The Philippines is home to over 42,000 known festivals, or “fiestas,” observed annually across its many localities—each one a testament to the nation’s cultural and religious heritage, and a celebration of community and connection. With such large-scale gatherings of friends, family, and tourists, proper waste management during these events has become even more important to ensure that activities and traditions are done sustainably—protecting both the environment and future generations.
Through its “Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo!” nationwide collection program, Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines (CCEAP) celebrates the vibrant spirit of Filipino festivals and makes collective action for the environment part of the tradition.
Through the “Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo!” initiative, Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines (CCEAP) makes collection and recycling an integral part of these festivities. Tapon to Ipon is Coca-Cola’s nationwide collection program for post-consumer clear PET plastic bottles, regardless of brand. The program seeks to encourage communities to help facilitate a circular packaging loop and advocates for the proper disposal and recycling of post-consumer clear PET plastic bottles.
Fiestas, ingrained in Filipino culture, provide a unique platform for fostering collective action and environmental stewardship. Since 2022, Tapon to Ipon has actively taken part in a number of festivals, making the collection of post-consumer clear PET bottles more accessible to Filipinos. By tapping into the festive spirit and engaging communities year-round, CCEAP transforms these celebrations into powerful drivers of positive environmental change.
“We maximize every opportunity to bring Tapon to Ipon to more communities across the Philippines. By integrating the collection program into our fiesta activations, we empower communities to become champions of sustainability—making the program more accessible and fostering environmentally conscious celebrations of Filipino culture and history,” says Atty. Juan Lorenzo Tañada, CCEAP VP for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs.
Participation during fiestas is tied into Coca-Cola’s rich Filipino heritage–having been in the country for over a hundred years, and with products made by Filipinos, for Filipinos.
Inspiring collective action and creating a closed loop for recyclable packaging
Through Tapon to Ipon, collection booths at festivals nationwide are activated, encouraging communities to actively participate in collecting and recycling clear PET bottles.
The program is seamlessly integrated into Coca-Cola’s fiesta activations and placed in high-impact, visible areas. Through the Tapon to Ipon initiative in partnership with local government units (LGUs), CCEAP mounts pop-up bottle collection booths where festival-goers can drop off empty, clear PET plastic bottles of any brand for recycling, in exchange for Coca-Cola products or merchandise.
From its successful run at Palawan’s Baragatan Festival in 2022, Tapon to Ipon has since established its presence in the nation’s most beloved cultural celebrations across the country. By 2023, the initiative made its mark at Cebu’s Sinulog Festival, Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival, Baguio’s Panagbenga Festival, Davao’s Kadayawan Festival, and Bacolod’s Masskara Festival—among others—becoming a dynamic feature in the festivities that unite and celebrate Filipino communities. The journey continues as Tapon to Ipon embraces its role in demonstrating the power of community involvement and the potential for the widespread adoption of clear PET collection and recycling practices.
The goal is to ensure that the collected clear PET plastic bottles are diverted to PETValue Philippines, the country’s pioneering bottle-to-bottle, food-grade recycling facility in General Trias, Cavite.
Launched through a joint venture between CCEAP and Indorama Ventures—a global sustainable chemical company—the facility plays a crucial role in closing the loop on clear PET plastic bottles. Since its inception, PETValue Philippines has played a valuable part in a much bigger system of sustainable packaging solutions, reaching a major milestone in May 2024 with the recycling of its 1 billionth bottle.
Long-term support for community waste management systems
Beyond festivals, CCEAP leverages its network of MSMEs since the launch of the program in 2021–tapping its partner sari-sari stores as Tapon to Ipon collection hubs for clear PET bottles. The stores’ accessibility as community landmarks allow them to ably serve as collection hubs for recycling and as a channel to incentivize participation.
Consumers can conveniently drop off their empty clear PET plastic bottles and receive incentives at nearly 800 hubs nationwide, and Tapon to Ipon, in turn, helps strengthen recycling education, enhances waste collection efforts, and supports the livelihoods of MSMEs—a vital pillar of the local economic sector.
Collaborating with local government units (LGUs) has been crucial to the program’s success. To date, Tapon to Ipon has bolstered environmental sustainability initiatives through partnerships with LGUs in over 170 cities and municipalities.
As part of the program’s efforts, baling machines for compressing empty PET plastic bottles have been donated to the Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in several areas, including the City of Baguio, City of Dumaguete, City of Naga, Municipality of Malay, Municipality of San Juan in Batangas, and the Province of Palawan. Notable partnerships have been established with the Municipality of Basco, Batanes, and the Provinces of Davao del Sur, Iloilo, and Camiguin, through large-scale collection of PET bottle stockpiles from their recovery facilities.
To date, the Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo! initiative has earned both global and local recognition at the FMCG Asia Awards, the 20th Philippine Quill Awards, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, and the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards in 2023 and 2024 for its innovation, reach, and impact.
Over the years, CCEAP’s Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo! program has consistently worked to make collection and recycling more accessible and convenient for local communities. During and beyond local festivities, CCEAP, through its Tapon to Ipon program, continues to contribute to building a more sustainable future while making meaningful strides in refreshing the Philippines and making a difference nationwide.
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