During a day organized by Coca-Cola and RCRA for Earth Day as part of the Mares Circulares initiative, a total of 64 volunteers, including residents of Alicante, collected 192 kilograms of waste from Cala Sangueta in Alicante. The event brought together volunteers from RCRA, Chelonia, Hotel Maya, Hotel Calas, Hempel, La Sal, Alicante City Council, and local firefighters, adding to five prior aquatic-environment cleanups. These efforts spanned water areas in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Guipúzcoa, A Coruña, and Cádiz, all carried out with over 250 Coca-Cola volunteers and aimed at protecting coastal and maritime ecosystems.
Ramon A. Alonso of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Iberia Alicante stressed the importance of advancing the circular economy and fostering cooperation among institutions to safeguard aquatic environments. He noted that everyone shares responsibility in preserving a healthier planet for future generations and thanked the volunteers who demonstrate what can be achieved when communities come together (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Alicante City Council Environmental Councilor Manuel Villar emphasized that World Oceans Day helps make environmental awareness visible and actionable beyond a single date. He urged continued work to protect the seas and thanked Mares Circulares for their ongoing efforts in this awareness campaign (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
César Pérez Muñiz of the Chelonia Society praised the strong involvement of the Jesuit school and highlighted the need to broaden awareness among students and citizens, as marine pollution is a global issue that requires broad participation (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Circular Seas in the Community of Valencia
More than 2,000 volunteers have participated in the last three editions, with a focus on the Valencian Community. They collected a total of 576,010.49 kilograms of waste from 10 beaches, 2 Marine Reserves, and 3 Protected Areas. In addition, 10,540 people took part in training and awareness activities, contributing to 123 collaborative projects with NGOs, organizations, and institutions (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Bet on research
The fifth Mares Circulares edition underscores a strong commitment to research and innovation aimed at solving marine debris issues and advancing a circular economy for plastic waste that reaches the ocean (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
The project has already demonstrated success in sorting PET plastic collected during waterway cleanups for incorporation into the first bottle containing 25% marine plastic compatible with food use. It is now possible to give a second life to non-PET plastics found in seas and oceans, such as nets, bags, and degraded or mixed films, which previously could not be reused (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
The result includes 15 benches, each handcrafted from recycled plastic with 30–50% non-PET plastic sourced from marine litter. More than 500 fishermen across 104 boats in 15 ports contributed to this effort, and the benches will be placed in numerous ports collaborating with the project (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Interventions on beaches and aquatic environments
Science plays a fundamental role in the cleanup effort. Since the program began, 297 interventions have targeted coastal and aquatic environments, with 54 additional actions in marine reserves and other protected areas, enabling the removal of over 1,514 tons of waste, including 14.4 percent PET and other plastics. This material fed into the production of the first bottle containing 25% marine plastic suitable for food use (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Beyond activities, data are periodically collected and compiled into a centralized database that serves as a resource for scientists studying aquatic conservation (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Monitoring these data aligns with the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge’s marine litter monitoring program, ensuring ongoing oversight and accountability in the Mares Circulares initiative (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
This work relies not only on land-based volunteer cleanups on beaches and other aquatic environments, but also on seabed activities conducted in collaboration with fishing boats from various ports and fisheries associations in Spain and Portugal. To date, the effort has removed 5,200 kilograms of waste this year, with participation from about 500 fishermen (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Circular Seas
Circular Seas forms part of Coca-Cola’s global World Without Waste strategy and the Going Forward sustainability plan in Western Europe, particularly within the packaging sector. Coca-Cola commits to collecting and recycling the equivalent of 100% of the packaging it sells, reinforcing its environmental mission (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Circular Seas is a network project supported by Coca-Cola in Spain and Portugal to clean coastlines, aquatic environments, and seabeds, raise awareness about recycling, and advance the circular economy (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
With MAPA, Chelonia, Zero Discharge, and Ecomar Foundation involved, the initiative has grown through the Fisheries General Secretariat and partnerships with numerous associations (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Between 2018 and 2021, the project included more than 1,100 collaborating organizations and engaged 23,319 volunteers, resulting in the collection of 1,513 tons of waste from aquatic environments and seabeds across Spain and Portugal. It also trained 63,669 people and supported four startups and twelve scientific studies proposing circular economy solutions to marine-waste challenges (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
Circular Seas aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 17 (partnership for sustainable development) (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares).
https://www.cocacolaespana.es/mares-circulares (Coca-Cola España, Mares Circulares)