• Coca-Cola China has released its 2007 Sustainability Report - recognized as one of the most transparent reports in China to date. The report covers Coca-Cola China's commitment to concrete targets for improvement, its progress, and ongoing journey to determine its environmental and social impacts.
  • In 2007 Coca-Cola China achieved improvements of 9% in water efficiency, 7% in energy efficiency, and 14% in solid waste per unit of product.
  • The Report provides detailed and transparent data on the environmental performance of Coca-Cola China system facilities, as well as ethics and marketing policies, workplace performance, and community partnerships.
  • The 2007 Report improves upon the 2006 Report by including clearer descriptions of activities undertaken to implement policies, while also providing significantly more detail on supply chain management and concrete environmental goals.
  • The process of preparing the Sustainability Report inspired Coca-Cola China to organize a student competition in order to help youth experience first hand the process of analyzing their own environmental footprint, while exploring ways to protect the environment.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COCA-COLA CHINA 2007 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
  • Continued progress towards ambitious environmental performance goals, including:
    • 9% improvement in water used per unit of product in bottling facilities.
    • 7% improvement in energy used per unit in bottling facilities.
    • 14% reduction in solid waste per unit in bottling facilities.
    • 14,555 tons of materials saved through improved packaging design.
    • Collaboration with WWF to develop carbon action plans for five pilot plants.
    • Collaboration with Greenpeace on environmentally friendly refrigeration.
  • Our Yangtze River Basin Conservation partnership with WWF and our Rural Water Resources Management and Drinking Water Safety partnership with UNDP, Ministry of Water Resources and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange.
  • Information on our workplace efforts and the progress of our Supplier Guiding Principles assessment and training activities.
  • Investment in innovative research and development through the Coca-Cola Research Center for Chinese Medicine at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and our Global Innovation and Technology Center for R&D, slated to open in Shanghai next year.
  • New and updated global policies covering ethics, human rights, workplace rights, and responsible marketing.
  • Updates on our economic impact and long-standing community partnerships.

COMPETITION BACKGROUND AND RESULTS
  • Objective: Coca-Cola China was inspired to organize the competition after completing the 2007 Report. The competition was designed to mirror the corporate sustainability reporting process, enabling students to better understand the critical role that transparent reporting and measurement plays in environmental protection.
  • Rules and Format: During the final round, students from across China presented their own ¡°sustainability reports¡± based on their daily lives. The students documented their use of water, energy or solid waste over the course of three days, while endeavoring to reduce their usage and make commitments for future action.
  • Results: As the students investigated their resource use, they were better able to develop an action plan for improvement.
    • Bronze Medal: The team from Sun Yat-sen University focused on water, recording the use of 32.5L on their first day. By the third day, they managed to reduce their usage by more than 50%.
    • Silver Medal: The team from Tsinghua University recommended techniques such as recycling water and using a smaller wash basin, while reminding the audience that all of the products we buy require water to manufacture.
    • Gold Medal: The team from Shanghai International Studies University described a variety of methods to reduce waste, including avoiding plastic bags and disposable chopsticks.
  • Judging Panel: The teams were evaluated by a panel of seven China-based corporate responsibility and environmental experts.
  • Partner Organization: The competition was co-hosted by the international student organization, AIESEC. AIESEC has representatives in 10 major cities in Mainland China, with over 20 local chapters at top universities, 1500 active members, and more than 2000 alumni.
  • Prize: The Gold Medal was an all-expense paid trip to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

 

Paul Etchells, Deputy President of the Pacific Group, The Coca-Cola Company
Member of the Judging Panel
¡°Writing our Sustainability Report has really helped us better understand our strengths and vulnerabilities¡ªthe process enabled us to develop a more comprehensive plan for minimizing our environmental impact and improving our citizenship performance. We organized this competition because we wanted to challenge students to explore the relationship between transparency and environmental responsibility through the measurement and reduction of their own impact.¡±

Stephanie Chan, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, AIESEC Mainland China
Partner Organization
¡°The student submissions were exactly what we were hoping for. Sustainability reporting is critical to fostering corporate accountability, but comparatively few companies release data on their performance in China. We hope that individuals and companies will follow this example to examine their own environmental impact, and commit to continuous improvement.¡±
Dr. Peiyuan Guo, Founder and General Manger, Syntao
Member of the Judging Panel
¡°Companies are increasingly releasing sustainability reports in China, but it¡¯s rare for companies to report detailed data for specific country markets covering issues such as resource efficiency and supply chain management. I would put Coca-Cola's 2007 Sustainability Report among the top country-level reports in China.¡±
Ms. Zou Jing, Vice Editor in Chief of World Environment, a publication of the Center for Environmental Education and Communication under the Ministry of Environmental Protection
Member of the Judging Panel
"Much of what students study is often focused on theory, rather than practice--as a result, when it comes to people's daily lives, behaviour commonly lags behind theory. The Coca-Cola China student competition was designed to enable the students to put the theories directly into practice, and help them understand how the process of measurement can help identify problems and lead to improvement."
Mr. Brian Ho, Director (Beijing), CSR Asia
Member of the Judging Panel
"Transparent reporting is essential to ensure continued progress in the corporate sector towards environmental sustainability. It's also important that young people understand the value of reporting in order to reward companies that are doing a good job, and hold other companies accountable for their commitments. Coca-Cola China's student competition was a creative opportunity for students to learn about reporting in a meaningful--and memorable--way."
Mr. Adam Lane, Corporate Partnerships Manager, Plan International
Member of the Judging Panel
"It was refreshing to participate in the Coca-Cola China student competition, because the emphasis was genuinely on raising awareness and increasing understanding of sustainability reporting. I feel like the students really learned a lot during the process."
Dr. Zhu Jiang, Senior Programme Officer, WWF China
Member of the Judging Panel
"Different from professional environmentalists, these students gave me a better understanding of hands-on environmental protection. Such relevant, specific and familiar demonstrations may be more accessible to the general public. The launch of Coca-Cola's Sustainability Report was unique and simple, without being commercialized. Also, Coca-Cola leveraged their brand appeal for the good cause of mobilizing these highly talented students to shoulder their social and environmental responsibilities."
Ms. Huang Yiling, Communications Manager, China, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
Member of Judging Panel
"It was obvious that the students worked really hard--I was amazed at their presentations and impressed by their confidence. It was also clear that they have a healthy awareness of CSR, and their conviction was evident."
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Christina Lau, Director of External Affairs, Coca-Cola (China) Beverages Ltd.
Phone: (86) (10) 5861-0288
Email: feifei@apac.ko.com

About Coca-Cola (China) Beverages Co., Ltd.
Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known international brands in China, with a leading position in the soft drinks market. Since re-entering China in 1979, the Coca-Cola China System (Company and local partners) has invested more than CNY 12 billion in the local market. By the end of 2007, the system has established a total of 35 bottling plants and 2 concentrate plants. Now the Coca-Cola system employs more than 33,000 people, virtually all local-hires. The system also has donated more than RMB60 million to support China's national and regional social charity undertakings.