The Coca-Cola Foundation supports Mountain Clean-up Campaign-2023 for the 4th year

KATHMANDU: The Coca-Cola Foundation is supporting the Mountain Clean–Up Campaign 2023 led by the Nepali Army for its 4th edition with the theme 'An endeavor to save the Himalayas'. The Coca-Cola Foundation is the major donor among multiple stakeholders for this year’s campaign and the fourth year of such a partnership. This campaign aims to protect and preserve sanctity of the Himalayas by retrieving waste that has been left behind by trekkers and accumulated in the mountains over the years. Along with multiple stakeholders, the campaign began on March 28, 2023, and will run until June 5 2023. An expedition team comprising 97 members will be cleaning four mountains —Mt Everest, Mt Lhotse, Mt Annapurna and Mt Baruntse — that are above 8,000 metres. It is estimated that over 35 tonnes of waste will be collected and handed over to recycling partners for waste management. The Campaign Director of Mountain Clean-Up Campaign 2023 stated, "The Himalayas are the pride of the nation, and it is our responsibility to keep them clean and preserve them for the local communities and future generations. We are working diligently with local communities and partners to raise awareness about waste management in the mountains. We are grateful for the generous support of all stakeholders involved, including The Coca-Cola Foundation, for their unwavering commitment towards the mountain clean-up campaign in Nepal." The journey to the mountain range is strenuous due to harsh weather conditions and climbing at high altitudes. The team has been training dedicatedly for the past few months to prepare for the expedition. The team consists of climbers, doctors, and sherpas. Each team is led by a campaign leader, who is assisted by two basecamp managers and two deputy directors from the Nepali Army. Similarly, 45 Sherpas will be present for waste collection, loading, and other support activities. There will also be 20 personnel for coordination, operations, and rear operations. This campaign is a joint effort having multiple non-profits, corporate, civil society and recycling partners with the Nepali Army leading the efforts. Saadia Madsbjerg, President of The Coca-Cola Foundation, stated, “Mountain ecosystems provide vital services to human life and sequester CO2, clean water and the air and regulate floods. Climate change is particularly acute in mountains and we must act to save them. Coca-Cola Foundation’s support seeks to ensure the mountains remain pristine for many years to come and hopefully such initiatives will help drive even more climate action in Nepal and across the world. We are pleased to support the Nepali Army and send our best wishes to the expedition team”. In 2019, the first Mountain clean-up Campaign led by the Nepali Army was successfully carried out along with the involvement of a diverse set of stakeholders, where 10,586Kg waste was collected. Continuing the efforts, the second edition of the campaign took place in 2021 where 27,671Kg waste was collected from six mountains. The third edition of the campaign took place in 2022 where over 33,877Kg waste (7,227Kg biodegradable and 26,650Kg non-biodegradable) were collected from four mountains — Mt Everest, Mt Lhotse, Mt Manaslu, and Mt Kanchenjunga. The waste collected from the mountains includes items like oxygen canisters, tents, food containers, plastics and electronic waste. The Coca-Cola Foundation’s mission is to make a difference in communities around the world where The foundation supports transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and that leave a measurable and lasting impact. READ ALSO:

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