Beverage manufacturer Coca-Cola’s Africa Operating Unit (AOU) and its bottling partners have launched an Africa-focused sustainability platform – Jamii, which houses Coca-Cola AOU’s existing and new sustainability initiatives to improve water use, empower women and better manage waste streams.

Through Jamii, Coca-Cola intends to attract like-minded partners to help accelerate the on-the-ground impact of its initiatives.

Designed and intended to be delivered together with bottling partners, system employees and several nongovernmental organisations, Jamii is aimed at building and expanding on past accomplishments in three areas – water stewardship, the economic empowerment of women and youth, and waste management.

Coca-Cola Africa president Bruno Pietracci says the company recognises the responsibility it has as a major roleplayer in the market to make a meaningful difference, as well as to empower and protect the communities and the environment in which it operates.

“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,” he says.

Coca-Cola AOU public affairs, communications and sustainability VP Patricia Obozuwa explains that the name Jamii was chosen as it means “community, society, people” in Swahili. “[This] represents who we are as Africans and aligns with our values as an organisation – our resilience, our commitment and our spirit of community.”

Consolidating Coca-Cola’s sustainability efforts under this umbrella, she says, enables it to strengthen its value proposition and make good on its promise to continue to be a trusted partner for sustainable growth in Africa.

As for women and youth economic empowerment, Jamii is intended to ​​promote and stimulate entrepreneurship opportunities through the provision of improved access to skills training, networks, finance and markets.

To date, over two-million women across Africa have been economically enabled as part of Coca-Cola’s 5by20 programme. This programme was launched in 2010 with the aim of economically empowering five-million female entrepreneurs across Coca-Cola’s value chain by 2020.

In the area of water stewardship, Jamii is intended to implement measures for Coca-Cola to replenish 100% of the water used in the production of the company’s products. This is intended to be done through managing water use efficiency in Coca-Cola’s operations, supporting the conservation of natural water resources and improving community water access and climate change adaption.

Thus far, combined efforts by Coca-Cola AOU, the Coca-Cola Foundation and its partners have ensured sustainable access to drinking water for over six-million people through the Replenish Africa Initiative.

In terms of waste management, Coca-Cola AOU is committed to driving a world without waste.

Here, the company reports that “nearly all” of its packaging is currently of a recyclable nature, with a goal of recycling the equivalent of 100% of its packaging waste by 2030.

Obozuwa adds that Coca-Cola AOU is already forming new partnerships to facilitate the implementation of Jamii projects that will deliver on all of these goals.

Internally, Jamii is hoped to inspire Coca-Cola employees to make a difference in their immediate communities. This is reinforced by employee-nominated charities that will receive grants, while employee volunteering will be encouraged.

In addition, the Coca-Cola Employee Disaster Relief Fund will support employees facing financial hardship as a result of a natural disaster.