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company introduced into the market in 2021 were refilled, collected, or recycled. Well aware of how climate changes directly impact its operations around the world, Coca-Cola aims to reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 25% by 2030. This is where science-based targeting really comes into play, and there’s been a big shift in how industry now talks about its climate goals, Durham said. “To be really effective, we have to measure differently,” she said. “Science based targeting really has to open you up to a vast new metric. It requires so many pieces from all of your partners.”
Coca-Cola’s Cloeann Durham details the beverage giant’s sustainability initiatives at ISBT’s annual BevTech meeting.
Protecting water resources
PHOTO BY AARON HAND
One leg of the initiative focuses on the design of the bottle. Coca-Cola has a goal to make 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2025 and use at least 50% recycled material in its packaging by 2030. The label is a big piece of that discussion, Durham commented, because not all labels are recyclable. To date, 90% of the company’s packaging is recyclable globally, and it uses 23% recycled material. About 30 markets offer at least one brand in 100% recycled PET packaging, and four markets use 100% recycled PET for their entire plastic packaging portfolio, she added. The company also has a new reuse goal for its brand: By 2030, the aim is to have at least 25% of its beverages worldwide by volume sold in refillable or returnable glass or plastic bottles or in fountain dispensers with reusable packaging. Another leg of this initiative is focused on the recycling efforts themselves. Much of this hinges on educating consumers about how to recycle— not an easy task when the situation in the U.S., for example, is so fluid across the 50 states. “I go from one city to the next, within 5 miles of each other, and the recycling campaign is so vividly different,” Durham commented. By 2030, Coca-Cola has a goal to collect and recycle a bottle or can for each one it sells. So far, 61% of the equivalent cans or bottles that the
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Just as Coca-Cola aims to reduce its carbon footprint, it’s also working to reduce its water footprint. This is a big deal for a company whose products are so largely based on water. The 2030 Water Security Strategy focuses on increasing water security through a context-based approach to water replenishment, advocacy for smart water policies, and responsible water use through all operations and the supply chain. A huge part of this is improved agricultural management because 92% of Coca-Cola’s blue water use—the surface and groundwater consumed as a result of producing the produce—comes from within its agriculture supply chain. Working to grow a more sustainable supply chain, 58% of Coca-Cola’s priority ingredients volume was sourced sustainably in 2021. The ultimate goal is 100%. “We need to make sure we’re not negatively affecting the system,” Durham said. “We’re on a path to be 100%. I feel positive about that, but the conversations need to be ongoing.” The industry is fighting an uphill battle against previous complacency. “We are so behind, folks. We’ve had opportunities to innovate, and we didn’t take them because it didn’t seem necessary,” she said. “We need to make sure we get ahead of those issues so we’re not negatively impacting sustainability.” Coca-Cola is working on these initiatives together with its nearly 225 bottling partners in more than 200 countries and territories. Though the beverage giant has vast resources available to it for these kinds of sustainability efforts, and tackling such global issues might seem overwhelming to many, Durham urged audience members to think differently. “Don’t pay so much attention to the numbers, but how you participate,” she said, adding, “We’re all driving the industry. How do we do that together?”
| August 2022 | www.profoodworld.com
7/27/22 12:10 PM
