This year’s partnership between Coca-Cola in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sarajevo Film Festival emphasizes care for the environment and sustainable practices

Coca-Cola's “Recycle Me. Give Me a New Life” project continues at the Sarajevo Film Festival

One of the clear signs that the Sarajevo Film Festival is beginning is the infrastructure for Coca-Cola’s “Recycle Me. Give Me a New Life” project, which has been prepared and set up for the Festival’s 30^th anniversary. This marks the fourth edition of the project in Bosnia and Herzegovina and at the Sarajevo Film Festival. Over the past three years, more than 110 tons of waste have been separately collected during the Festival and forwarded to municipal companies for further processing and recycling.

During the Festival, which runs from August 16 to 23, separate waste disposal stations will again be placed at key locations throughout the center of Sarajevo. A total of 21 sets of bins will be available, each consisting of three units for sorting waste: one for plastic bottles, one for cans, and one for mixed waste. Additionally, Mercator is participating in the initiative by installing one of the separate waste disposal containers at its sales facility on Ložionička.

All waste collected through the “Recycle Me. Give Me a New Life” initiative will be managed in cooperation with the Cantonal Public Utility Company RAD and the company Ekopak. All separately collected recyclable waste will be processed and recycled.

“Sarajevo Film Festival is celebrating its 30^th anniversary and its long-standing partnership with Coca-Cola in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are pleased that we successfully launched the “Recycle Me. Give Me a New Life” project at the Festival four years ago, which has significantly raised awareness about the importance of waste separation. Through this and similar projects as part of the Festival's “green activities”, we are reducing our carbon footprint and working towards a more sustainable world. Our partnership with Coca-Cola at the Festival represents not only entertainment but also a commitment to education and recycling for a waste-free world,” said Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

Coca-Cola's "Recycle Me. Give Me a New Life" initiative is part of the global World without waste program. This program aims to foster new habits for the proper disposal of packaging waste and to educate about the importance of recycling in preserving resources and protecting the environment. It is one of Coca-Cola's key projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through which the company is actively working to find and implement solutions for packaging challenges.

“Coca-Cola in Bosnia and Herzegovina is investing in significant and impactful partnerships and is nurturing them, as their significance is measured by their broader influence on the society and the economy. Our partnership with the Sarajevo Film Festival exemplifies this commitment, which is why the “Recycle Me. Give Me a New Life” project was launched as a pilot initiative with the Festival. We are pleased that this project has become an integral and strategically important component of the Festival and a very important part of the mission of the biggest and most important festival in the region on its journey toward carbon neutrality. Over the past three years, more than 100 tons of waste have been collected for processing and recycling. The project’s emphasis on education, habit change, sustainability, and recycling has led to collaborations with various platforms and partners dedicated to responsible waste management and proper disposal of beverage packaging. For Coca-Cola in Bosnia and Herzegovina, supporting the 30^th anniversary of the Sarajevo Film Festival, alongside our other contributions, remains a crucial aspect of our broader efforts to promote sustainable and responsible practices while minimizing environmental impact in the communities where we operate,” said Bruno Jelić, Director of the Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Department at Coca-Cola HBC Adria.

“Recycle Me. Give Me a New Life” and other environmental initiatives are ways in which the company meets its socially responsible goals. Over the past 10 years, Coca-Cola has reduced the weight of the plastic bottles produced at its plant by 7%. Additionally, a new type of plastic cap introduced in the production plant has reduced plastic usage by 26%, contributing to a nearly 50-ton annual reduction in plastic consumption.