Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages to source 50% of its energy from renewable sources

INDIA – Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) has ramped up its renewable and clean energy capacity and will now be able to meet 50 per cent of its total energy requirements through these sources.

The milestone is in sync with the company’s plan to reduce its carbon emissions 25 per cent by 2030 from a 2015 base year.

HCCB achieved this milestone through increasing annual power generation from renewable sources from around 70 million units in 2019 to the current level of around 95 million units.

To further lower its carbon print, it additionally took up key sustainability initiatives, including conversion of furnace oil boilers to PNG (piped natural gas), use of briquettes – made out of agricultural waste like groundnuts and coconut shells – to power boilers and installation of solar rooftops for on-site power generation.

The company which manufactures and sells popular beverage brands such as Coca-Cola, Thums Up, Minute Maid and Maaza, says that the consolidated impact of these steps is equivalent to a reduction in global warming achieved by 3.5 million  trees per year.

Additionally, HCB says that its new milestone will help it offset 46,500 tonnes of carbon emission per annum with solar and wind energy and 30,000 tonnes of carbon emission per annum using biomass fuel in its boilers.

Commenting on the development, HCCB Executive Director, Supply-Chain Alok Sharma said, “This is a significant milestone in our journey towards a sustainable future. At HCCB, we believe that investing in renewable energy is not just good for the planet, it’s a business imperative as well.”

He further said, “We are aware of our responsibility and excited about the potential that exists in our system to drive renewable energy into the manufacturing supply chain.”

HCCB has also entered into Purchase Power Agreement (PPA) for sourcing wind and solar power through various state grids, adoption of energy efficient technology and progressively replacing traditional bulbs and light sources in factories with LED lights.

Globally, Coca-Cola has been pursuing a wider sustainability effort aimed at reducing its reliance on non-renewable sources and also cutting down on plastic waste majorly through recycling.

On the renewable energy front, Coca-Cola has made several strides in reducing its carbon print with some of its bottling partners such as Coca-Cola European Partners having already achieved their target of sourcing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

Coca-Cola is also a major user of plastic- a major environment pollutant. Sustainability efforts of the beverage major would thus not be complete without an effective plastic management program.

To this end, the Coca-Cola has launched a “World without Waste” program where it aims to recycle one bottle for every bottle of soda that it sells.

In February this year, Coca-Cola said it will soon begin selling sodas in completely recycled plastic in the United States for the first time as part of its efforts to rid the world of plastic waste.

In the initial roll out, popular brands Coke and Diet Coke will be packaged in 13.2-ounce bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastics and distributed in a group of states that including California and Florida.

The roll out of recycled packaging makes the US the 19th market worldwide where Coca-Cola now sells soda in entrely recycled packaging, the company said on its website.

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