Coca-Cola HBC is the most sustainable beverage company in europe

Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC) has again been rated Europe’s most sustainable beverage company, and for the 11th consecutive year has been ranked among the top three beverage industry performers globally.

The news was disclosed in S&P Global’s Annual Yearbook, confirming the findings of the 2021 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), one of the world’s leading sustainability benchmarks. S&P Global also honoured Coca-Cola HBC with its Silver Award. 

Commenting, Coca-Cola HBC CEO Zoran Bogdanovic said: “This is great recognition for the work all our colleagues do every day to build a more sustainable company and future. It’s a journey we began many years ago, and we view it as fundamental to our future growth. Our commitment in October last year to reach net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2040, and the stark realities set out at COP26, remind us of the scale of the challenge we face and that there is still much for us all to do. We are committed to playing our full part.”

This result is consistent with the independent ratings and scores for Coca-Cola HBC in other respected sustainability surveys and indices, including MSCI ESG, CDP, FTSE4Good and FTSE Russell ESG. 

Switzerland contributes to the outstanding result

Coca-Cola HBC in Switzerland made a significant contribution to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index result: 

CO2 emissions are also continuously reduced wherever possible along the entire value chain, such as by making changes to the PET packaging: By using roughly 57% recycled PET (rPET) in 2021, the company is contributing to the circular economy and significantly reducing the CO2 footprint. In addition, the weight of the PET bottles was further reduced in 2020, which led to a reduction of 510 tonnes of CO2. In the area of mobility, additional fuel savings and a CO2 reduction of about 250 tonnes of CO2 per year were able to be achieved thanks to the 2019 launch of a “green fleet”, which consists of gas hybrid vehicles and electric cars. In addition, the consumption of water could be substantially reduced through various initiatives and measures. In 2021, Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland required about 21% less water for the production of a litre of beverage than in 2010.

In recognition of its exemplary reduction strategy, Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland was the first beverage company in Switzerland to be awarded the “CO2 Optimised” certification from Swiss Climate in accordance with the ISO 14064-1 standard. On the basis of science-based targets (SBTs), the company now sees itself as continuing to drive CO2 reduction in line with global climate goals to achieve net-zero footprint by 2040.

More information on our activities can be found under the Sustainability section.