Coca-Cola Hellenic, one of Europe's leading bottlers of non-alcoholic beverages, has further strengthened the rigorous reporting and verification of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities across operations in 28 countries.

Coca-Cola Hellenic is the first European food and beverage company to reach an 'A+' rating according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for its CSR report.

Its just published 2010 CSR report, 'Towards Sustainability,' has been reviewed by an external Stakeholder Review Panel which provided input and a critical assessment of the report's strengths and improvement opportunities. In addition, the Company stated that the auditor denkstatt GmbH carried out an independent third-party validation of the contents in accordance with the international standards AA1000 (2008) and GRI (Global Reporting Initiative).

Among initiatives reported by Coca-Cola Hellenic are increased efforts to combat climate change. Beyond the construction of three Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants during the year, which will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 66% at each facility, the Company has now launched a programme to install solar panels on rooftops.

Energy-saving activities also involve improving efficiency of power use in bottling operations, transportation, and cold drink equipment which is progressively being replaced with models which are free of HFCs and are up to 63% more energy-efficient than previous coolers, substantially cutting CO2 emissions.

Another primary environmental focus is protection of water resources. More than 97% of wastewater was treated at bottling plants in 2010, and systems put in place enabled the re-use and recycling of 1.2 billion litres of water in production processes.

Water stewardship programmes in communities in partnership with governments, NGOs and conservation groups were aimed at awareness-raising, education and practical efforts to restore and maintain waterways, catchment areas, and wildlife habitats. Through the European Water Sustainability Sounding Board for Sugar the Company is examining the broader impact of water use in agriculture, especially in regard to sugar beet.

The Company achieved improvements in protection of the environment and of natural resources by recovering and recycling an average of 64% of packaging waste across 19 countries, and 85% of production waste across its operations. Through lightweighting, 5,000 tonnes of PET were saved.

Progress continued to be made in the protection of the health and safety of employees. Following the introduction of a concerted programme introduced in 2009, serious accidents declined 39% and the number of manufacturing plants certified to the international OHSAS 18001 standard reached 84%.

Furthermore, the CSR report details numerous other aspects of the Company's performance including its work with suppliers to improve energy efficiency and directing them in abiding by responsible social and economic practices; contributing to the well-being of communities by investing €9.5 million in a variety of projects and engaging more than 1.2 million people in sports and fitness programmes; and providing consumers with an increasing choice of beverages suited to individual lifestyles.

Coca-Cola Hellenic continued to actively participate in long-term partnerships, maintaining its status as a Notable Reporter of the UN Global Compact (UNGC), and partnerships with agencies such as UNDP, UNEP and UNESCO. Fourteen of the Company's businesses contribute individually to UNGC activities in their own countries.

A variety of awards have been bestowed on the Company for its CSR contributions, and recognition of its commitment to pursuing sustainable goals has been shown by its listing on the FTSE4Good Index for the ninth consecutive year, and on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and European STOXX indexes for the third year running.

Coca-Cola Hellenic has published the CSR report for 2010 in full at
http://csrreport.2010.coca-colahellenic.com/.

About Coca-Cola Hellenic
Coca-Cola Hellenic is one of the world's largest bottlers of products of The Coca-Cola Company with sales of more than two billion unit cases, and 560 million customers buying its products annually. The company offers a diverse range of ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverages in the sparkling, juice, juice drinks, water, sport, energy, tea and coffee categories. Coca-Cola Hellenic is committed to promoting sustainable development in order to create value for its business and for society. This includes providing products that meet the beverage needs of consumers, fostering an open and inclusive work environment and conducting business in ways that protect and preserve the environment and contribute to the socio-economic development of our local communities. Coca-Cola Hellenic's shares are listed on the Athens Exchange (ATHEX: EEEK), with a secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: CCB). Coca-Cola Hellenic's American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CCH). Coca-Cola Hellenic is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability and FTSE4Good Indexes. For more information on Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Ireland, its products, people and commitment to sustainable business please visit www.coca-colahellenic.com.

Coca-Cola HBC

Coca-Cola HBC

Coca-Cola HBC is the second-largest bottler of the brands of The Coca-Cola Company in terms of volume with sales of more than 2 billion unit cases. It has a broad geographic footprint with operations in 28 countries serving a population of approximately 585 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. Coca-Cola HBC is committed to promoting sustainable development in order to create value for its business and for society. This includes providing products that meet the beverage needs of consumers, fostering an open and inclusive work environment, conducting its business in ways that protect and preserve the environment and contribute to the socio-economic development of the local communities.

 

Coca-Cola HBC has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: CCH) and its shares are listed on the Athens Exchange (ATHEX: EEE). Coca-Cola HBC’s American depositary shares (ADSs) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CCH). Coca-Cola HBC is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability and FTSE4Good Indexes. For more information, please visit www.coca-colahellenic.com.

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