Zero Waste started in North Macedonia

Competitions in all sports disciplines of the Plazma Youth Sports Games are being held in North Macedonia as of this year, and so is our Zero Waste project. From the very first sports and environmental day, Zero Waste – Be Part of the Game – Let’s Protect Our Planet, the project showed how much more easily children gain knowledge when learning is connected with play, sport and socializing.

The education and the Green SIM polygon were held in Bitola, Prilep and Ohrid, where thousands of children enthusiastically embraced our award-winning programme. Through fun sports activities, teamwork and educational tasks, children learned about the importance of responsible behaviour towards the environment, proper waste separation, recycling and small everyday habits that can make a big difference.

The project was created in cooperation with our longest-standing partner, Coca-Cola, and is part of their World Without Waste initiative. Thanks to this cooperation, Zero Waste has become an important part of the Plazma Youth Sports Games in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia over the past five years, and as of this year, in North Macedonia as well.

We are especially pleased that, year after year, children show how open they are to new knowledge and how quickly they adopt green habits when these are presented to them in a familiar, interesting and active way. On the Green SIM polygon they learn through movement, laughter, competition and togetherness, which is exactly what the Plazma Youth Sports Games have been promoting through all their programmes for almost three decades.

Zero Waste is an opportunity for children to develop an awareness of responsibility towards nature, the community and the future from an early age. Through sport, we learn about fair play, respect and team spirit, and through Zero Waste, we show that these same values can also be applied in our relationship with the environment.

We will continue to encourage the adoption of green habits at all Coca-Cola Cup tournaments, as well as in other sports categories within the Games. The Green SIM course will also be part of the national finals, where children will once again have the opportunity to show how sport, education and care for the environment can be a powerful and fun combination.

We are proud that the Zero Waste story is spreading and that more and more children, through the Plazma Youth Sports Games, are learning that every positive change matters, especially when it starts with the youngest.