Coca‐Cola System in Mexico to Invest US $34 million in PetStar recycling plant

• PetStar’s capacity will double in order to process 60 thousand tons of PET per year, equivalent to 2
billion bottles
• With this expansion, PetStar will become the largest food‐grade PET recycling project in Latin
America and the only fully‐integrated plant‐ from collection to the incorporation of new bottles
made from recycled material for food and beverages.

Mexico City, June 8, 2012 –As part of the Mexican Coca‐Cola Industry’s commitment to produce more environmentally friendly packages, the Governor of the State of Mexico, Eruviel Avila, together with Sandra Herrera, undersecretary of SEMARNAT, in representation of Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada; Miguel Angel Rabago, Chairman of the Board of PetStar comprised of a group of Mexican Coca‐Cola bottlers, and Brian Smith, President of Coca‐Cola Mexico, today laid the first stone of the expansion project for PetStar’s recycling plant in Toluca, State of Mexico.

PetStar is a food‐grade PET recycling plant created in a joint effort by The Coca‐Cola Company, and the bottling groups Arca Continental, Bepensa, Yoli de Acapulco, Corporacion del Fuerte, Corporacion Rica, Embotelladora del Nayar and Embotelladora de Colima. “I wish to recognize the work that the Coca‐Cola System in Mexico is doing through this endeavor; it is a strong contributor to economic growth in Mexico which will translate into more jobs,” stated the Governor of the State of Mexico, Eruviel Avila. "I appreciate the confidence they have placed in our State, which is a clear indication of the suitable conditions found and the opportunities to conduct business. We wish to remain strong allies of companies that invest, work, and create jobs that succeed hand‐in‐hand with the communities in which they are present”, he concluded.

“In order to meet our objective of incorporating the highest quantity of recycled material in our beverage packaging, today we take this important step in which PetStar will double its recycling capacity to process 60 thousand tons of PET per year, equivalent to 2 billion bottles, and transform them, in a clean and efficient manner, into food‐grade recycled PET resin used to produce new bottles,” stated Miguel Angel Rabago, Chairman of the Board of PetStar. “This expansion project represents an investment of US$34 million and will create 500 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs throughout the country,” he commented.

“PetStar is a vital part of the sustainable initiatives conducted by the Coca‐Cola System in Mexico in the area of Sustainable Packaging, one of the pillars of our global platform Live Positively,” stated Brian Smith, President of Coca‐Cola Mexico. “This initiative will make PetStar the largest food‐grade PET recycling project in Latin America and one of the most relevant projects in the world, by integrating from collection of bottles to the incorporation of new, recycled bottles for our beverage products,” he concluded.

PetStar combines the Italian technology AMUT which converts the bales of bottles into highquality washed flakes, with the Swiss technology BUHLER, which takes those flakes and converts them into food‐grade recycled PET resin via a sophisticated purifying process that guarantees the absolute safety of the material in order to incorporate it into new containers.

For this expansion, the same technologies will be used, incorporating improvements and optimizations developed by Mexican technicians at PetStar.

Furthermore, as part of its commitment to the sustainable development of the communities in which it operates, PetStar has also undertaken the creation of an Integral Education Center in Chimalhuacan, which will provide educational services, food and healthcare to more than 200 children of handpickers and bottle collectors that work in the Nezahualcoyotl and Chimalhuacan zone.

Coca‐Cola’s commitment to Sustainable Packaging is based on ensuring that its containers are made of valuable material with future use, in addition to being increasingly lightweighted and made of greater recycled material, as well as using renewable raw materials. This reflects its support to the recycling industry for over four decades.

Thanks to this and other efforts, today, millions of PET bottles used by the Mexican Coca‐Cola Industry are made up of 50% recycled material, with aluminum packages at 60% and glass at nearly 40%.

Recognizing the importance of actively contributing to Mexico’s overall growth, the Coca‐Cola System will continue working towards generating innovative solutions to meet the challenge of strengthening the country through its communities and in a sustainable environment.

About The Coca‐Cola Company
The Coca‐Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca‐Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion‐dollar brands including Diet Coke®/Coca‐Cola light®, Fanta®, Sprite®, Coca‐Cola Zero®, vitaminwater®, Powerade®, Minute Maid®, Simply®, Georgia Coffee® y Jugos del Valle®. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready‐to‐drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.coca‐colamexico.com.mx or follow us on Twitter @holacocacola.
About Arca Continental

Arca Continental produces and distributes non‐alcoholic beverages under The Coca‐Cola Company brand. Arca Continental was formed in 2011 through the merger of Embotelladoras Arca and Grupo Continental, making it the second‐largest Coca‐Cola bottler in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. Headquartered in Monterrey, the Company serves more than 53 million consumers in Northern and Western Mexico, Ecuador and Northern Argentina. Arca Continental also produces and distributes Bokados brand snack foods. The Company's shares trade on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "AC". For more information, visit www.arcacontal.com
For more information, please contact:
Luis Fuentes Coca‐Cola de México 5262‐2325 luisfuentes@coca‐cola.com
Minerva Amado AB Estudio de Comunicación 5525‐1640 magomez@abestudiodecomunicacion.com.mx
Guillermo Garza Arca Continental (01‐81) 8151‐1524 guillermo.garza@arcacontal.com
Fidel Salazar Arca Continental (01‐81) 8151‐1524 fidel.salazar@arcacontal.com