by Ann Withanee — November 14, 2011—Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has achieved the Carbon Trust Standard with the highest score for carbon performance in the carbon reduction assessment’s history, demonstrating outstanding results from the company’s ongoing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Coca-Cola is also the first major soft drinks manufacturer to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard, which recognizes the achievements of carbon-efficient companies. Since its launch in 2008, the Standard has certified 675 companies.
Following a rigorous 12-week assessment process, Coca-Cola Enterprises achieved a score of 95 percent for carbon performance, which is the highest score ever awarded by the U.K.-based Carbon Trust Standard.
The assessment examined the standard of carbon management across CCE’s European operations, including the accuracy of the company’s measurement techniques. The Carbon Trust assessors also visited manufacturing plants at Clamart in France and Edmonton in Great Britain to examine CCE’s carbon management practices.
As well as achieving the Standard across its own operations, Coca-Cola has committed to reducing the carbon footprint of the drink in your hand by one-third by the year 2020 (compared with 2007 levels). To achieve this aggressive goal, CCE is looking beyond its own operations at the entire value chain of its products and procedures. For example, the company knows that chilling its products has a significant impact on its carbon levels, so by 2014, CCE aims to reduce this by an average of 35 percent. The company also plans to source 35 percent of its manufacturing energy from renewable or low-carbon sources by 2020.
The Carbon Trust Standard is an objective benchmark against which to assess an organization’s commitment and success in addressing its climate change impact. The Standard specifies requirements in three key areas: carbon footprint measurement, carbon management and carbon reduction performance
To date, the total carbon footprint certified by the Carbon Trust Standard is over 43 million tons of CO2 equivalent, which reportedly equals nearly 18 percent of the total carbon footprint of U.K. businesses and transport.
Business leaders eager to receive The Carbon Trust Standard undergo a rigorous evaluation process by a team of Carbon Trust assessors. Receiving the Carbon Trust Standard indicates a major achievement, and once certified, companies know they are contributing to the major global goal of overall carbon reduction.
The U.K.’s Carbon Trust is a not-for-profit company with the mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy, providing specialist support to business and the public sector to help cut carbon emissions, save energy and commercialize low carbon technologies.
