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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
6.15.2006 - 03:10pm ET
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The Coca-Cola Company Posts Continued Progress on Environmental Performance
2005 Environmental Report Chronicles Greater Efficiencies in Water and Energy Use; Increased Recycling
(CSRwire) ATLANTA -- The Coca-Cola Company today announced a fourth year of
reductions in energy use, water use and solid waste generation, while it
continued to increase its recycling rates.
The 2005 Environmental Performance Measures Report, released in
conjunction with an expanded environmental Web site, indicated progress in
the four key areas of focus for the Company in environmental performance:
5 percent reduction in the energy use ratio (the amount
of energy used per liter of product produced)
4 percent reduction in the water use ratio (the amount
of water needed to produce a liter of product)
3 percent reduction in the solid waste ratio (the
amount of waste generated per liter of product produced)
3 percent increase in recycling within plants
"The progress we made in our environmental performance in 2005 is another
real indicator that our management programs and standards are continuing to
pay dividends to our Company and the world around us," said Jeff Seabright,
Vice President for Environment and Water Resources. "As a beverage
company, we focus our environmental efforts on the areas where we have the
greatest impact, and therefore can do the most good. These include our use
of water and energy, and our efforts to maximize recycling and reduce solid
waste."
The Environmental Performance Measures Report reflects data gathered from
741 beverage production plants around the world. These plants were
responsible for 90 percent of the Coca-Cola system's sales volume in
2005.
"The numbers in this report are strong evidence of Coca-Cola's commitment
to environmental sustainability," said Glenn T. Prickett, Senior Vice
President of Conservation International. "Steady gains in water use
ratios, adoption of climate friendly technologies, and increases in energy
efficiency and recycling show that Coca-Cola understands how important
protecting the environment is to its success as a business. Conservation
International looks forward to continuing our work with Coke to build on
these results."
Greater Energy Efficiency Helps Reduce Climate Impact
The Coca-Cola beverage system's largest consumption of energy comes from
manufacturing processes, the operation of a fleet of vehicles, and the
operation of the vending machines and coolers that keep products cold.
In 2005, the Coca-Cola system reduced its energy use ratio by 5 percent
through such innovations as the introduction of more energy-efficient
coolers.
In addition, the Company advanced further toward the elimination of
hydroflourocarbons (HFCs) as a refrigerant. Currently, some 4,000 coolers
are using alternative coolants that have negligible environmental impacts.
To hasten these next-generation refrigerants to market, The Coca-Cola
Company has partnered with Unilever and McDonald's to found "Refrigerants
Naturally," which in 2005 was recognized by the United Nations Commission
for Sustainable Development as a Public Private Partnership for
Sustainable Development.
Water: Making Every Drop Count
Water is used for essential manufacturing processes in producing
beverages.
In 2005, the water use ratio was reduced by 4 percent throughout the
Coca-Cola system. On average, Coca-Cola plants used 2.6 liters of water
to make one liter of beverage, as compared to 2.72 liters in 2004 and 2.90
liters in 2003.
The Company completed comprehensive assessments of water risks facing 811
bottling plants worldwide, along with their host communities. These
assessments enable data-driven decisions about water stewardship
priorities.
The Company and its bottling partners are also conducting a growing
number of projects to help protect local watersheds and the communities
and livelihoods that depend on them. In 2005, the Company worked with the
Emory Global Center for Safe Water, Millennium Water Alliance, the United
Nations Foundation, UNICEF, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Wallace Genetic Foundation and others to found the Global
Water Challenge (
www.globalwaterchallenge.org). This unique partnership aims to
support projects that provide safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene
education in the developing world.
In India, The Coca-Cola Company has installed 220 rainwater harvesting
structures spread across 17 states. The collected water is used for
ancillary plant functions and for recharging aquifers, allowing the
Company to renew and return a substantial amount of the groundwater to
groundwater systems.
Using Less and Reusing More
Approximately 98 percent of solid waste from the Coca-Cola system is
generated during the bottling process and includes materials such as empty
ingredient containers, glass or plastic from damaged bottles, and wood from
damaged pallets.
In 2005, manufacturing operations covered by the report generated, on
average, 11.27 grams of solid waste per liter of product, a 3 percent
reduction over 2004.
The system reused or recycled 78 percent of all solid waste produced in
the manufacturing operations covered by the report, up from 76 percent in
2004. Extrapolating from the data, the improvements in solid waste and
recycling ratios suggest that the Coca-Cola system generated 33 kilotons
less waste for disposal from manufacturing operations in 2005 than in
2004.
Other waste and raw materials reduction highlights include:
In 2005, the system's use of lightweight "Ultra Glass" contour
bottles allowed it to reduce glass use by 52,000 tons globally - a CO2
reduction equivalent to planting 8,000 acres of trees.
Packaging innovation also allowed the Coca-Cola system to reduce
global use of polyethylene terephtalate (PET) plastic by over 10,000 tons,
the equivalent savings of nearly 400 million 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles.
3
The Company and its bottling partners continued to invest millions of
dollars to advance environmentally and economically viable recycling
technologies, including the use of recycled-content PET in some 20
countries around the world.
"We are proud of the progress we've made, but we know that we can
continue to do better," Seabright said. "Through our commitment to
transparency and timely reporting, coupled with innovative partnerships
that reach across traditional lines, we expect to continue to improve day
by day and year by year."
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along
with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company
markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including Diet
Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including
diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees
and sports drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution
system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages
at a rate exceeding 1 billion servings each day. For more information
about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.coca-cola.com.
The Environmental Performance Measures Report and the revamped
environmental Web site are available at
http://www2.coca-cola.com/citizenship/environmentalreport.html
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