Coca-Cola is the First Fortune 500 Company to Replenish All the Water It Uses Globally
Company and its Bottling Partners Meet 2020 Water Replenishment
Goal Five Years Early; Intend to Maintain Water Stewardship Performance
as Business Continues to Grow
STOCKHOLM–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Coca-Cola Company and its global bottling partners (the Coca-Cola
system) today announced they have met their goal to replenish,
or in other words balance, the equivalent amount of water used in their
global sales volume back to nature and communities. Based on this
achievement, Coca-Cola is the first Fortune 500 company to publicly
claim achieving such an aggressive water replenishment target1.
The Coca-Cola system also announced progress against its water efficiency
goal. The company and its bottling partners improved water use
efficiency by 2.5 percent from 2014 to 2015, adding to a cumulative 27
percent improvement since 2004.
Based on a global water use assessment validated by LimnoTech and
Deloitte, and conducted in association with The Nature Conservancy
(TNC), the Coca-Cola system returned an estimated 191.9 billion liters
of water to nature and communities in 2015 through community water
projects, equaling the equivalent of 115 percent of the water used in
Coca-Cola’s beverages last year.
“This achievement marks a moment of pride for Coca-Cola and our
partners. A goal that started as aspiration in 2007 is today a reality
and a global milestone we plan to maintain as our business grows,” said
Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company. “Now, every time a
consumer drinks a Coca-Cola product, they can have confidence that our
company and bottling partners are committed to responsible water use
today and tomorrow. We are keenly aware that our water stewardship work
is unfinished and remain focused on exploring next steps to advance our
water programs and performance.”
The Coca-Cola system has achieved its water replenishment goals through
248 community water partnership projects in 71 countries focused on safe
water access, watershed protection and water for productive use. In many
cases, projects also provide access to sanitation and education, help
improve local livelihoods, assist communities with adapting to climate
change, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity, engage on policy
and build awareness on water issues. The program aspects mentioned in
the preceding sentence do not contribute to Coca-Cola’s replenish volume.
Replenish performance is independently reviewed by LimnoTech and
verified by Deloitte. That work is reflected in a 1,188
page report. The methodology
for calculating water replenishment benefits was created in
collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and LimnoTech. It was the
subject of scientific technical peer review to verify its accuracy, and
uses generally accepted scientific and technical methods. Projects are
reviewed annually and evaluated using this methodology.
Some replenish projects directly return water to the source we use while
others are outside the watershed our plant uses but are important to
help meet needs of local governments, communities and partners where
there is a pressing need. Coca-Cola and its partners seek projects that
have a direct benefit, can be scaled up to have greater impact by
reaching more people and parts of an ecosystem, are easy to learn from
and replicate in other places where the challenges are similar, and can
be built to be sustainable by the community over time, continuing to
replenish water. These efforts, as well as new projects, frequently
address local source water vulnerabilities and balance additional sales
volume as Coca-Cola’s business continues to grow.
At each of its 863 plants globally, Coca-Cola requires operations to
determine the sustainability of the water supply they share with others
in terms of quality, quantity, and other issues such as infrastructure
to treat and distribute water. Through this process, one of the factors
Coca-Cola plants must examine is whether or not their use of water and
discharge of water has the potential to negatively impact the ability of
other community members to access a sufficient quantity and quality of
water. If so, or if there are areas where water sources may still be
unsustainable in some aspect, Coca-Cola’s requirement then mandates that
each plant develop and implement a Source
Water Protection Plan. The plan, among other things, engages others
to mutually seek solutions to promote the sustainability of the local
water source. This may result in replenish projects or other
opportunities. While each plant may not replenish all water to its
direct source, Coca-Cola’s policy is to require that all plants work to
ensure they do not negatively impact water sources and work with the
community on longer term solutions.
Coca-Cola’s replenishment strategy supports the company’s overall water
goal to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equal
to what is used in its beverages and their production. On the production
side, the Coca-Cola system returned approximately 145.8 billion liters
of water used in its manufacturing processes back to local watersheds
near our bottling plants through treated wastewater in 2015.
“All life depends on water, but less than 1 percent of the world’s water
is fresh and accessible. From mountain glaciers to estuaries, we must
account for the whole system if we hope to secure freshwater for all,”
said Carter Roberts, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) President and CEO. “This
means partnerships matter. This is an important milestone in Coca-Cola’s
continued leadership on water stewardship and sets a standard for other
water users to build from.”
Coca-Cola collaborates on replenish projects with governments, civil
society and other members of the private sector. Some of the many
organizations Coca-Cola
partners with include Global
Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), Millennium Challenge
Corporation, TNC, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
UN-Habitat, United
States Agency for International Development (USAID), WaterAid, Water
and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), Water for People, WWF, and
World Vision.
Four programs with significant contribution to Coca-Cola’s water
replenishment activities are our global conservation partnership with
WWF, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s Replenish
Africa Initiative (RAIN), the company’s Every
Drop Matters partnership with UNDP, which expanded to New
World in 2014, and Coca-Cola’s investment in 50 water
funds across 12 countries in Africa, Latin America and the
Caribbean, with key partners TNC, FEMSA Foundation and the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). All of these programs are active
and committed through 2020.
Replenish projects work to balance, or offset, the direct water use of
The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners across operations in
more than 200 countries. The water use is inclusive of water used within
manufacturing as well as finished beverages, which includes water from
fountain sales. The water footprint of growing agricultural ingredients
sourced by the Coca-Cola system is not included in this goal. However,
sustainable water practices are part of Coca-Cola’s Sustainable
Agriculture Guiding Principles required for suppliers.
To learn more about Coca-Cola’s water stewardship program, visit the
company’s water
stewardship report.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage
company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still
brands and more than 3,800 beverage choices. Led by Coca-Cola, one of
the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our company’s
portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, 18 of which are available
in reduced-, low- or no-calorie options. Our billion-dollar brands
include Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, vitaminwater,
Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Del Valle, Georgia and Gold Peak. Through
the world’s largest beverage distribution system, we are the No. 1
provider of both sparkling and still beverages. More than 1.9 billion
servings of our beverages are enjoyed by consumers in more than 200
countries each day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable
communities, our company is focused on initiatives that reduce our
environmental footprint, create a safe, inclusive work environment for
our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities
where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the
world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system
associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com,
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo,
visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com
or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
1We acknowledge that different companies and industries water
use varies within their products and production. Coca-Cola’s claim is
based on publicly reported claims and information as of June 1, 2016,
and is inclusive of water return against direct water use.
Contacts
The Coca-Cola Company
Serena Levy, 404-676-2683
serena.levy@coca-cola.com
