Origins
Coca-Cola Company is built and operates on the principle of caring for the health and wellbeing of the people through the production of beverages. Coca-Cola Company is committed to making the world experience a difference by re-ordering the way we perform our tasks and live hence making sustainability part of our everyday duty. Coca-Cola Company understands that for societal meaningful difference the company must operate beyond its bottling activities. The company is concerned with the elimination of carbon from operations, we strive to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and enhance the efficiency of energy used in our manufacturing activities (The Coca Cola Company, para1-5).
Evolution
The challenge of tackling climate change is progressively becoming an intricate task. The company realizes that the climate changes are connected to excessive conditions of weather that have the consequences of causing drought and destructive floods in different regions of the world (Schmandt and Ward p67). The company has therefore started courses of action on areas where it has got greatest opportunities to make a difference in cubing world climate change. In the recent meeting in Copenhagen, which was meant to discuss issues of climate change, the Coca-Cola Company, alongside many other companies signed the statement of Copenhagen which requires that there be a motivated, impartial and successful deal for the climate change. The company’s commitment to environmental conservation is grounded on but not limited to production using clean technology, harvesting of rainwater and generation of clean power.
The Coca-Cola Company has vividly set climate sustainability goals which appear in every of its Corporate Social Responsibility reports. The company has also established an organization that is solely concerned with the management of the environment and the company routinely collects information on the environmental performance of the whole company system and makes improvements on how the system should work in response to the growing scientific research on climate change (The Coca Cola Company, para3-7).
Revolution: “The mark we make today shapes the future”
With the slogan “The mark we make today shapes the future” the company has come up with clear strategy of responding to the change of climate and also enhancing the company’s vision to initiate transformation within its operations. As the world leader in the manufacture of cold beverages, the Coca-Cola Company has ensured that its coolants and other equipment all over the world meet the highest standards achievable in ensuring environmental conservation. One of the core businesses of Coca-Cola Company has been the corporate social responsibility. One of the company’s social responsibilities is to limit the impact of its activities on the environment and climate change. In 2002, the Coca-Cola Company in conjunction with other like-minded companies established workable strategies for environmental sustainability.
“The mark made today informs the future” targets
Reduce the environmental footprint
The Coca-Cola Company has planned to reduce its contributory carbon emission by fifteen percent by the year 2020. This is expected to reduce company’s carbon emissions to around five million metric tons; this will be done through energy conservation. The company has vowed also to use leading technological know-how in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such a technology is the replacement of electric coolants with cassette refrigerators which mainly makes use of hydrofluorocarbon elements. The company is also committed to ensuring water stewardship by introducing sustainable water-related operations to decrease the use of water and manage water-neutral effects on the local members of the community. To achieve water neutrality, the company will reduce the use of water by its pants by 10% at the end of the year 2010, it will help in the protection of water points in the countries of its operations and engage in stringent standards of treating wastewater in order to ensure that water flowing back into natural courses can still support and sustain aquatic life. The company is committed to reducing the level the impact of its packaging has on the environment. It plans to make use of resources that can be reused, recycled and be renewed. In summary, the Coca-Cola Company is focused on reducing its carbon emission and change of its packaging by 100% to achieve full environmental sustainability.
Campaigning for change
The Coca-Cola Company has set out series of activities that are geared towards reducing climate change. In these campaigns, the companies have collaborated with other like-minded companies, organizations and individuals who are also committed to ensuring environmental sustainability. In 2009, the company, in conjunction with the David Suzuki Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund, initiated the first program dabbed “Environmental Torchbearer”. The program was meant to encourage people, especially the Canadian citizens to promise changes in their lifestyle towards environmental sustainability to get the chance of holding the Torcherbearer flame. Other partners of the company are the likes of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Sanyo Company and the local firms and organizations within the countries of their operations.
Nature of the products
The coca-cola company is the largest world producer of beverages. It manufactures, distributes and markets non-alcoholic drinks. It is known for its famous coca-cola products and was invented and established in 1886 by John Stith Pemberton who practiced pharmacy. The company has five top brands in the world namely Diet Coke, Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Coca-Cola Company also produces a range of products which include sweets, bottled water, and variety of beverages including but not limited to Aquana, Apollinaris, Buzz and Burn. In the process of the production of its products, the Coca-Cola Company uses three primary components that ensure its products are manufactured and delivered to the consumers. These constituents are the apparatus for cold drinks, the plant and the flotilla of vehicles.
The company engages in recruitment of highly qualified personnel who they train according to the company’s needs. It has several bottlers and retailers all over the world. It has been engaging in several research activities and changes of policies that have always led to holistic transformation of the company. Concerning climate change, the company has embarked on upgrading its production technologies; this has improved the quality of the company’s products and reduced the level of carbon emission and therefore its impact on the environment. It operates largely on franchise which earns the company a lot of revues. To maximize its consumer satisfaction, the Coca-Cola Company has highly differentiated products which satisfy beverage needs of every consumer in the world.
These are the areas in which the company possibly contributes to climate change. These areas are the ones that need to be checked on in the process of dealing with climate change. For instance, the use of manufacturing machines, vehicles and refrigerators are the sources of greenhouse gases. It is therefore, important for the company to concentrate on these areas in its quest to reduce the effects of production activities on the environment.
Coca cola’s mission statement
The coca-cola company’s mission statement is quoted as the roadmap start of its reason to exist. It proclaims the company’s rationale and also the customaries used in gauging its choices and accomplishments. According to Coca Cola Company (para2) the following constitute:
- To motivate the world
- To rejuvenate the world
- To produce value and create a difference
Amendments
Their amendments to the missions of the company are as follows:
- To inspire the world to participate in environmental sustainability
- To offer quality environmental friendly packaged products to our customers
The company’s vision statement is used to serve as the outline for the company’s blueprint and guides all aspects of the company’s business by defining what it requires to carry out to carry on to achieve quality and sustainable growth (The Coca-Cola Company, para3).
- Productivity: Be an exceedingly efficient, lean and dynamic organization.
- Populace: Be a good place for employment where people are prompted to be the greatest they can be.
- Profit: capitalize on long-term return to shareholders while being attentive to our general responsibilities.
- Portfolio: establish in the world an assortment of high-quality drink products that are expected to gratify people’s yearnings and requirements.
- Planet: strive to be a responsible resident that generates a difference by assisting in the construction and support of sustainable communities.
- Partners: take care of a successful system of customers and suppliers and jointly we form a mutual and enduring value.
The company’s achievements culture
The firm’s achievements tradition institutes the conduct and approaches required of all stakeholders of the company intending to realize its vision 2020.
The company’s values
The company’s values provide a framework within which the stakeholders’ actions in the world are confined. These values are:
- Leadership: The courage to shape a better future
- Collaboration: Leverage collective genius
- Integrity: Be genuine
- Accountability: If it is to be, it’s up to me
- Passion: Committed in heart and mind
- Diversity: As inclusive as our brands
- Quality: What we do, we do well
Aims of the company
- To reduce the mortality in children under the age of five from simple causes such as dehydration from diarrhea
- To reduce maternal mortality ratio
- To increase the availability of condoms
- To reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
- To increase the knowledge of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases (causes and prevention)
Amendments
- To reduce our greenhouse gas emissions
- To increase our climate change campaign for water sustainability
- To increase the use of recyclable and re-collectible packages
- To initiate programs on environmental conservation
Objectives of the company
- To employ Coca-Cola in investigating the feasibility and choices for using their distribution networks in developing countries to dispense ‘social products’ like oral rehydration salts (ORS) and other related learning materials on health, hygiene and cleanliness (The Coca Cola Company, para2-5).
- To facilitate engagement of suitable international NGOs, to associate with Coca-Cola at international and local level on this proposal
- To sustain Coca-Cola and its associates in modeling diverse scenarios which merge Coca-Cola’s distribution network with the local health schemes in order to attain the company’s aims.
- To sustain Coca-Cola and its associates in choosing the most hopeful scenarios as a foundation for field tests.
- To hold up the international nonprofit organizations to connect all the local and community-based nonprofit organizations and Health Institutions to be able to undertake trials with a view of connecting this plan with local infrastructural support.
- To connect and inform as numerous people as likely, encouraging them to support this operation, managing anticipations and present assistances and promoting productive debate.
- To help assemble and make accessible suitable research reports and views in this field, and make sure that the faction and its sponsors are well-informed.
- To instigate a centered group of enablers and advocates to pilot on the diverse facets of this operation.
- To check the development of the operation and ensure that any examinations and roll-outs are effectually monitored and evaluated
These aims and objectives do not make references to the areas chosen. The areas selected deal with the reduction of climate change whereas the aims and objectives are focused on community and individual health even though climate change is one of the issues addressed by the Millennium Development Goals, the company’s aims and objectives dwell mainly on health issues.
Amendment to the objectives
The amendments to the objectives give them the aspect of environmental sustainability. The amendments include:
- To help encourage different local community members to participate in environmental sustainability
- To come up with a culture of making all our employees and staff environmental ambassadors.
- To assist the international NGOs in initiatives meant to reduce climate change
The aims and objectives are not inclusive of the environmental factors. To ensure that they also address the climate change, the aims and objectives should include:
- To engage the community members in behavior and lifestyle change for a sustainable environment.
- Impact of the achievements of the missions, aims, objectives and their amendments
When fully implemented there are bound to be great changes in the company’s culture. The company will be able to adopt the culture of fully engaging in fighting climate change. It will attract the collaboration of more companies and organizations, especially the international NGOs who are also concerned with the wellbeing of community members in a sustainable environment. The effectiveness of the changes can be ensured by encouraging the employees and staff to own the responsibility of fighting climate change at personal level.
Plans are already in place for improvements
The Coca-Cola Company has put many plans meant to improve the working of its system in order to satisfy its customers and contribute to sustainable environment. It plans to reduce its consumption of water and use of energy; it also plans to decrease wastage and minimize cost of operation. These plans are to be implemented in all local Coca-Cola Companies. It also plans to have in place an action plan that will help improve the Company’s manufacturing and supply of products down the distribution chain to the end-user. It will involve all the subsidiary companies which participate right from production to distribution of coca-cola products through training. This will help the company to reduce the effects of its operations on climate and also improve its production.
These plans are bound to change the packaging of coca-cola products in a way that they will be friendly to the environment. The cost of production will go down; with plans to reduce wastage, the company will be able to make some improvements in the disposal of wastage. The production line may have to be a little bit longer with the introduction of its new plans (Schmandt and Ward pp34-87).
Works cited
Schmandt, Jurgen, and Ward, Herbert. Sustainable development: The challenge of transition. Cambridge University Press. 2000.
The Coca Cola Company. “Sustainability”. The Coca-Cola Company, 2010. Web.