Coca-Cola Launches the Greening of the Nation’s Capital

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coca-Cola is going green in Washington, D.C. The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Enterprises will demonstrate their environmental leadership through a series of innovations designed to reduce the Coca-Cola system’s environmental footprint at each step in the manufacturing, distribution and sales processes. These efforts include climate-friendly beverage coolers, hybrid electric delivery trucks and trailers, and a recycling program for the National Mall and Memorial Parks.

“With more than six million visitors each year, there is no better place to launch a comprehensive greening effort than here in the nation’s capital where people from all walks of life celebrate our country’s rich history and enjoy our beverages,” said Sandy Douglas, president, Coca-Cola North America. “We are exploring new ways to protect the environment, and Washington, D.C., is a visible demonstration of the innovation that Coca-Cola is implementing around the country.”

“From hybrid delivery trucks to climate-friendly coolers to support for recycling at our National Parks, we are showcasing our innovative approach to going to market in an environmentally responsible way,” said Steve Cahillane, president, Coca-Cola Enterprises North America. “Our work in Washington, D.C. and across the United States demonstrates our commitment to supporting sustainable communities.”

New Climate Friendly Coolers

The House of Representatives will be among the first locations in the country to test new climate-friendly, HFC-free, energy-efficient Coca-Cola coolers. Four beverage coolers will be installed at the House of Representatives in the coming weeks, and up to 1,800 Coca-Cola coolers and vending machines will be deployed throughout the U.S. and Canada later this year. These include 1,400 climate-friendly coolers and vending machines that will be deployed at the venues during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The new climate-friendly Coca-Cola coolers use carbon dioxide (CO₂), a natural refrigerant gas and HFC-Free insulation, eliminating 99 percent of the direct green house gas (GHG) emissions. The coolers include an intelligent energy management system (EMS-55) that cuts energy use by an average of 26 percent. CO₂-based cooling technology ensures a natural, climate-friendly alternative to HFCs and reduces energy use. CO₂ has 1,400 times less global warming impact than R-134a, the most typical HFC refrigerant gas, and will reduce indirect green house gas emissions by more than three tons over the lifetime of the machine.

Hybrid Electric Delivery Trucks

Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world’s largest bottler of Coca-Cola products, has deployed 20 hybrid electric delivery trucks and tractor trailers throughout the Washington D.C. area in the last year. CCE’s hybrid electric trucks use about 30 percent less fuel and produce about 30 percent fewer emissions than standard trucks, and use technology to drastically reduce emissions when they’re idling or in traffic.

CCE will deploy 327 hybrid delivery vehicles throughout the United States and Canada by later this year, the largest heavy-duty hybrid electric delivery fleet in North America. The fleet will include more than 150 hybrid electric tractor trailers, the largest hybrid vehicles in North America, and more than 170 hybrid electric 12-bay delivery trucks.

Support for National Parks

Building on more than 75 years of support for America’s National Parks, Coca-Cola, the National Park Service (NPS), the National Park Foundation (NPF), and the Trust for the National Mall (TNM) today launched a partnership to create a recycling program for the National Mall and Memorial Parks. Coca-Cola Recycling will work with NPS and TNM to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the waste stream at the National Mall and develop a sustainable recycling program. The program will be designed to suit the needs of special events and include recycling education for visitors to the parks.

“As one of our valued ’Proud Partners’, Coca-Cola is stepping up to help us preserve, enhance and ensure the sustainability of our country’s beautiful National Parks and recreation areas for generations to come,” said Peggy O'Dell, Region Director, National Capital Region, National Parks Service. “Through Coca-Cola’s support for the new recycling program, we hope to achieve the Interior Department’s goal of diverting 50 percent of solid waste from landfills through recycling by 2010.”

Coca-Cola also announced the year two, $600,000 expansion of the National Parks’ Active Trails program which targets an additional nine parks during 2009. In 2008, Coca-Cola committed $1.2 million in funding to promote and preserve National Parks trails for active recreation, community volunteerism and environmental education. Through this program more than 100 miles of trails in seven parks have been restored or enhanced and used to engage urban youth and local communities in active recreation at the National Parks.

About Coca-Cola Enterprises

Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world’s largest marketer, distributor, and producer of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment. Coca-Cola Enterprises sells approximately 80 percent of The Coca-Cola Company’s bottle and can volume in North America, and is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands. CCE has set targets in its three Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability environmental focus areas of water stewardship, energy conservation/climate change, and sustainable packaging/recycling, and has committed to achieving them by the year 2020 – what the company is calling “Commitment 2020.” For more information, please visit www.cokecce.com.

About Coca-Cola Recycling

Coca-Cola Recycling is dedicated to recovering and recycling packaging materials used in North America – including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, aluminum, cardboard and plastic film. Wholly owned and operated by Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola Recycling is working on a long-term goal to recover and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of the packaging produced by the Coca-Cola system in the United States. In 2009, The Coca-Cola Company opened the world’s largest bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in Spartanburg, S.C., capable of producing 100 million pounds of recycled PET each year. In Great Britain, CCR will be among the first customers of the new Closed Loop Recycling plant in Dagenham, Essex. These new plants will allow CCR to purchase recycled material locally and convert it to new bottles, thereby closing the recycling loop.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.5 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

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