Arca Continental Starts Works to Take Clean Water to the Valley of Mexicali
Mexicali, Baja California; November 7, 2021.Arca Continental, as part of the Coca-Cola Mexican Industry (CCMI), in collaboration with CESPM and the government of the state of Baja California, joined efforts to start the works for building the nature-based wetland, which will treat urban water in Mexicali to supply productive activities, directly benefiting 28 thousand Mexicans.
This wetland is the second led by Arca Continental as part of the CCMI’s comprehensive strategy striving to promote sanitation and access to clean water in communities; an investment of 170 million pesos has been allocated to the creation of a total of 4 wetlands across the country.
The wetland to be built in the Mexicali Valley will have the capacity to treat 4 million liters of water a day, which is equal to filling more than 800 5,000-liter water truck tanks a day. Once treated, the water will be used for productive projects within the region and, also, to promote, either directly or indirectly, development and a better quality of life for the more than 936 thousand people who live within the municipality.
Marina del Pilar Ávila, governor of the state of Baja California; Sergio Londoño, vice-president for Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability for Coca-Cola Mexico; Jesús Lucatero, director for Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability for Arca Continental Mexico; Norma Alicia Bustamante, mayor of Mexicali; and José Armando Fernández Samaniego, deputy director of the State Public Service Commission of Mexicali (Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Mexicali,CESPM), all participated in the inauguration ceremony.
The project, executed by Pronatura, uses environmentally-friendly technologies to employ ornamental plants to eliminate bacteria and odors by means of an ultraviolet light sanitation process resulting in clean water that can be used in productive projects such as a nursery in Guadalupe Victoria, which will be managed by the local population.
Jesús Lucatero, director for Public Affairs for Arca Continental Mexico, highlighted the importance of continuing to unify the efforts of the industry, the government, and civil society to generate projects that benefit communities: “The goal of the groundbreaking of what will become a nature-based wetland is to continue to multiply efforts to promote innovative solutions that enable us to create a better environment that benefits people and to continue working to return to nature 100% of the water we use in our processes.
As a comprehensive initiative aimed at generating both a social impact, as well as economic and environmental benefits, the project includes offering training on the care, hygiene, and empowerment of women in these activities, as well as work efforts in the water basins for the conservation and replenishment through the efficient and sustainable use of water.
In order to reduce the environmental footprint and sustainable management and to encourage the care for all bodies of water in the state, Arca Continental, as part of the CCMI, carries out other projects such as the recent day-long event ‘Cleaning Mexico for a World Without Waste’ promoting a culture of recycling in La Paz.
The wetland in Mexicali is part of the Coca-Cola Mexican Industry’s goal to take clean water to more than one million Mexican people by 2030, strengthening the hydrological safety of the country and having a positive impact on the lives of people and the places where it operates.
About the Coca-Cola Mexican Industry
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverages company whose products are sold in more than 200 countries. Our purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. Our brand portfolio includes Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, and other soft drinks. Our hydration, sports, coffee, and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest, and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy, and plant-based brands include Minute Maid, Simply, Innocent, Del Valle, fairlife, and AdeS. In Mexico, our portfolio includes more than 80 brands, of which 66% are low- or no-calorie, including products developed locally such as Ciel®, Fresca®, Sidral Mundet®, and Santa Clara®.
We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. In addition, we strive to have a positive impact on the lives of people, communities, and the planet by replenishing water, recycling packaging, sourcing sustainably, and reducing carbon emissions across our value chain. With our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide.
For more information, visit www.coca-colamexico.com.mx Follow us on twitter.com/SomosCocaCola, facebook.com/SomosCocaCola and mx.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company
About Arca Continental
Arca Continental produces, distributes, and markets beverages under The Coca-Cola Company brand, as well as snacks under the Bokados brand in Mexico, Inalecsa in Ecuador, and Wise and Deep River in the United States. With an outstanding history spanning more than 95 years, Arca Continental is the second-largest Coca-Cola bottler in Latin America, and one of the largest in the world. Through its Coca-Cola franchise, the company serves more than 123 million people in the Northern and Western regions in Mexico, as well as in Ecuador, Peru, in the Northern region of Argentina, and in the Southwestern United States. Arca Continental is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker “AC.” For more information about Arca Continental, please visit www.arcacontal.com