Coca-Cola HBC, ranked global beverage industry sustainability leader by Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) announced new sustainability targets last month.
By 2020 the company commits to:
- Take 40% of the total energy used from renewable and clean energy sources
- Recover for recycling 40% on average of total packaging placed on our markets
- Source 20% of the total PET used from recycled PET and/or PET from renewable material
- Reduce the amount of primary packaging by 25% per litre of beverage produced
- Certify over 95% of key agricultural ingredients against the Coca-Cola system’s Sustainable Agricultural Guiding Principles
- Invest 2% of its annual pre-tax profit in communities
- Double the number of employees taking part in volunteering initiatives during work time to 10%
The seven new targets build on the initial 2020 commitments announced last year to reduce water and direct carbon emission intensity* of the company by 30% and 50% respectively.
In the last couple of years, Coca-Cola HBC reduced its water usage by 2.1 billion litres, equivalent to a glass of water to everyone on Earth. In the last five years, the global carbon footprint of its products was reduced by 1.07 million tonnes as a result of investing in energy efficient and low-carbon technologies. This is comparable to the total annual greenhouse gas emissions of over 200,000 passenger cars.
In 2015, the company invested €8.2 million – 2.3 % of its pre-tax profit – to support community wellbeing, environmental, water stewardship and youth development, partnering with more than 230 NGOs.
Dimitris Lois, Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola HBC, said: “The ambitious targets we announce today reflect our commitment to inspire a better future for our people and the communities we serve. These are part of our overall strategy that established Coca-Cola HBC as a leader in sustainability among beverage companies, and show that we are determined to grow our business responsibly, profitably and sustainably.”
People consume our products every day in the 28 countries, where Coca-Cola HBC operates. The company offers a variety of soft drinks, juice and water products to serve the changing consumer needs. Coca-Cola HBC offers one of the most diverse product portfolios to consumers with close to one third of sales in 2015 coming from juices, waters and ready-to-drink tea, compared to 10% in 2001. The company sales of juice products grew by 8% in 2015. Low and no calorie sparkling soft drinks account for 7% of total sales, growing at a high rate, contributing 25% of additional volume sold in 2015.
Coca-Cola HBC also focuses on offering its drinks in innovative packaging. By employing state-of-the-art technologies, we have introduced bottles which contain more than 50% recycled material. Further, our “Twist” bottles are 22% lighter than previous containers. PLANTBottle® usage significantly increased by an outstanding 254% last year. PLANTBottles® contain 30% plant based material, and are fully recyclable. They are now available in 10 of the 28 markets where Coca-Cola HBC operates, and more will be joining next year.
2015 key performance highlights:
- 33.311 employees
- 43.000 suppliers
- €1.3 billion spent in direct procurement
- €271 million total taxes paid
- 11.7 % direct carbon emissions reduction year-on-year
- Energy use ratio improved by 7.2% year-on-year
- 19.4% increase of recycled PET usage year-on-year
- 87% sustainable engagement score
*Water consumption and direct carbon emissions per litre of beverage produced, versus 2010.
Read more about Coca-Cola HBC sustainability performance at http://coca-colahellenic.com/en/sustainability/.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Oct 11, 2016 5pm EDT / 2pm PDT / 10pm BST / 11pm CEST