The carbon footprint research highlights the determination of the Coca-Cola System (1) to continue reducing the impact of its products and operations on the environment. The project builds on previous work to calculate the carbon footprint of the System’s business operations in Great Britain.
The project saw Coca-Cola Great Britain and Coca-Cola Enterprises working together with the Carbon Trust to measure greenhouse gas emissions across the full life cycle of the selected drinks (2) in a variety of packaging formats. This included looking at the ingredients used to make the drink, the manufacture of the drink and its packaging, the impact of distribution and retailing, use of the product by individual consumers and subsequent disposal of the empty bottle or can.
The results reveal that a 330ml can of Coca-Cola sold in Great Britain has a carbon footprint of 170g, and the same size can of Diet Coke or Coke Zero has a footprint of 150g. A 330ml glass bottle of Coca-Cola has a footprint of 360g.
The research also revealed how packaging accounts for the largest portion of the drink’s carbon footprint, between 30-70% depending on the type of container used. However, the research went on to highlight the importance of using recycled content and of encouraging recycling post-use. A combination of these two factors can decrease the overall carbon footprint of a product by up to 60%.
Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: “Coca-Cola was one of the first companies to sign up for carbon footprinting with the Carbon Trust as part of its ongoing commitment to reducing its carbon impact, and it has made an important contribution to our work to create the product carbon footprinting standard.
“Coca-Cola’s help in streamlining the process and sharing international insights was critical. Today’s announcement is important, as it will help bring home to consumers that carbon is everywhere – in all we consume. When we launched the idea around the carbon footprinting of products, it was always our aim to have major brands such as Coca-Cola using the process as a means to further reduce the carbon in their supply chains. We’re delighted they’re committed to doing just that.”
Much progress has already been made in maximising recycled content in Coca-Cola Enterprises’ packaging. In Great Britain, the Coca-Cola System’s aluminium cans contain about 50% recycled content, and its glass bottles contain an average of 40% recycled glass.
CCE has also set a target for all its plastic (PET) bottles across Great Britain and Europe to contain an average of 25% recycled PET by the end of 2010. Similarly, in partnership with Wrap, the Coca-Cola System is rolling out a nationwide series of branded Recycle Zones to encourage consumers to recycle when out and about. Six Recycle Zones have already been successfully launched, including at Thorpe Park, Festival Place in Basingstoke and the University of Warwick.
The carbon footprint research will also inform other important initiatives designed to improve the environmental impact of individual Coca-Cola products in Great Britain. These include work to improve the efficiency of refrigeration equipment and to improve the efficiency of transport and delivery operations, for example.
Sanjay Guha, president of Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland, said: “We’re absolutely committed as a business to reducing the environmental impact of our products. This is what our consumers expect and we believe is our responsibility as market leaders. Over the last few years, we have significantly cut our water and energy use in the UK, but we’re determined to do more.
“A clear measurement of the carbon emissions of individual products is a vital step on our journey to reduce them and to achieve our goal of operating in a responsible and sustainable way. As we move forward, we will look to integrate the carbon footprint information with other key environmental impacts, for example water, and explore how best to share the total environmental impact of our products with consumers.”
Simon Baldry, MD of Coca-Cola Enterprises GB, said: “Delivering against the sustainability agenda is key to our business and to all our decision making. We’re determined to deliver the transparency and progress that our customers need in this area.”
(1) The Coca-Cola System in Great Britain consists of Coca-Cola Great Britain and its bottling partner, Coca-Cola Enterprises. *(2) In total, 14 Coca-Cola products were tested, including cans, plastic (PET) and glass bottles.*
Source: Coca-Cola
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024