ON THE OCCASION OF WORLD LAKE DAY, WE CELEBRATE NATURE, RESPONSIBILITY, AND TOGETHERNESS

In southeastern Serbia, high in the mountain landscapes where the air is pure and nature remains untouched, lies Vlasina Lake. Through its silence and every reflection on its surface, it speaks of the harmonious connection between people and nature. Beneath the dam of this lake springs the Vlasina River, after which the entire region has taken its name. On August 27, World Lake Day, we pause here, in a place that not only takes one’s breath away with its scenery but also inspires through a story of nature that reminds us of the importance of preserving our most valuable resources.

Vlasina Lake, the second largest artificial lake in Serbia, was created in the 1950s and has since become an inseparable part of the region’s identity. Situated at an altitude of 1,280 meters, surrounded by beech forests and the mountain ranges of Čemernik, Gramada, and Vardenik, it covers more than 16 square kilometers. During spring and summer, hikers, cyclists, families, and artists come here to reconnect with nature, while in winter its silence takes on a new dimension, a sense of calm that restores and heals.

A story of water that connects

The Vlasina region is exceptionally rich in distinctive vegetation and waters whose purity and vitality inspire every drop. From one of these sources comes Rosa, a water that reaches homes across Serbia, bringing with it a subtle trace of the pristine character of this landscape. Its journey from the source continues at the “Vlasinka” bottling plant on the Vlasina plateau, which rightfully holds the title of one of the greenest factories within the Coca-Cola HBC system. From the very first bottle of Rosa water that left the “Vlasinka” plant in the municipality of Surdulica exactly 20 years ago, to the millions that today refresh consumers across the Balkans, every bottle carries a story of responsibility, community, and nature.

“Nature always reminds us of how small we are in the face of its strength and beauty, but also of how important it is for us to be its guardians. For us, every drop of water has value. We have been carefully preserving it and returning it to nature for two decades. The ‘Vlasinka’ plant demonstrates how technology, community responsibility, and a love for nature can come together to create a sustainable outcome. However, what we are most proud of cannot be measured in numbers, but in the footprints, we leave behind.

We care for and protect Vlasina Lake, we have restored and built new walking trails, and we invest in the development of sustainable tourism. We strive to give back to nature as much as it gives us. Thanks to the ‘Vlasinka’ plant, every day we bring a part of this region into homes across Serbia and the region, with a promise to preserve it for future generations,” said Tatjana Stajković, Quality, Safety, and Environmental Protection Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Serbia.

Today, this bottling plant does not only produce water, but it also sets standards. For years, investments have been made in technology that respects the rhythm of nature. Water consumption has been significantly reduced by as much as 12 percent compared to the initial period, while energy savings amount to 39 percent. The generation of industrial waste has been reduced by more than 50 percent.

This year, the company also launched the “Zero Waste Factory” project, meaning that 100 percent of waste generated in production and office spaces is recycled or reused instead of being disposed of in landfills. Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 78 percent in the period from 2017 to 2024. This result has been verified through an external assessment and confirmed by the ISO 14064 certificate, which the Vlasinka plant has held for two years as the only bottling plant within the business system in Serbia and Montenegro with this recognition. Behind each of these figures stands a team of people, changes in habits, and decisions that were not always the easiest, but were the right ones.

 “Vlasina Pure Love” a union of nature, community, and development

It was precisely from this philosophy that the “Vlasina Pure Love” project was created, which for years has represented tangible support for the local community. This initiative is implemented by the Coca-Cola system in cooperation with the Municipality of Surdulica, the Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Surdulica, the Cabinet of the Minister for the Development of Underdeveloped Municipalities, and the United Nations Development Programme in Serbia (UNDP).

In the first phase of the project, free educational workshops were organized for local hospitality providers and entrepreneurs. In the continuation of the project, Vlasina’s tourism offer was supported through the restoration and construction of 47 kilometers of walking trails leading to the peaks of Čemernik and Vrtop. For those who wish to learn more, a special tourist educational trail was created, seven kilometers long, featuring informative panels that reveal stories about rare, protected, and indigenous plant and animal species.

As part of the overarching project, the initiative “Vlasina Even Purer Love” was launched, focused on proper packaging waste management and the promotion of recycling. Through this initiative, containers for selective waste disposal were installed along the lake and in local hospitality facilities, all with one goal, to preserve Vlasina as a resource that is loved, nurtured, and respected.

“The ‘Vlasinka’ factory is an integral part of the community in which we all operate, and through the ‘Vlasina Pure Love’ project it invests in preserving the natural values of this region. Its commitment to environmental protection contributes to the development of sustainable tourism and to a better quality of life for everyone who lives in and visits Vlasina,” said Novica Stanković, Head of the Environmental Protection Department of PIO “Vlasina”.

Harmony between nature and development

In the evening hours, as the sun slowly disappears behind the mountain slopes, Vlasina appears almost unreal, like a place that exists beyond time. And yet, everything here is real, the water, the people, and the shared care to keep everything as nature intends it to be. This is a story of balance between development and preservation, between the local community and modern industry. A place where products are not created at the expense of nature, but in harmony with it.