Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa’s (CCBSA) and Extrupet (Pty) Ltd have announced the donation of 15 environmentally-friendly classroom desks to Noordgesig Primary in Soweto. The donation of the desks; designed to accommodate 30 learners and made from mixed polyolefin plastics generated from PET bottle caps and labels forms part of the bottling company’s vision of contributing positively to the communities in which it operates.
Explaining the rationale behind the donation, Tsholofelo Mqhayi, Head of Enterprise and Community Development at CCBSA, described the importance of having good facilities at schools, for example; desks, teaching equipment and other amenities aimed at improving the learning environment and access to basic education of learners in the community.
“Creating a positive and stimulating learning environment allows for learners to feel comfortable, safe and engaged – something that all students deserve. Cultivating young minds requires as a basic, learning environments wherein students feel physically, psychologically and socially secure and equipped to succeed,” explains Mqhayi.
The official handover, with confirmed guests from CCBSA and its PET recycling partner, Extrupet, will take place as follows:
Date: Monday, 27 February 2017
Time: 10h00 – 11h30am
Venue: Noordgesig Primary School, 800 Bergroos, Noordgesig, Soweto
Noordgesig Primary, has 1 545 learners and 43 educators.
Through its actions, CCBSA seeks to promote the sustainability of communities and partnership initiatives – particularly those that deal with recycling – and seeks to provide key insights into how schools and communities engage with the environment and its products.
Extrupet, the largest and most advanced recycler of PET bottle materials on the African continent, and CCBSA, the largest Coca-Cola bottler in SA, forged a partnership in this regard wherein they would empower learners by donating recycled desks. Noordgesig Primary is the first school to benefit from this partnership.
“We often take for granted the importance of providing for a positive learning environment for learners,” says Chandru Wadhwani, Joint Managing Director of Extrupet. “To build an inclusive atmosphere in the classroom and providing appropriate equipment allowing for learning in a collaborative environment is an immediate requirement. To be able to manufacture these products from waste that would otherwise have been landfilled adds another crucial element to this initiative – “Awareness””
Wadhwani added that a classroom should be a dynamic and engaging place for learners. To this end, more support is needed to ensure that local schools are better placed to prepare and empower students for the future – a benefit that extends far beyond academic achievement.
Education is one of the key focus areas for both CCBSA and Extrupet’s corporate responsibility activities. Both entities continue to support all activities that are geared at ensuring that South Africa continues to advocate for an educated and literate population.
Addressing the needs of learners, Mqhayi thanked Extrupet for its continued commitment towards helping accelerate access to basic education in the country. “We are encouraged by the efforts of our recycling partners and look forward to pioneering more such initiatives in our effort to shape the country and developing the leaders of tomorrow,” she concluded.
