Coca-Cola Enterprises Targets Carbon Reductions and Recognizes Outstanding Supplier Performance

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) May 24, 2011 - On 23 May, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) held its second annual Supplier Sustainability Summit and Awards Ceremony.

The Sustainability Summit brought CCE together with its key suppliers to discuss collaboration on sustainability issues across its supply chain – from making and distributing, to selling and consuming beverages. The theme of the Summit was carbon reduction – one of CCE’s Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CRS) Commitments. As well as hearing about CCE’s carbon reduction programme, participants discussed best practice, heard insight from experts such as The Carbon Trust, and joined workshops which stimulated ideas about future collaborative initiatives.   CCE also used the Summit to challenge its suppliers to measure their own carbon footprint and develop their own carbon reduction plans. CCE will work closely with its suppliers through this process to track progress and implement the ideas generated through the Summit.   The Summit was followed by an Awards Ceremony, where CCE’s Chairman and CEO, John Brock, and President of Europe, Hubert Patricot, presented awards to those suppliers who contributed most to the success of the business in 2010.   The three award winners were announced as:

• Supplier of the Year: APPE

• Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Supplier: Smurfit Kappa

• Most improved supplier: Viridor

The Sustainability Summit underlined CCE’s commitment to Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CRS).      Stephen Moorhouse, General Manager and Vice President of CCE’s Supply Chain commented: “I am very proud that at CCE we are beginning to grow our business while decreasing our carbon footprint. As a global company with a local focus, we strongly believe we have a responsibility to operate as sustainably as possible. We are not just looking within our own four walls but right across our supply chain, and today’s Summit has helped stimulate innovative ideas that will help us to reduce our carbon emissions by continuing to develop collaborative initiatives with our suppliers.”   David Cowell, VP Procurement, Supply Chain said: “Through our annual Supplier Awards, we recognize the considerable value our strong partnerships with organizations like APPE, Smurfit Kappa and Viridor bring to our business. APPE, the packaging manufacturer, has demonstrated outstanding customer service, quality and commitment to achieving joint objectives that are helping us to reduce our carbon footprint and achieve our CRS goals. In particular, APPE has made a significant contribution in helping us to reduce the impact of our packaging by decreasing the weight of our bottles and increasing the amount of recycled material from which they are made.”   Martin Hargreaves, General Manager, APPE said: “We are delighted to have been selected by CCE as Supplier of the Year.  Having worked in partnership with Coca-Cola Enterprises to supply outstanding PET products and services for twenty years, this recognition of our efforts is extremely rewarding.  We look forward to working closely with CCE for the next 20 years to come."
  Over 110 supplier representatives attended the Summit and Awards Ceremony, which was held in Paris, representing over 50 of CCE’s key suppliers. It included a panel discussion on the importance of carbon reduction, and a series of workshops focused on opportunities to reduce carbon across seven key focus areas: Packaging, Recycling & Recovery, Achieving Zero Waste to Landfill, Sustainable Transportation, Renewable Energy, Low-Carbon Manufacturing, and Engaging Consumers and Employees.    About the Awards   The Award winners are identified through CCE’s Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) programme, which uses a rigorous scorecard process to measure performance, and the awards are made based on the top-performing suppliers.   Each CCE supplier is measured against criteria in four key areas (quality, service, value and Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability). Performance is then reviewed by the CCE Procurement team to ensure that the value being delivered to CCE is closely aligned with the business’s broader corporate priorities, and to develop ongoing relationships.   The SRM programme was launched in 2007 and has now been implemented with all key suppliers. It provides a formalized framework through which CCE develops joint action plans, and reviews activities and performance.   This is the second year that CCE has held an awards ceremony attended by all its suppliers.    About the other Award winners   “We are delighted to award the packaging manufacturer, Smurfit Kappa, as our CRS Supplier. Smurfit Kappa has been working closely with CCE to develop joint initiatives and innovative processes to reduce the weight of our packaging. In addition, they guarantee their customers responsibly sourced packaging certified by FSC and PEFC, and are working with The Carbon Trust to measure their own carbon footprint and develop a carbon reduction plan,” said David Cowell, VP Procurement, CCE.   “We are very pleased to recognize the achievements of Viridor, the recycling and waste management supplier, who has made the most progress in the past year in building a successful partnership with CCE. We have worked closely with them across our GB business to develop processes, joint plans and initiatives, and build customer service. This is supporting CCE in its aim to reduce, recycle and recover all waste from our manufacturing process, with 12 of our 17 factories – including 5 of our 6 factories in GB – now sending zero waste to landfill,” said David Cowell, VP Procurement, CCE.     About Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.   Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. is the leading Western European marketer, distributor, and producer of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment and one of the world's largest independent Coca-Cola bottlers. CCE is the sole licensed operator for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. For more information about our company and our corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts, please visit our website at www.cokecce.com.   Coca-Cola Enterprises is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its products and operations, and focuses on: Energy Conservation/Climate Change, Water Stewardship, Sustainable Packaging/Recycling, Product Portfolio, Workplace, Active Healthy Living, and Community.   CCE14064