Following the completion of this year's packaging waste one-day cleanup campaigns, the winners of the 2026 edition of the From Source to Sea environmental project have been announced. Senj claimed first place in the small cities category (fewer than 10,000 residents), Vinkovci achieved the highest score among medium-sized cities, while Osijek won in the large cities category (more than 35,000 residents).
A judging panel comprising representatives of Coca-Cola, Konzum, the Association of Cities in the Republic of Croatia and Jutarnji list also selected the winner of the project's second component - the construction of a public drinking water fountain. The city of Vodice received the €10,000 award for the installation of a new public drinking water fountain.
"This year's results demonstrate what can be achieved when local communities, citizens and partners come together around a shared goal. Nearly 1,800 volunteers collected more than 215 tons of packaging waste, and the winning cities will now transform their efforts into new urban green spaces and a public drinking water fountain. That is precisely where we see the greatest value of the From Source to Sea project - creating tangible, long-lasting benefits for local communities through collective action. We would like to thank all participating cities, volunteers and partners whose commitment has contributed to another successful edition of the project," said Igor Zgrabljić, Director of the Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Department of Coca-Cola HBC Adria. He also highlighted the project's important contribution to reducing pollution while raising public awareness of environmental protection and the proper disposal of packaging waste.
A key focus of the From Source to Sea project is supporting urban afforestation initiatives aimed at reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and lowering air temperatures in urban areas. In line with this objective, the three winning cities will equally share a total prize fund of €45,000, which will be invested in tree-planting projects at locations selected by the cities themselves.
The 2026 edition of the project began with an open call running from 2 to 31 March, attracting applications from 33 Croatian cities. As the competition consisted of two separate components, 29 cities entered the urban afforestation category, while 17 cities applied for funding for the construction of public drinking water fountains, with several cities participating in both categories. As part of the urban afforestation competition, participating cities were required to organise packaging waste collection campaigns by 22 June. The number of volunteers involved and the quantity of waste collected served as the key evaluation criteria. In the small cities category (up to 10,000 inhabitants), participating cities included Beli Manastir, Benkovac, Ilok, Korčula, Lipik, Oroslavje, Otočac, Otok, Pakrac, Senj, Valpovo, Vodnjan and Vrgorac. The medium-sized cities category (10,001–35,000 inhabitants) featured Čakovec, Daruvar, Gospić, Jastrebarsko, Koprivnica, Poreč, Sveta Nedelja, Virovitica and Zaprešić. The large cities category (more than 35,000 inhabitants) included Osijek, Pula, Rijeka, Varaždin, Velika Gorica and Zadar. The public drinking water fountain component attracted applications from Čakovec, Daruvar, Gospić, Klanjec, Koprivnica, Korčula, Lipik, Osijek, Otok, Senj, Sveta Nedelja, Trogir, Vinkovci, Virovitica, Vodice, Vodnjan and Zlatar.
In agreement with the winning cities, tree-planting activities will take place during the autumn months, from September to November, after which commemorative plaques will be presented to mark their achievements.
Coca-Cola launched the From Source to Sea project in Croatia in 2018 in partnership with government institutions and civil society organizations. Jutarnji list joined the initiative five years ago, followed by Konzum in 2022 and the Association of Cities in the Republic of Croatia shortly afterwards. The project is supported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb.
Since its launch, the initiative has organised 158 packaging waste collection campaigns, bringing together more than 13,800 volunteers. Together, they have collected 1,146 tons of waste - the equivalent of filling 133 truckloads.