The collaboration between the NUST and Coca-Cola Pakistan has jointly launched a report, “Making A Difference” authored by Miss Barira Hanif, head of the sustainability office. The report spotlights the key indicators and sustainable initiatives of the company to recycle plastics, enhance resilience, and pave the way toward a greener Pakistan.

The report highlights important projects such as the first 1-kilometer-long PET collection road and the Lyari River Cleaning Project, which receives 40% of its plastics from 9,000 metric tonnes per month. In the Paani project, 30 filtration plants were installed that are benefiting more than 1 million people. It also reveals robust efforts regarding women’s empowerment through finances by supporting their small business ideas. It also explains the company’s role in making society more resilient through food, humanitarian, and flood relief interventions. To read more about the report access the link here: https://sdgs.nust.edu.pk/downloads/making-a-difference-report-2022/ 

 

On November 23, 2022, at NUST, a seminar on community investments related to the environment, governance, and sustainability was held to strengthen the industry-academia partnership. where seasoned academicians, professionals, and entrepreneurs hailing from various backgrounds joined for one cause. Three masterclasses were delivered to highlight these areas of impact by Zouhair Khaliq, CEO of the National Incubation Center and founder of TeamUp; Afia Salam, Trustee of Indus Earth; and Fahad Ashraf, Vice President of Coca-Cola, Pakistan.

where Mr. Zouhair shared insights on “using technology to scale environmental solutions” and how pollution damages our lives, agriculture production, and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in sustainability, reducing emissions, and enhancing solar-based energy that can benefit our people and planet.

 

Afia Salam expressed her views on “The human cost of climate-induced disaster” that the recent implications of floods in Pakistan, and many other examples call for urgent action. She also shed light on how climate change disproportionately affects human lives, and the agriculture sector, and proposed SDG adaptation as a key solution to combat disasters.

 

Mr. Fahad enlightened the august gathering on “Creating a World Without Waste” that the company is committed to environmentally friendly bottles, and recycling is one of its priorities. He spoke about sustainable initiatives, including the Lyari River Project and the first plastic road in Islamabad, and shared his vision to start using 100% recycled bottles in Karachi and then across the country in the future. He applauds the endeavors of the sustainability office of NUST for putting in efforts regarding the report “Making A Difference” and leading this change among the institutions.

 

Furthermore, a panel discussion on “driving science and technology to solve for the planet” was organized, to which experts from industry and academia were invited. The panelists included Babar Aziz Bhatti, Managing Director of Green Earth Recycling; Barira Hanif, Deputy Director of Sustainability at NUST; Syed Omar, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Coca-Cola Pakistan, Pervaiz Akhtar, Director Corporate Affairs at Metro Cash and Carry, and Dr. Sher Jamal, Professor at IESE NUST. The core of the discussion was how the government should be involved in building partnerships, corporations should also look to academia for innovative solutions, and the country needs an enabling environment and green jobs to move towards sustainability. The young minds asked their questions and the way forward during the Q&A session, demonstrating that all the drivers for instilling sustainability were on board.