The partnership with Coliba is in line with Guinness Ghana’s agenda to become sustainable by design and will see the company fund ten (10) bottle buyback centres; eight (8) in Accra and two (2) in Kumasi. A bottle buy-back centre is a depot or station where individual waste collectors can drop off or sell off their plastic bottles for recycling.

The project will collect 800 tonnes of plastic during the first year of operation, with scale-up and broader partnerships in the following years.

Speaking to the media, Managing Director for Guinness Ghana, Helene Weesie noted that the timing of the initiative was monumental, “particularly in this second week of COP 26 going on in Glasgow, where the future of the planet is being decided upon, we find it very important as a business in Ghana to take a major step forward. Our ambition is to collect and recycle all the plastics that we put into the market. We are really excited about this cooperation.”

Guinness Ghana has shown commitment to deliver a positive impact on society over the years as it works to eliminate waste from its value chain, collaborate with farmers to regenerate landscapes, and create innovative solutions to grow sustainably.

International Campaigns Director for Africa, at Diageo Damon Ansell, noted in an interview that, “this is just one of many initiatives that Diageo, across Africa and globally, has taken towards owning up to its commitments to reduce carbon emissions and use of plastics and increasing our use of recycled plastic. This is first of its kind.”

In 2017, Guinness Ghana together with seven (7) industry peers formed the Ghana Recycling Initiative by Private Enterprise (GRIPE), with the mission to manage plastic waste sustainably. Since its inception, the private sector-led coalition works with government and non-government stakeholder to raise awareness on plastic waste segregation and initiated community buyback initiatives in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western regions.

Recently, Guinness Ghana and its GRIPE peers launched the Senior High School (SHS) plastics collection program in three (3) schools in the Greater Accra region, with the objective of inculcating plastic waste segregation among young people and increasing collection and recycling rates.

CEO of Coliba Ghana, Prince Agbata pointed out that the initiative represents a “historic day in the fight against plastic pollution In Ghana”.

About Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC

Guinness Ghana Breweries Plc is the leading Total Beverage Business in Ghana and a subsidiary of Diageo PLC, the world’s leading premium drinks business with internationally celebrated brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Baileys.

In Ghana, GGB Plc is the only beverage business listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and our parent company Diageo, listed on both the London and New York Stock Exchanges.

The company’s ambition is to be the Best Performing, Most Trusted and Respected Consumer Goods Business in Ghana.