Business Wire India

Coca-Cola India, Sustainability Update 2019-20

Marking the completion of a decade of sustainability reporting, Coca-Cola India today released its Sustainability Update for the year 2019-20. In line with the Company’s principle of ‘building sustainable communities as foundations for sustainable businesses’, the sustainability report showcases Coca-Cola’s commitment towards its purpose to ‘Refresh the world and make a difference’, and is testimony to the positive impact that the Company endeavors to make towards society.

Commenting on the release of the Sustainability Update 2019-20, Mr. Ishteyaque Amjad, Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability said, “Our purpose of Refreshing the World and Making a Difference has guided us well all throughout, by keeping the Company on course of creating loved brands and doing business sustainably. This approach was further enhanced in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the Company took prudent decisions and steadfast interventions to help its compatriots and communities face unprecedented challenges. Since the past one decade we have been publishing our Sustainability Update, to transparently highlight the initiatives undertaken by us via multiple partnerships and stakeholder engagements, also to convey the impact created with their collaboration. Our humble yet consistent efforts are in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we truly believe that no-one should be left behind. Happy to share our progress through this update which has not only been cautiously and systematically compiled but also assured by an independent third party.”

Key Highlights 2019-20
Initiatives	Impact
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic	Contribution of INR 100 crores towards community relief efforts. positively impacting over 10 lakh lives across 13+ states Dry ration distributed to around 2 lakh people, Healthcare initiatives supported in 48 public hospitals across eight states in the country, 70,000 PPE kits distributed
World Without Waste (WWW)	Project Prithvi: Material Recovery Facilities and Swachhta Kendras to strengthen the collection ecosystem: 42,000+ MT of waste collected since inception across 28 cities and 4,200+ waste workers benefitted Date with Ocean program aims to impact 15,000+ people in 43 localities in Mumbai Institutionalization of Karo Sambhav, a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO)
Fruit Circular Economy (FCE)	Over 1 lakh+ farmers have been benefited with USD 1.7 billion investments being on track.
Water Stewardship	Through Coca-Cola India Foundation, Anandana, implemented 150+ water conservation projects across 600+ villages benefitting 8,00,000+ community members

Key Sections of the Sustainability Update 2019 – 20

Covid 19 Relief
To help affected communities in need, Coca-Cola India made a humble contribution of INR 100 crores towards extending safety feeding and meeting hydration needs of the affected. In addition augmenting the health infrastructure of the country to support fellow citizens combat the disease.

World Without Waste
Launched in 2018, The Coca-Cola Company’s global initiative ‘World Without Waste’ (WWW) aimed at reducing plastic footprint, has achieved significant milestones in the year 2019-20. Towards its commitment of making the world litter free by 2030, the Company has made critical developments in India, across its three key strategic pillars - Design, Collect and Partner. Through continuous design innovations and light weighting, moving towards the target of making our packaging 100% recyclable globally by 2025.

Over the years, the company initiated strategic multi-stakeholder partnerships with focus on waste collection and recycling through institutionalization of Karo Sambhav, a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), establishment of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs)/Swachhta Kendras to strengthen the collection ecosystem. Additionally, interventions to scale up WWW initiatives across citizenship movements for behavioral change like Date with Ocean, Support My School, Alag Karo have been implemented successfully across India. To ensure social security and dignity for waste workers, the Company has initiated partnerships for waste workers’ socio economic upliftment, capacity building and access to social protection schemes.

Fruit Circular Economy
In the Sustainability Update 2019-20, the Company has reiterated its commitment towards doubling farmer incomes by promoting sustainable agriculture through meaningful Unnati interventions under its ‘Fruit Circular Economy’ initiative. The positive response of Unnati Mango Orange and Apple have benefitted over one lakh farmers thus far and furthered into newer fruit varieties of Litchi and Grapes. The Company is on track with its commitment to infuse USD 1.7 billion along with partners to enhance India’s agri–ecosystem and benefit 2,00,000 farmers by 2022. This will continue to create a healthy local juice portfolio and concentrated supply chain with successful and thriving farming communities and ecosystems.

Water Stewardship
The Coca-Cola Company has continued focus on its three-pronged water strategy - Reduce, Replenish & Reuse. The Company has shown significant improvements in its Water Use Ratio (WUR) by reducing it to almost half, from 2.89 liters of water used per liter of beverage in 2009 to 1.74 liters used in 2019. Through its restoration and replenishment efforts, it has created a combined water replenishment potential of 25.1 billion liters along with its bottling units and Coca-Cola India Foundation (CCIF/Anandana). Anandana, has implemented 150+ water conservation projects across 600+ villages benefitting 8,00,000+ community members over the last decade.

With its futuristic approach the Company has resolved to continue tending to its people and communities. Committing itself to the goal of ‘no one will be left behind’ drafted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, also extending its support further towards empowering women, youth and children with a host of initiatives.

To know more, please click here - https://www.coca-colaindia.com/sustainability-report-2019-20About 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 nearly 3,900 bev­erage choices. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our company's portfolio features 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 of which are available in reduced-, low- or no-calorie options.

These brands include Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, vitamin water, 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-colaindia.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