On July 22, Coca Cola Enterprises (business unit responsible for marketing, bottling, and distribution) announced its goals set in five areas of strategic Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, with a commitment to achieve them by 2020.

The five areas of focus for Coca Cola Enterprises are as follows:

• Energy Conservation/Climate Change: Reduce the overall carbon footprint of our business operations by 15% by 2020, as compared to our 2007 baseline.
• Water Stewardship: Establish a water-sustainable operation in which we minimize our water use and have a water-neutral impact on the local communities in which we operate, by safely returning the amount of water equivalent to what we use in our beverages and their production to these local communities.
• Sustainable Packaging/Recycling: Reduce the impact of our packaging; maximize our use of renewable, reusable, and recyclable resources; and recover the equivalent of 100% of our packaging.
• Product Portfolio/Well-Being: Provide refreshing beverages for every lifestyle and occasion, while helping consumers make informed choices.
• Diverse and Inclusive Culture: Create a culture where diversity is valued, every employee is a respected member of the team, and our workforce is a reflection of the communities in which we operate.

The full outline of Coca Cola’s goals and processes are outlined in their new Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability report.  These new goals are part of an extensive CRS plan that has been working to build a more sustainable brand.

According to CEO, John F. Brock, “We have been recognized as a CRS leader in the global Coca-Cola system, and by embedding CRS into every aspect of our business, we are worming to meet or exceed the expectations of our retail customers and consumers.”

Some of the highlights of this years report are as follows:

• Created the first certified product carbon footprint of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Oasis in Great Britain and Dasani in the United States.
• Save 301 million litres of water through water efficiency initiatives, further reducing the company’s water use ratio from 1.82 to 1.73 litres of water to produce one litre of product in the last three years. Coca Cola Enterprises has one of the lowest water use rations in the global Coca-Cola system.
• Recovered and reused approximately 125,000 metric tonnes of packaging materials through internal programs and Coca-Cola Recycling’s work to increase opportunities for consumer recycling in the marketplace and large-scale events.

The goals and achievements of Coca-Cola Enterprises come at a time when both consumers and retailers are becoming more interested in sustainable products.   Sustainable practices and procedures are becoming normalized operations and the goals reflected in Coca Cola’s sustainability report illustrate a changing business environment.

To view the full report click the following link:

www.cokecce.com