Coca-Cola FEMSA expands its SUSTENTAPET circular economy initiative with 43 PET bottle collection centers across Latin America; company collected 118,500 tons of plastic in 2024 through SUSTENTAPET program

May 23, 2025 (CE NAFTA 2.0 Newswire) –

As part of its sustainability strategy, the Coca-Cola FEMSA (KOF) bottling company is accelerating its path toward a circular economy with the largest PET collection network in Latin America .

In this objective, the SUSTENTAPET initiative is a key element to reduce its environmental impact.

At Coca-Cola FEMSA, we are creating the future by reaffirming our commitment to contribute to the circular economy through innovation, with a focus on sustainable design, reuse, and recycling of our packaging, as well as the implementation of actions to make our operations zero waste," said Julio César Sánchez , Director of Coca-Cola FEMSA.

said Julio César Sánchez , the company's Director of Collection.

SUSTENTAPET: Coca-Cola FEMSA's major commitment

With SUSTENTAPET, the company seeks to consolidate the largest PET collection network in Latin America , with an infrastructure that already includes 43 collection centers distributed in the countries where the company operates.

In addition, 38 collaborative projects and a workforce of 550 direct employees are driving the circularity of plastic. In fact, in 2024 alone, this network collected more than 118,500 tons of plastic.

We have more than 40 collection centers located within our territory at strategic points. These centers enable us to collect a significant portion of the bottles we place on the market. During 2024, our PET collection rate was 34%, said Julio César Sánchez .

An expanding circular model

Coca-Cola FEMSA's recycling strategy is not limited to collecting bottles. Its focus is on closing the PET cycle, transforming used bottles into new ones through the use of high-quality recycled resin.

In collaboration with partners and proprietary facilities such as IMER and PLANETA, KOF creates the infrastructure necessary to transform used bottles into high-quality recycled resin.

This material is used to manufacture bottles, thus closing the cycle of the circular economy and giving packaging a new life, thereby reducing the environmental impact; as more than 100,000 tons of recycled PET resin were incorporated into bottle manufacturing in 2024.

The company also supports the economy of these workers by providing them with essential tools, strengthening their skills and promoting compliance with local regulations and guidelines established by The Coca-Cola Company .

For example, the Recycling Motocargueros program in Colombia , which delivered motorized cargo vehicles to 240 collectors, improving their operating conditions and increasing the collection rate of recyclable materials.

The alliance with ECOCE and the strengthening of recycling

In Mexico , Coca-Cola FEMSA has led an effort to professionalize the recycling chain since 2002, together with the ECOCE organization. This work has borne fruit: the country achieved a PET collection rate of 64%, one of the highest in the region.

The collaboration includes environmental education initiatives, capacity building and compliance with regulations that have contributed to strengthening a stable market for this type of waste.