The company has also recently recieved a place in the CDP Global Climate Performance Leadership Index 2014, and has been named the global industry leader amongst beverage companies in the 2014 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). This is the seventh consecutive year that Coca-Cola HBC has been included in the indices and for the first time this year it leads both the World and European indices.
This year CDP has also upgraded Coca-Cola HBC to an A rating, from last year’s B rating, and awarded the company a place in the UK’s FTSE 350 Leadership Index
CDP is a not-for-profit organisation which provides the only global system for companies to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information, motivating them to disclose their impact on the environment and take action to reduce it.
Coca-Cola HBC initiatives included:
Supporting the expansion of the capacity of the Russian sugar beet industry, which will eliminate the need to import sugar for the company’s operations by 2015 Working with suppliers in introducing HFC-free coolers, meaning all new equipment will be hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-free by 2015 An investment of €3m in 2013 in energy saving programmes throughout the company’s plants
These initiatives contributed to a reduction in total absolute carbon emissions (direct and indirect) of 5.3% compared to the previous year.
In the DJSI, Coca-Cola HBC was ranked first in the beverages sector out of 30 companies in DJSI World and 10 companies in DJSI Europe.
Dimitris Lois, Coca-Cola HBC chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be recognised as an industry leader by these two benchmarks of corporate sustainability performance. Our substantial improvement this year in the DJSI, and our rating upgrade from B to A by CDP demonstrate that sustainability is at the heart of our business, and these two awards are a firm endorsement of the good work we are doing.”
