COCA-COLA: Feature 2

Caring For The Environment

Marianne Mavrikios on May 29, 2013

Making a positive difference includes not only the care about our health and well-being, but also the environment. Together with the Organisation’s partners and stakeholders, they can play a role in helping to identify and support practical solutions to promote environmentally sound manufacturing processes. 
Coca-Cola aspires to help people by offering a wide variety of quality beverages to match different lifestyles and promote recycling through education, packaging and information.

Packaging: A Reusable Asset

Coca cola packaging adds value to their products by being safe & healthy, providing product information, minimising breakage, reducing transportation costs, increasing their shelf life, and creating consumer convenience. They are working to first minimise the packaging and then look to find ways to recover and reuse as much as possible.  They view packaging, not as a waste, but as a valuable resource for future use.

In Australia, 'light weighting' of packaging, using less material and continuing to improve recycling strategies has seen a significant reduction in materials used.

Coca-Cola Amatil has undertaken a number of programs to encourage outdoor recycling, 

from the 'Refresh, Recycle, Renew' campaign, running since 2004.

'Give it back. Recycle' is Coca-Cola's long-term recycling platform for Australia which was rolled out in 2010 as part of Live Positively, giving prizes from recycled products.

Since introducing the first-ever beverage container with recycled PET in 1991, they have continued to invest significant dollars in development of environmentally and economically viable recycling technologies.

Community Grant of up to $10,000, for local projects that will help increase the recycling of beverage containers

Making A Difference To The Environment

Coca Cola’s goal is to grow their business whilst improving their energy efficiency and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in cold drink equipment.  Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) in Australia has been voluntarily reporting carbon emissions and identifying opportunities to reduce them since 1999 as part of the Australian Government's Greenhouse Challenge. While water savings remain a priority, energy management and climate protection is also a focus area. Coca Cola strives to;

• Accelerate the implementation of energy saving projects and energy awareness
• Reduce their direct carbon impacts
• Increase their focus on co-operative activities with customers and suppliers in Australia

The Coca-Cola Company was the first to introduce two major refrigeration initiatives:

• All new equipment must contain Hydro Fluorocarbon (HFC) free insulation, which can avoid up to three-quarters of the direct (greenhouse gas) emissions compared to our old equipment.
• Development and implementation of our own special energy-saving device, Energy Management System 55 (EMS-55), that now delivers energy savings of up to 35%.

One of the most recent ways they’ve found to reduce their transportation footprint further, through the use of a 'smarter' distribution route planning strategy.

Saving Water: A Priority

The Coca-Cola Company in Australia continually:

•  Looks to reduce overall water use across the business - in both manufacturing processes and office facilities.

• Controls water efficiency through measuring the amount of water used to make one litre of finished beverage. This is referred to as the 'Water Use Ratio' (WUR) and in Australia this is approximately 1.57 litres of water per finished beverage litre (2009 data). This is one of the best ratios in the world within the Coca-Cola system.

• Coca-Cola Amatil Australia has invested over $8 million in the last past few years in capital equipment and new technology to ensure the long-term sustainability of the companies spring water sources.

Coca-Cola Amatil’s global goal is to return to the environment, the water they use in manufacturing operations at a level that supports aquatic life, through comprehensive wastewater treatment. 

In Australia they,

• Ensure all wastewater discharged meets applicable regulatory requirements.
• Maintain and operate treatment facilities efficiently.

Around $5 million has been invested on hydro-geological surveys, technology and equipment to enable measurement and monitoring of standing water levels around the clock. This information is used to ensure water is fully sustainable.

Coca Cola: A Global Partner

The Coca-Cola Foundation along with the WWF, Reef Catchments and local development partners are supporting Project Catalyst. This long-term project focuses on promoting the evolution of cutting-edge practices in the sugar industry including: water quality improvements, soil health, farm production efficiency and precision planning.

Globally, Project Catalyst provides the exciting opportunity to connect agricultural leaders to environmental icons such as the Great Barrier Reef in a positive way.

Sustainably Profit Driven

The Coca-Cola Company in Australia has a track record of driving profits through manufacturing and distribution efficiencies, which have been combined with environmentally sustainable practices.  In partnership with governments, organisations, community groups and the general public have initiated programs that have focused on recycling of materials, monitoring the environment of manufacturing waste and by-products and creating initiatives that are mutually beneficial.

LINK

http://www.coca-cola.com.au/environment