Coca-Cola and JD.com to launch recycling programme in China

Coca-Cola and Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com have partnered to explore new ways to increase plastic recycling and work towards a circular economy in China.

JD.com and Coca-Cola China co-piloted a two-week recycling program last month in Shanghai, which leveraged JD’s courier team to collect used bottles from 50,000 households when they delivered packages to consumers. The collected bottles were then sent to recycling facilities in partnership with Coca-Cola.

A statement from Coca-Cola claims that the initiative is the first attempt at cross-industry collaboration to explore a circular solution between an international company and JD.com.

Sustainability has been a growing priority for Coca-Cola, with the company announcing its World Without Waste vision two years ago. This strategy included a global goal to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2030.

Meanwhile, JD.com launched its ‘Green Stream Initiative’ in 2017, aimed at reducing the environmental impact of logistics activities. From June 2017 to December 2019, JD reduced disposable packaging by nearly 30,000 tonnes.

This new partnership was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in a session held by Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey, JD.com CSO Jon Liao, JD Retail CEO Lei Xu and JD Logistics CEO Zhenhui Wang.

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said: “Our World Without Waste initiative includes a major focus on working with partners, because no single company can solve the packaging waste problem alone.

“Our new partnership with JD.com, with its in-house logistics infrastructure and e-commerce platform, is an exciting opportunity to explore a localized approach to bring back used PET bottles and recycle them into other useful products.”

Zhenhui Wang, CEO of JD Logistics, added: “JD.com has long been dedicated to sustainable development of people and the world, and this pilot program is an important component of our ‘Green Stream Initiative’ sustainability strategy.

“Through the partnership, we are excited to create a ‘reverse’ logistics system and, more broadly, to encourage the public, especially our consumers, to adopt responsible consumption and recycling in their everyday lives, thereby participating in a more sustainable circular economy.”