Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Iberia Head of Sustainability, Carmen Gómez-Acebo, met this morning with technological centre managers at its headquarters in Culleredo

Carmen Gómez-Acebo, Head of Sustainability at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Iberia, visited the CETIM Technological Centre, a benchmark in circular economy research from Galicia, on Wednesday July 14 to learn about their work and applied research projects R&D in person together with the company team in A Coruña.

Visit’s final objective is to study possible ways of collaboration and alliances between the two entities. Since 2017, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has been immersed in the implementation of its “Advance” strategy, a roadmap on environmental, economic and social sustainability with specific objectives and actions until 2025. In the achievement of several of these goals, such as reducing the use of plastic and replacing fossil raw materials with others of natural or recycled origin, as well as water treatment, CETIM has extensive experience to collaborate with the food company. In fact, more than 90% of CETIM projects are linked to the circular economy and the bioeconomy.

During her tour of the CETIM headquarters in Culleredo, Gómez-Acebo was accompanied by Toni Pons, CEO of CETIM, and Lucía Vázquez, executive director. Coca-Cola’s head of Sustainability has been able to verify how the research potential of this private technology center is supported by an important physical infrastructure. In fact, in the last five years, CETIM has quadrupled its workspace and its investment in laboratories, equipment and human talent.

ecognized by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN), CETIM currently has more than 265 clients and collaborators, 240 million euros mobilized and 57 projects in execution, in more than 16 R&D calls. In this sense, CETIM has an important strategic position in European calls such as Horizon 2020 or LIFE, where it participates and leads cutting-edge projects on topics such as water treatment and reuse, recovery of critical raw materials, or polymer recycling. The European Union Framework Program finances research and innovation projects to promote industrial leadership in Europe and reinforce the excellence of its scientific base.