Coca-Cola Enterprises Announces Most Ambitious Sustainability Targets Yet

Jun 9, 2015 11:00 AM ET

Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE/Euronext Paris: CCE) has launched its 10th annual Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability report today, including new stretch targets on social and environmental performance. These have been built from a strong response to stakeholder feedback and address material issues around well-being, the environment and employability.

The commitments include:

  • Reducing calories per litre across CCE’s entire portfolio by 10% by 2020;
  • Halving the carbon footprint of its business by 2020;
  • Ensuring that 40% of the PET it uses is recycled PET and/or PET from renewable materials by 2020;
  • Supporting the skills development and learning needs of 250,000 young people every year.

The bold calorie reduction target puts CCE in a leadership position in the soft drinks industry when concerns about calorie intake and obesity are growing. CCE has also committed to encouraging people to be physically active, targeting 3m people across its territories by 2020.

John F. Brock, Chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: “Ten years into our sustainability journey, we are proud of our achievements but we know that there is still much more to do. Our new commitments embrace both environmental and social issues – with a stronger focus than ever before on promoting the well-being of our consumers. If we want to build a long-term sustainable business, there’s no room for complacency and these ambitious targets reflect our desire to take a lead in our industry when it comes to sustainability.”

The report also highlights key progress milestones, including:

  • A 29% carbon footprint reduction in absolute terms since 2007;
  • A new high level of recycled PET usage, with rPET contributing a third of all PET volume;
  • A 5.4% reduction in calories per litre across our entire portfolio since 2010;
  • A 17% reduction in the amount of water used since 2007, with an average of 1.36 litres of water used to make 1 litre of product;
  • 130,000 young people each year reached by our local partnerships and education centres.

The report is available on CCE’s website and please click here to hear more about CCE’s new commitments from its Executive Vice President and President, Europe Group, Hubert Patricot. You can also follow the company on Twitter.

For further information, please contact:
Ros Hunt – 07528251022 / rohunt@cokecce.com

About CCE
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. (CCE) is the leading Western European marketer, producer, and distributor of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages and one of the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottlers. CCE is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. It operates with a local focus and has 17 manufacturing sites across Europe, where it manufactures nearly 90% of its products in the markets in which they are consumed. Sustainability is core to the business, and it has been recognised by leading organizations in North America and Europe for its progress in water use reduction, carbon footprint reduction, and recycling initiatives. For more information about the company, please visit the website and follow it on Twitter.

View the full report here