Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has announced plans to make two of its manufacturing sites entirely carbon-neutral over the next three years.
Production facilities in Chaudfontaine in Belgium and Dongen in the Netherlands are two of the six plants that are part of a pilot initiative aimed at achieving carbon-neutral status by the end of 2023.
Heating at the Chaudfontaine facility draws renewable energy from hydraulic turbines and solar panels. It accounts for more than 5% of the total energy used at the site, which bottles Coca-Cola’s Chaudfontaine mineral water brand.
The company plans to eliminate or significantly reduce fossil fuel use at the site as part of its plans to become carbon neutral.
Transition To Carbon Neutrality
The facility at Dongen produces more than 85% of Coca-Cola products sold in the Netherlands.
The journey to becoming carbon neutral has already begun in the site through a transition to electric forklift trucks and road sweepers.
The facility is also switching to renewable electricity supplied by local solar and wind farms for gas-powered boilers and heating systems.
Net-Zero Across Value Chain
CCEP plans to reach net-zero across its value chain by 2040 and will focus on reducing its emissions by 30% over the next 10 years, supported by €250 million investment in emission reduction projects over the next three years.
Initially, the bottling group will focus on reducing emissions as much as possible and invest in verified carbon offset projects or projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere only where essential.
This strategy is part of the carbon-neutral initiative for all six production sites, the locations of which will be announced later.
Over the past ten years, CCEP has already reduced its carbon emissions by 30% across its value chain by transitioning to 100% renewable electricity and investing in lighter packaging, more recycled content, and energy efficiency initiatives for its factories, trucks and cold drinks equipment.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
