The Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Kaja Shukova together with the General Manager of Brewery Skopje, Goran Sladic, and the Executive Director of Pakomak, Filip Ivanovski, promoted the latest innovation – attached caps to the PET packaging of soft drinks in the portfolio of the company “Brewery Skopje” and placing such packaging in the vending machine for collecting plastic bottles and cans installed in the “Tinex” store.
“This innovation is an indicator of the responsible attitude that companies like “Brewery Skopje” have towards the environment. At the same time, it is an example that other companies should follow in order to think and act in order to enable a more efficient collection and recycling system for all packaging waste. I believe that such solutions, which are provided for by the EU directive on single-use plastics and which are already partially covered by the domestic legislation, will be multiplied, which will contribute to the realization of our commitment as the Government to create conditions for the development of sustainable waste management through selection, collection, and recycling of waste, how to build positive habits among the public” said Minister Shukova in her speech.
According to the General Manager of Brewery Skopje, Goran Sladic, the new solution represents a significant innovation that helps, together with consumers and partners, to fulfill the ambitious goals and objectives of the “World without waste” platform and the initiative for Zero CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, which are part of the company’s long-term strategy for sustainable development.
– Through the experience and knowledge of the two groups to which we belong – Coca–Cola HBC and HEINEKEN, we help to advance the legislation of the country and share the same risks with consumers from the EU countries. At the same time, we are proud that with such innovations we are setting standards for other companies and helping to send an important message to society that each of us, but all together, can contribute more to a clean and sustainable environment, and thus to the well-being of our whole community – he said.
The Executive Director of Pakomak, Filip Ivanovski, expressed the expectation that this innovation, which is part of the current trends in this region in the EU, will be quickly adopted by other companies.
– It is related to the rest of the activities that we jointly implement and aims to increase the efficiency of the system of collection, selection, and recycling of packaging waste in our country. Analyzes of plastic waste in the oceans show that caps are one of the main pollutants, which citizens are less concerned about. With this innovation, the caps will remain an integral part of the bottle waste and will certainly be recycled – Ivanovski added.
A total of 27 vending machines have already been installed, mainly in supermarkets on Vero and Tinex, and by the end of this year, another 30 are planned to be installed in Skopje, but also in other municipalities, such as Prilep, Kavadarci, Shtip and Berovo.
The Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Kaja Shukova, held a working meeting with representatives of Brewery Skopje, led by General Manager Goran Sladic, where they talked about the good mutual cooperation so far, especially in the area of achieving long-term goals for the implementation of the company’s socially responsible platform for waste reduction, environmental protection, and climate action – World without waste and net-zero emissions of CO2 by 2040.
The environment, especially dealing with waste, requires broad and strong partnerships at all levels, smart solutions, and disciplined and responsible institutions and citizens.