Coca-Cola Mexico Launches Aliados for Water, Recycling

Coca-Cola Mexico has officially launched Aliados, a collaborative platform designed to address urgent environmental and social challenges through partnerships among companies, nonprofits, governments, and communities. With over 40 active projects across multiple states and the support of more than 48 strategic partners, Aliados consolidates Coca-Cola's sustainability efforts under two pillars: Aliados for Water and Aliados for Recycling. The initiative builds on a model first launched in Guatemala, where it proved effective in aligning diverse stakeholders around shared goals, and now aims to replicate that success nationwide.

“More than a strategy or a program, Aliados is a way of doing things,” said Andrés González, Coca-Cola Mexico’s Director of Sustainability. “We are here not just to create a space, but to build a community with a deep conviction that, by working together, we can generate the change the world needs.”

The network brings together Coca-Cola Mexico, its bottling partners — including Arca Continental, Coca-Cola FEMSA, and Bepensa — and a wide range of NGOs. It emphasizes listening to communities, co-developing solutions, and ensuring that local people are the primary beneficiaries. “Behind every action, there is more than resources or technology — there is the decision to collaborate,” González stressed.

The launch event featured a panel titled “Transforming Through Alliances,” where several Aliados partners shared lessons from initiatives in watershed restoration, rainwater harvesting, recycling infrastructure, and biodiversity conservation.

Paola Gordon of Pronatura México highlighted joint initiatives with Coca-Cola since 2011, evolving from reforestation programs to complex projects such as artificial wetlands that treat wastewater and recharge aquifers. “One organization alone cannot face these challenges; we need to unite technical knowledge, funding, and community connections,” she said.

Meanwhile, Jahir Mojica of SUEMA described collaborative work in Tulum, which transformed the company’s mission from purely technical waste consultancy to community-centered recycling programs. “This work connected us with a greater purpose,” he noted.

David Vargas of Isla Urbana discussed Schools with Water, a program installing rainwater harvesting systems in schools. Equipped with IoT-based real-time monitoring, the system is the first of its kind globally. “This is how real change happens — by involving communities from the ground up,” Vargas said.

In an accompanying press release, Coca-Cola highlighted that it has met its 100% water replenishment target, first set in 2015. The company also shared its goal to collect 70–75% of the packaging it places on the market annually, with over 95% of its current packaging already recyclable.