Rank a Brand

How sustainable is Coca Cola ?

Coca Cola & sustainability


Coca-cola-logo

8 out of 23

Sustainability summary

Based on our sustainability criteria, Coca Cola has achieved our D-label. Coca Cola scores poorly because the company does not mention many concrete achievements in the annual sustainability report. However, Coca Cola does invest in clean energy by e.g. installing solar panels at some facilities. Coca Cola has also set the goal to use at least 25% recycled or renewable material in their PET plastic bottles by 2015. We’d love to see that Coca Cola would report more accomplishments.

Brand owner: The Coca-Cola Company
Head office: Atlanta, USA
Sector: Soda
Categories : 
Free Tags: Cola

Compare other brands

What's your sustainability news about Coca Cola?

Coca Cola sustainability score report

Last edited: 18 June 2012 by Mario
Last reviewed: 12 June 2012 by Imke

Questions about Climate Change/ Carbon Emissions

3 out of 7
1. Is there a policy for the brand (company) to minimize, reduce or compensate carbon emissions? Coca-Cola has taken several policy measures to reduce its carbon emissions, such as installing solar panels at facilities and building a more climate-friendly fleet (see p. 28 of its Sustainabiliy Report 2010/2011). Source
2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual absolute carbon footprint of its 'own operations' (Scope 1 & 2)? Coca-Cola publishes its direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions (see p. 30 and p. 76), but only from its manufacturing sites. Source
3. Has the brand (company) already reduced or compensated its absolute 'own operations' (scope 1 & 2) carbon footprint by at least 10% in the last 5 years? See remark for carbon emissions policy question 2. Source
4. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce its absolute ‘own operations’ (scope 1 & 2) carbon footprint by at least 20% within the next 5 years? Coca-Cola only sets a reduction target for developing countries, which is 5% by 2015 based on 2004 (see p. 30) and does not communicate a global reduction target. Source
5. Does the brand (company) also have a policy to reduce/compensate carbon emissions generated from the product supply chain that is beyond own operations (Scope 3)? Coca-Cola has developed - with the help of its partner WWF - 10 high-return, low-risk energy best practices for bottling partners to implement by 2012 (p. 31). In 2010 a new combined heat and power plant went online at Ballina Beverages (bottling partner in Ireland) which lead to lower carbon emissions. Source
6. Does the brand (company) use energy derived from renewable sources? Coca-Cola states that it is "investing in clean energy technology—both in our business and through venture capital funds" and has installed solar panels at some facilities (p. 33), but does not communicate its total percentage of its energy derived from renewable sources on its website. Source
7. Is at least 20% of the brand's (company's) total consumption of energy derived from renewable sources? See remark for carbon emissions policy question 6. Source

Questions about Environmental Policy

4 out of 11
1. Does the brand have the objective to only source sustainable sugarbeet/sugarcane or maize (for fructose syrup) for all its sugar containing products by 2020 at the latest, and does the brand already purchase sugar from environmentally certified sources? Coca-Cola states that it's promoting more sustainable farming worldwide (including sugar farming) and that - being a member of Bonsucro - it buys Bonsucro certified sugar from at least one farm (p. 53). Coca-Cola does not communicate what percentage this represents and does not communicate whether it has the goal to only source sustainable sugar before 2020. Source
2. Does the brand use environmentally certified sugar for its products for at least 50% of its volume? See remark for environmental policy question 1. Source
3. Does the brand use environmentally certified raw materials (such as fruit, coffee or tea) for its products? Coca-Cola states that it is promoting more sustainable farming worldwide (p. 53), but does not specify this. Neither does it state whether its other raw materials come from certified sources. Source
4. Has the brand (company) reduced the weight of its packaging and does the brand have targets to further reduce this? Coca-Cola aims to "improve packaging material efficiency per liter of product sold by 7 percent compared with a 2008 baseline" (p. 37) and has increased the packaging use ratio (grams of material used per liter of product) 51.9 in 2008 to 46.2 in 2006 (p. 77). Source
5. Does the brand use recycled or renewable plastics in its newly produced plastic bottles? More than 50% of Coca-Cola's beverage volume is delivered in plastic bottles made from PET. Coca-Cola has launched its PlantBottle in 2011 which is made out of plant-based materials (p. 39); corn. However, Coca-Cola does not mention whether the corn comes from sustainable sources and does not communicate what percentage on total this represents. Source
6. Does the brand uses at least 10% of recycled or renewable plastics in its newly produced plastic bottles? See remark for environmental policy question 5. Source
7. Does the brand uses at least 25% of recycled or renewable plastics in its newly produced plastic bottles? See remark for environmental policy question 5. Source
8. Does the brand use at least 50% of recycled or renewable plastics in its newly produced plastic bottles? See remark for environmental policy question 5. Source
9. Does the brand (company) publish the water footprint of its 'own operations'? Coca-Cola publishes the water footprint of its 'own operations'. Source
10. Has the brand (company) reduced its water use per liter of produced beverage by 10% in the past 5 years? Coca-Cola has reduced its water consumption per litre of soda from 2.56 in 2006 to 2.26 in 2010, which represents a reduction of 11%. Source
11. Has the brand achieved an average level of water use below 2,5 litres per litre of soda produced? Coca-Cola has reduced its average of water use to 2,26 litre per litre soda. Source

Questions about Labour Conditions/ Fair Trade

1 out of 5
1. Does the brand (company) have a policy to provide for fair labor conditions that applies to ALL own employees and those of its suppliers (including bottling companies) in low wage countries, which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labor, no child labor, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace? Coca-Cola has Supplier Guidelines Principles (SGP) that mention all these standards, but Coca-Cola only states that it "expects our direct suppliers to follow the spirit and our direct suppliers to follow the spirit and intent of these guiding principle", suppliers are not obliged. Coca-Cola states that suppliers are audited by SGP, but does not specify this. Source
2. Does the brand (company) have a policy to provide for fair labor conditions in low wage countries: 1) a formal employment relationship; 2) a maximum working week of 60 hours including paid overtime; 3) a living wage; and 4) to form and join labor unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, to develop parallel means? See remark for labour conditions policy question 1. Source
3. Does the brand (company) purchase sugar from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. have no child labor and no forced labor, and provide a better living standard for the farmers and workers who produce the sugar? Coca-Cola states that it is promoting more sustainable farming worldwide (including sugar farming) and that - being a member of Bonsucro - it buys Bonsucro certified sugar cane from at least one farm (p. 53). Coca-Cola does not communicate what percentage on total this represents. Source
4. Does the brand (company) purchase other ingredients (such as fruit, coffee beans, tea) from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. have no child labor and no forced labor, and provide a better living standard for the farmers and workers who produce these additional ingredients? Coca-Cola mentions it has an opportunity to advance more sustainable farming practices and to help improve the livelihoods of fruit farmers. But it is not clear if Coca-Cola purchases fruit and coffee beans that are socially certified (see page 48 & 63, Sustainability Report 2010/2011). Source
5. Does the brand (company) maintain a published list of suppliers (sugar and fruit) and factories (including bottling companies), that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume? Coca-Cola claims it collaborate with more than 300 bottling partners, but provides a list of approximately 50 partners, therefore, it does not conform to 90% of the purchased volume. Source