The 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), one of the world’s leading global sustainability benchmarks, has ranked Coca-Cola HBC as the world’s most sustainable beverage company after its score improved by six points on last year to a record 93 out of 100.
It is the 12th consecutive year that Coca-Cola HBC has featured among the top three performers, and the sixth time it has been named the global industry leader.
Commenting, Zoran Bogdanovic, CEO, Coca-Cola HBC, said, “Our goal is to deliver a more sustainable future while continuing to build value for our stakeholders.
"This endorsement from the DJSI demonstrates that we’re on the right track and it is further recognition of the work and unrelenting effort by all at Coca-Cola HBC to put sustainability at the heart of our company.
"Last year, I made the ambitious announcement of our aim to reach Net Zero emissions by 2040 and I believe wholeheartedly that if we continue as we are, we’ll make this aim a reality.”
Highlights of Coca-Cola HBC’s Sustainability Agenda Include:
• Reduced the amount of water needed to produce its products by two billion litres since 2011 and improved water use ratio by 9% in 19 water priority locations since 2017.
• Saved more than 530,000 tonnes in absolute carbon emissions across its value chain since 2017.
• Procured more than 98% of goods and raw material from local suppliers (in the markets in which Coca-Cola HBC manufactures its products).
• Issued its first Green Bond in September 2022, raising €500 million in support of sustainability projects.
• Supporting 10 other jobs on average for every job in The Coca-Cola system.
• Trained 753,000 young people across 28 countries since 2017 since the launch of the company’s flagship community programme, #YouthEmpowered - which aims to train 1 million young people by 2025.
• Published for second year in a row its tax transparency policy and report.
• 39% of management roles in Coca-Cola HBC are held by women, with a target to reach 50% by 2025.
• In 2022, Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland moved all its locally produced portfolio in plastic bottles to 100% rPET (recycled plastic). Italy and Austria are expected to move their portfolios to 100% recycled, locally produced, PET in 2023. By 2025, at least 35% of the PET used to make bottles across the group, and 50% in EU countries and Switzerland, will be recycled plastic.
• KeelClip innovation has eliminated plastic packaging from can-multipacks in 22 countries so far, removing 2,000 tonnes of plastic film annually.
• Investment of more than €50m in in-house rPET facilities, including the Gaglianico plant in Italy - which produces PET bottle preforms with a carbon footprint that is up to 70% lower, compared with virgin plastic - and plants in Poland and Romania.
News by Reuters, edited by Donna Ahern, Checkout. For more A-brand news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
