ISLAMABAD, OCT 8 /DNA/ – PepsiCo and Novatex Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct trials on recycled plastic bottles to assess them for future commercial production in the Pakistan market. Both entities signed this MoU at the Pakistan pavilion of Expo 2020 in Dubai in the presence of the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Climate Change Mr. Malik Amin Aslam. The MoU signing is an extension of the existing collaboration between PepsiCo and Novatex Limited whereby over 5,000 tons of plastics was collected and recycled. Going forward the companies will work together on significantly scaling up the collection of used plastic bottles in Pakistan and commercializing the use of bottles made from recycled plastics.
Earlier at the event, a dialogue was held to explore how the government and the private sector can partner to tackle the issues of climate change and collectively promote the ‘Clean Green Pakistan’ agenda. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Malik Amin Aslam, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change commented, “This is really a remarkable feat by PepsiCo and Novatex Limited for complementing recycling efforts in Pakistan”.
Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, PepsiCo Pakistan, Mr. Khurram Shah present at the signing ceremony remarked, “This is a meaningful step forward towards our vision of developing a circular economy for plastics. We are making every effort to develop scale solutions for recycling which can benefit the entire industry”.
PepsiCo recently announced PepsiCo Positive (pep+), a strategic end-to-end transformation, with sustainability at the center of how we will create growth and value by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. As part of pep+, PepsiCo has set a new 2030 packaging goals to cut virgin plastic per serving by 50% across its food and beverage portfolio and to use 50% recycled content in its plastic packaging.
In Pakistan, PepsiCo has launched several meaningful programs to drive a circular economy and move towards its vision of a world where packaging never becomes waste in Pakistan. Earlier in the year, PepsiCo launched one of the country’s largest plastic waste collection program. PepsiCo is also offering consumers an easy way to recycle plastic bottles. The company launched the first reverse vending machine in Pakistan whereby consumers can avail discounts for food outlets in exchange for used plastic bottles. PepsiCo also launched a ‘direct from home’ collection whereby consumers are given free bulk water refills in exchange for used plastic bottles.
Mr. Rizwan Diwan, Executive Director Novatex Limited shared the details of the collaboration during the event. He commented, “Novatex Limited has invested ahead of the curve by installing one of the largest PET recycling lines in the world integrated with rPET plant. Sustainability is our highest priority; we have taken multiple initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint; among others, our PET recycling plant will be running on solar power along with other energy sources. We are committed to developing innovative and scaled solutions to deal with plastic waste in Pakistan. This is a historic moment, and we foresee the commercial use of rPET very soon, to produce beverages bottles in Pakistan”. Mr. Diwan added that Novatex rPET plant has also met FDA and EU requirements for the use of rPET in food grade packaging.
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