Coca-Cola HBC Announces New Carbon and Water Commitments
Coca-Cola HBC, a leading bottler of the brands of The Coca-Cola Company, has announced new water and carbon commitments after being named by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) as the world sustainability leader in the beverage industry. Coca-Cola HBC intends to reduce water use intensity by 30% by 2020, compared to 2010 and direct carbon emissions intensity by 50% over the same period.
The company’s approach to sustainability was endorsed in September when Coca-Cola HBC was named beverage industry leader by the Dow Jones World and Europe Sustainability Indices for the second consecutive year. Coca-Cola HBC was also ranked eighth out of the top 100 companies listed on the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE 100) Index for its carbon reporting by Carbon Clear and ranked first within the beverage sector.
Dimitris Lois, chief executive of Coca-Cola HBC, says: “Sustainability is an integral part of our culture, visible in every aspect of our business. Being ranked by DJSI as world sustainability leader in the beverage industry inspires us to continuously raise the bar. It is our pleasure to make these commitments related to our water and carbon footprint. Our partnerships with stakeholders and our communities have been fundamental to our achievements so far and will continue to be instrumental in meeting our new commitments, supporting the global action to reach the Sustainable Development Goals recently endorsed by the United Nations.”
This is the eighth year that the company has been included in the DJSI, the global benchmark for corporate sustainability, due to its rigorous assessment process and its focus on best-in-class companies.
Coca-Cola HBC has a broad geographic footprint with operations in 28 countries, serving a population of approximately 589 million people. Coca-Cola HBC offers a diverse range of non-alcoholic ready to drink beverages in the sparkling, juice, water, sport, energy, tea and coffee categories.
Of the 2,500 companies across different industries, invited to participate in the DJSI assessment worldwide, Coca-Cola HBC ranked beverage industry best with a total score of 87/100. This was 34 points higher than the industry average. The company was ranked industry best in eight criteria: code of business conduct/compliance/anti-corruption, environmental policy, packaging, raw materials sourcing, human capital development, health & nutrition, social reporting, and talent attraction & retention.
Annual highlights of Coca-Cola HBC’s 2014 integrated report include:
* An ‘A’ rating by CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project
* 7.8 % direct and indirect carbon emissions reduction (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
* €4.3m invested in energy efficiency projects
* 4.3% improvement in energy intensity
* €5.8m invested in water saving projects, saving 1.1million m3 water
*4.1% improvement in water intensity
* 82% Sustainable Employee Engagement Index.
