schweppes ranges are now available in ‘Made in Maldives’ cans, in capacities of 330ml and 185ml.

In addition to the packaging transformations, Coca‑Cola has also forged strong partnerships with local organisations that are involved in practical solutions to address plastic waste. Voluntarily implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Maldives, Coca‑Cola together with its partners is giving a new life to the 100% recyclable and versatile PET plastic packaging through large scale collection efforts. These initiatives contribute to Coca‑Cola’s vision to create a circular economy for plastic and a better shared future that makes a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet.

“Coca‑Cola continues to foster sustainability initiatives through effective on-the-ground investments in PET collection and knowledge sharing to make the Maldives and the world a better place for all. We remain committed to investing in scalable models to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle our packaging,” said Mr. Pankaj Sinha, Managing Director for Coca‑Cola in the Maldives.

Coca‑Cola is one of the world’s most famous and best-loved brands and has been refreshing the world for 136 years. The Coca‑Cola Company, through its bottling partner, Male’ Aerated Water Company, has introduced a range of hydrating and delicious beverages to Maldives, including Coca‑Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Bon Aqua and Schweppes. The Coca‑Cola brand has also sought to brighten consumers’ lives through a variety of engaging projects and activities.

Male’ Aerated Water Company began manufacturing beverages in Maldives and has been serving Coca‑Cola products to people in the Maldives for over 32 years now. The company remains to date one of the few manufacturers in the Maldives. It is also a major job creator in the country with over 330+ employees working across a range of sectors from manufacturing and distribution to sales and marketing.