Coke promises climate-friendly refrigeration by 2015
The Coca-Cola Company has announced a new initiative to ensure all its vending machines and coolers will be more eco-friendly by 2015, ahead of the Copenhagen climate change conference next week.
The company says it is working with environmental lobby group Greenpeace to ensure that 100% of their new vending machines and coolers will be hydrofluorocarbon-free (HFC-free) by 2015. Its bottling partners will also assist with the plans.
Together, the two companies will work to aggregate demand and encourage supply as a means of accelerating the transition to HFC-free refrigeration equipment.
Coca-Cola has been working with Greenpeace since 2000. The aim of their work has been to encourage a transition to HFC-free refrigeration that will reduce the equipment’s direct greenhouse gas emissions by 99%.
Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive of The Coca-Cola Company, says: “Climate change is real and the time to act on solutions is now. Greenpeace has played a critical role in raising our awareness about the need for natural refrigeration. Our announcement demonstrates a commitment to use our influence in the marketplace to drive innovation and help shape a low-carbon future.”
Coca-Cola says it has invested more than $50m (£30m) in research and development to advance the use of climate-friendly cooling technologies. It adds that by next year, the Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners will purchase a minimum of 150,000 units of HFC-free equipment, effectively doubling the current rate of purchase to enable alignment with an interim goal to purchase 50% of all new coolers and vending machines without HFCs by 2012.
“Greenpeace increasingly works with businesses to make fundamental manufacturing and sourcing changes by connecting regulation, economies of scale and supply chain security,” said Amy Larkin, Director of Greenpeace Solutions. “Coca-Cola’s commitment today runs ahead of regulation and takes some fear out of rapid change.”
