Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland recently partnered with some of the provinces leading environmental NGOs and community organisations to mark EU Sustainable Energy week, which took place across Europe from during April.
EU Sustainable Energy Week, now in its fifth year, aims to highlight the importance of energy efficiency, which is more important than ever as the EU strives to meet its 2020 environmental targets.
Coca-Cola in Northern Ireland is part of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Group, which places a strong emphasis on sustainability across its operations and is on target to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20 per cent before 2020.
Water Management
The company welcomed a number of Northern Ireland’s top environmental practitioners to its plant for a seminar on water management. This event, which Coca-Cola hosted in partnership with Business in the Community and the World Wildlife Fund, highlighted the importance of water as a valuable resource and presented examples of best practice from businesses in Northern Ireland, including Coca-Cola, which is focused on steadily reducing its level of water use at its Lisburn facility and minimising its carbon footprint across the board.
Reducing CO2 Emissions
As part of the event, Coca-Cola hosted a guided plant tour which included a visit to its new on-site Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant which supplies electricity, heat, CO2 and chilled water needed for the company’s soft drink production facilities, in a clean and highly energy-efficient manner.
The plant is currently the only ‘quad-generation’ plant in the UK and Ireland and since it became operational has delivered a 65% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Waste not, Want not
Coca-Cola also shared how it is diverting 14 tonnes of waste per month from landfill by recycling filter cake, a residue produced in the waste water treatment plant, using it to make compost, which has increased the plant’s recycling rate to 98.35%.
Smart Lighting
The company’s focus on energy efficiency has also led to the installation of a ‘smart lighting system’, developed in partnership with the Carbon Trust which has generated lighting energy savings of 70% since it became operational and the development of carbon saving cold drink equipment to store and display the company’s portfolio of products in the marketplace.
Coastal Protection
In partnership with Tidy Northern Ireland, Coca-Cola also held a coastal protection event in Larne, Co. Antrim, at which employees joined forces with local community groups at scenic Browns Bay to take part in an outdoor educational session. The assembled group had the opportunity to learn more about marine ecology and coastal care before participating in an energetic clean up of the picturesque rural beach.
Erica Roseingrave, Public Affairs and Communications Manager at Coca-Cola believes that as a big brand and a major employer in Ireland, Coca-Cola has an important role to play in terms of embracing and promoting energy efficiency and sustainability:
“Respecting the environment in all the communities in which we operate is a priority for Coca-Cola in order to have a sustainable business. We hope that by demonstrating our activities to reduce energy consumption at our plant – and promote energy efficiency and environmental care, we can stimulate a broader understanding of the importance of addressing sustainability issues in Northern Ireland.”
***
For more information, please contact:
Public Affairs and Communications Manager
Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland
Phone number: + 44 28 92 64 2000