ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) announced today that it has set goals for its five strategic Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) focus areas and has committed to achieving these goals by the year 2020 – what the company is calling “Commitment 2020.”
“Even during difficult economic times, our commitment to CRS has never been stronger, and our quantifiable Commitment 2020 goals demonstrate the progress we are making on our journey,” said John F. Brock, chairman and chief executive officer. “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 working to meet or exceed the expectations of our retail customers and consumers.”
CCE also reiterated its participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Leaders program, an industry-government partnership that works to develop comprehensive climate change strategies. As a partner in the EPA Climate Leaders, CCE has pledged to reduce its company-wide greenhouse gas emissions and will annually report its progress to the EPA.
Commitment 2020 Goals
CCE’s Commitment 2020 goals for its five strategic CRS focus areas are:
* Energy Conservation/Climate Change: Reduce the overall carbon footprint of our business operations by 15 percent 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 percent of our packaging.
* Product Portfolio/Well-Being: Provide refreshing beverages for every lifestyle and occasion, while helping consumers make informed beverage 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.
CRS Report
CCE’s fourth company-wide CRS Report provides a comprehensive look at the company’s commitment to being a sustainable business partner in the communities in which it operates. To access CCE’s Report online, please visit http://www.cokecce.com/assets/uploaded_files/FINAL_CCE_2008_CRSReport_lowres.pdf. Comments and feedback related to the Report are welcome at crs@cokecce.com.
CCE’s CRS reports have garnered several awards in the past few years, including two Golden Peacock Awards (corporate social responsibility reporting) and two CorporateRegister.com awards (creativity in communications, best overall report runner-up). This Report achieves B-level compliance with the G3 guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
CRS Report Highlights:
* Reduced beverage calories in U.S. schools by 58 percent since 2007. The American Beverage Association’s School Guidelines support the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association.
* Measured the global and individual country carbon footprints of the company’s operations in the United States, Canada and Western Europe. CCE’s efforts to measure and reduce its carbon footprint have resulted in a seven percent reduction in energy use from 2006 to 2008.
* 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.
* Saved 301 million liters of water through water efficiency initiatives, further reducing the company’s water use ratio from 1.82 to 1.73 liters of water to produce one liter of product in the last three years. CCE has one of the lowest water use ratios in the global Coca-Cola system.
* Recovered and reused approximately 125,000 metric tons of packaging materials through internal programs and Coca-Cola Recycling’s work to increase opportunities for consumer recycling in the marketplace and at large-scale events.
* Continued support of the United Nations Global Compact by endorsing the CEO Water Mandate, which recognizes the impact companies have on the world’s water supply.
Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world’s largest marketer, producer, and distributor of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment. CCE sells approximately 80 percent of The Coca-Cola Company’s bottle and can volume in North America and is the sole licensed bottle for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands. For more information, please visit www.cokecce.com.