Skip to main content

Coca-Cola's Goods and Goals in Sustainability


Coca-Cola's Goods and Goals in Sustainability



Coca-Cola is ranked the beverage industry leader in sustainability and social issues. Their efforts have earned them several awards, including Award for the Most Outstanding Beverage Company in Environmental Sustainability and Award for the Eco-Friendly Bottled Water Brand of the Year from the Environmental Sustainability Conference, Expo, and Awards (ECOSEA), The World Environment Center's Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development, recognition as the most sustainable beverage by the Dow Jones for 12 years and counting, as well as the company's director of Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability being dubbed Environmental Sustainability Professional of the Year. So, what is this company doing so well? 

Packaging

To start, in sustainability, Coca-Cola has made numerous differences in the packaging and manufacturing of their products during recent years. One area, where they've made significant stride in recently, is through the update to three of their soda's packaging types from green to clear plastic bottles. One of their most popular beverages-Sprite-as well as, Seagram's and Fresca have transitioned from the green bottle that previously held them to a more easily recyclable clear plastic bottle. 

In 2018, the company launched the World without Waste Initiative. With it, they established three fundamental goals: making their packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and using at least 50% recycled material themselves by 2030 (Design), collecting and recycling a bottle or can for each one it sells by 2030 (Collect), and bringing people together to support a healthy debris-free environment (Partner). 

Another area the brand is pushing improvements is in efforts to increase the use of refillable/returnable glass and plastic bottles. Confident in their efficacy to do this, thanks, in part, to having already proven this ability through their Coca-Cola Nigeria campaign, in 2022, the company announced industry leading reusable packaging goals. By the year 2025, it intends for at least 25% of its beverages sold in volume for fountain dispensers to be contained in packaging that can be either refilled or returned to be reused by the company. 

Water

Coca-Cola also leads the industry with a high standard for responsible use and preservation of water. Over the past 10 years they've managed improvements of 19% in this area. Through treating all the water leaving their factories themselves and replenishing its sources by 160%, the company combats the effects of climate change, and helps to bring clean drinking water to over 10 million people worldwide. 

Carbon Footprint

Along with this, the organization has been able to decrease their carbon footprint substantially lately, with 530,000 tonnes in absolute carbon emissions being saved since 2017. This is due, in part, to another initiative the company has taken to support local suppliers. More than 98% to of goods and raw material used at Coca-Cola are sourced from local suppliers. Along with the good of supporting the local economy, sourcing the local suppliers cuts down on the emissions added from transporting necessary products from further locations. 

To further exemplify their commitment to sustainability, 2022 was the first year that the company issued a green bond. A green bond is a type of dept security used to finance environmentally friendly projects. It was released in September 2022, and its proceeds were a loan to continue their research in discovering more eco-friendly solutions to reach their high goals, namely to meet net-zero emissions by the year 2040.

As part of an industry where it's tempting to complacently meet the basic requirements and regulations set forth to welcome as much profit as possible, Coca-Cola will not fall victim to this corporate greed. This industry leader in sustainability continually proves its dedication to reducing the harmful effects brought on by their demand and advocates for the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling-leading through example. So, show your support, and next time you're looking for a soft drink, grab yourself a Coke and Enjoy. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beginners Guide to PTSD and C-PTSD

Beginners Guide to PTSD and C-PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a neurodegenerative disorder whose origin is rooted in an experience or experiences of trauma. Similar in symptoms and causes, complex post-traumatic stress disorder is a subset of this disorder whose symptoms are, generally speaking, more severe. Although many experience traumatic events in their lives and some even experience symptoms of PTSD following them, this disorder is not widely spread, and, unfortunately, is widely misunderstood. That's where this beginner's guide to PTSD and C-PTSD will be helpful. Some form of PTSD affects about 4% of adults, with the number of women being higher than that of men. This could be, at least in part, due to the negative social stigma surrounding men seeking help and expressing their feelings. Its origin is a traumatic event, one or multiple, that can come at any point in life. With C-PTSD, it's always rooted in childhood trauma and of a repetitive nature-me...
Post a Comment
Read more

Serial Killer: Ted Bundy

Serial Killers: Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy is perhaps the most infamous serial killer of all time. His combination of cunning and charisma helped lead at least 36 women to death at his hands and sets him apart from the average serial killer. Numerous documentaries were inspired by his life, including Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vial. These serve to allow many of us a familiarity to this horrific man, but something that remains obscure is the early life story that led to the making of this murderer.  Theodore Robert Bundy was born in Burlington, Vermont on November 24, 1946. More often known as Ted, Bundy grew up with an unusually complex family dynamic. He was adopted at a young age, but Bundy's real mother was never far from him, as his adopted parents were his grandparents. With an age difference between them of 22 years, Bundy claimed that from an early age, he never believed Louise was his sister. Experts theorize that Bundy’s true father was the man w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Philosophers: Emile Durkheim

Émile Durkheim Émile Durkheim was a French Sociologist  who is best known as the principal architect of modern social science and is widely regarded as the founder of the French School of Sociology. Some of his major works include the Division of Labour in Society, the Rules of the Sociological Method, Suicide, Pedagogical Evolution in France, and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.   His most notable work is called Suicide and is largely about how capitalism robs humans of their happiness until they reach the point of craving death.  In this book, he outlines 5 reason that humans are so unhappy 1. Individualism The first reason he outlines, is that in a society of capitalism, there is too much pressure on the individual. Before capitalism, roles were assigned at birth. Now-with competition-there's more pressure on the individual and uncertainty in the work that you'll do and the life you will live. With this uncertainty, stress is put on the individual that coul...
Post a Comment
Read more