On July 13, Armenian Chamber of Commerce in Armenia (AmCham) and the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen in Armenia (UMBA) organized a discussion on best practices and global trends of packaging and waste recycling.


AmCham Executive Director Vanane Ararktsyan stressed the importance of developing a uniform approach when addressing the issues of waste management, packaging and recycling.

The discussion in Yerevan was initiated by Coca-Cola Hellenic Armenia, member of the group of enterprises that set an ambitious industry-first goal to collect and recycle 100% of packaging sent to the markets by 2030.

“Every year 8 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans, polluting our communities and destroying natural ecosystems. It is impossible to tackle this issue alone - we all need to join forces and contribute by bringing our effort and expertise. Today the Armenian community has started to actively address the issue of waste recycling, and people expect companies like ours to be leaders and help make a litter-free world possible,” said Christoph Speck, the company’s General Manager.

“Waste management, recycling, waste sorting and many other similar issues require systematic solutions through programs developed and implemented consistently as a result of close cooperation between public and private sectors, and NGOs. Today this issue remains relevant for Armenia. The proof of it is today’s meeting,” noted Christ Pilosyan, UMBA Vice-President.

It’s worth mentioning that Armenian Minister of Nature Protection Eric Grigoryan announced recently that Armenia planned to ban single use plastic and the process would start in the near future.