At Coca-Cola, CSR & Sustainability Go Beyond Compliance—They Drive Real Change: Saloni Goel, Sr Director - ESG Value Creation

Coca-Cola is focused on sustainability and the environment, with crop concerns as one example, and it regularly publishes fertilizer risk disclosures. At Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, the company demonstrated its commitment to nature with various initiatives. In an interview with ResponsibleUs, Saloni Goel, Senior Director of ESG Value Creation at Coca-Cola India, shared insights on the company's efforts at the Kumbh Mela.

What is 'Maidaan Saaf' campaign, and how does it align with Coca-Cola's broader sustainability and corporate social responsibility goals?
Coca-Cola India aims to drive solutions that reduce packaging waste, improve collection systems, and enhance processing capabilities, contributing to more effective waste management and fostering long-term benefits for local communities and the environment. We work in partnership with organisations like Go Rewise, Econscious, and ReKart to transform plastic waste into useful resources or public utilities. Through innovative recycling and on-ground waste management, Coca-Cola India is committed to increasing the use of recycled material in primary packaging and supporting higher collection rates.  Maidaan Saaf campaign aims to promote innovative waste management and recycling awareness at large-scale events.  
 
What role does innovation play in Coca-Cola's sustainability strategy, and how is it reflected in the Maidaan Saaf campaign? The Coca-Cola Company is committed to reducing packaging waste by increasing recycled material in primary packaging and improving collection rates, aiming to collect 70 per cent to 75 per cent of the equivalent number of bottles and cans introduced into the market annually. Over 95% of our packaging is designed to be recyclable, and innovations like lightweighting help minimize virgin plastic use. Through collaboration with local and global partners, we're continuously improving packaging designs, exploring new collection models, and investing in infrastructure for lasting environmental impact. For Maha Kumbh 2025, we partnered to recycle PET bottles into jackets, life jackets, and women's changing rooms made from recycled multi-layer plastics. On the waste management side, we are working with ReKart to lead waste management in food zones, hydration and have introduced Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) to make it easier for consumers to recycle and properly dispose of plastic.
 
The campaign focusses on creating long-term behavioural changes. What steps have been taken to ensure that the message of waste management and recycling extends beyond MahaKumbh?
Behavioural change is a time-consuming process, but Coca-Cola India helps in laying the groundwork for a more responsible future. Through direct engagement with individuals-whether it's through educating travellers, collaborating with sanitation workers or demonstrating the impact of recycling through creative visuals we make efforts to shift the perception of waste from being used material to a valuable resource with immense potential. By embedding such initiatives in large-scale events like Maha Kumbh, we are not only making an immediate impact at a very large scale but also fostering lasting habits that communities and organisations can adopt beyond the event itself. 

How has Coca-Cola collaborated with local authorities, NGOs, communities, and volunteers to make this initiative a success? How has been the experience? 
Coca-Cola India and its foundation, Anandana, has collaborated with the PHD Rural Development Foundation (PHDRDF) and Prayagraj Mela Authority (PMA) to spearhead sustainability initiatives at Maha Kumbh 2025. In addition, we have collaborated with several organisations to ensure the on-ground success of our sustainability initiatives such as with Go Rewise to recycle PET bottles into waste worker jackets, safety jackets and volunteer jackets, while Econscious is transforming multi-layer plastic into women's changing rooms. ReKart, our on-ground waste management partner, is actively collecting waste from hydration carts, food zones and Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs), ensuring efficient waste segregation and recycling. Together, these efforts reflect our commitment to inspire change  beyond Maha Kumbh 2025. 
 
Creating changing rooms for women out of multi-layer plastic waste sounds fascinating. Can you elaborate on the idea behind this?
The idea of creating women's changing rooms from multi-layer plastic waste stemmed from the need to address both environmental and social challenges. Multi-layer plastic (MLP), such as wrappers and plastic bags, is difficult to recycle, and it took about 500kg of this waste for our partner, Econscious, to create each changing room. These rooms not only demonstrate how recycled plastic can be repurposed into something durable and functional, but they also provide a safe, well-ventilated and private space for women to change after their dip. To make the recycling message more engaging, the rooms feature illustrations  that make waste segregation and recycling fun,visually appealing, and easy to comprehend, while ensuring privacy, for female pilgrims. 
 
What role does Coca-Cola's partnership with local artisans, illustrators, or other stakeholders play in delivering impactful messaging through this campaign?
Coca-Cola India's collaboration with local collectives of artists and illustrators plays a key role in making our waste segregation and recycling messages both impactful and easily comprehendible. Given the diverse backgrounds of the pilgrims attending the event, we aimed to create visuals that would transcend language barriers and make the messaging easily understandable for all. By working with talented local collectives like the Aravani Art Project, Gaysi Family, and artists like Priyankar Gupta, we were able to craft simple yet powerful illustrations that explain how small actions-like properly segregating waste-can make a big difference. These visuals and messaging are displayed on the women's changing rooms and hydration carts throughout the event, helping people understand that plastic waste can be recycled and transformed into valuable new products. Through these engaging and easy-to-follow messages, we aim to show that every small effort counts, and together, we can drive meaningful change in waste management and recycling. 
 

What is the significance of distributing recycled PET jackets during the campaign, and how does it showcase the potential of circular economies? 
The distribution of recycled PET jackets to sanitation workers, boatmen, waste management workers, and volunteers highlights the potential of recycling to transform waste into useful, functional products. The jackets provided to waste workers are designed to enhance visibility, while the life jackets for boatmen aim to support their safety while ferrying pilgrims. Through this initiative, we aim to demonstrate how recycling can lead to practical solutions, promoting the idea that recycling can be an integral part of everyday efforts. 

Looking ahead, how does Coca-Cola plan to scale or replicate the Maidaan Saaf campaign in other events or regions to amplify its impact?
Looking ahead, Coca-Cola India plans to continue identifying opportunities to scale and replicate the Maidaan Saaf campaign across other possible events.  We will work closely with local stakeholders, partners, and organizations to tailor the campaign to different contexts, ensuring it resonates with diverse audiences while amplifying its impact. 

How are CSR and sustainability understood and defined by the organisation, and why are they so important? 
As a total beverage company, we are driven by our purpose to refresh the world and make a difference. We offer a variety of packaging formats-glass, plastic, aluminium, and refillable options-each helping to reduce waste and emissions. Our focus is on increasing recycled content in packaging and supporting collection rates, alongside advocating for policies and growing infrastructure. Through Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, we invest in local changemakers tackling water conservation, waste management, sustainable agriculture, and community development, creating lasting, impactful partnerships across the country.

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