The Coca-Cola Company has released its 2006 Environmental Performance report (PDF). The report includes data gathered from 775 facilities around the world, representing 94 percent of the Coca-Cola system’s sales volume in 2006.
In 2006, the Coca-Cola’s total energy use increased 10 percent. Coke’s vending machines and coolers are the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions within the system and produce three times the estimated emissions of the company’s manufacturing facilities. Coke says that an increase in onA?AA¢AA¢aAA¬AA¢a?A¬Ee?site production of PET bottles in 2006 contributed to the systemwide energy use increase. “We are working to identify and implement additional measures that will continue to improve efficiencies in our operations,” the report states.
While there was an increase in total energy use in 2006, the company says that its energy use ratio has improved 16 percent since the year 2002.
The company achieved a three percent improvement in water use efficiency, as sales volume increased four percent. Coca-Cola plants used an average of 2.52 liters of water to make one liter of beverage, as compared to 2.59 liters in 2005 and 2.72 in 2004. Since 2002, the Coca-Cola system has improved water use efficiency by more than 19 percent.
In 2006, sustainable design efforts led to a reduction in weight and improvement of the impact resistance of the Company’s glass contour bottle which saved 89,000 metric tons of glass last year.
Coca-Cola Enterprises, which markets, distributes, and produces Coca-Cola products, recently published a corporate responsibility and sustainability report.
The Coca-Cola Company recently gave the World Wildlife Fund $20 million to conserve and protect freshwater resources.
