Coca-Cola wins four NCPC Awards for commitment to environment

Saturday, 3 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Coca-Cola Sri Lanka’s commitment to protecting the environment has been recognised by the National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC). The company has won four prestigious awards in recognition of excellence in resource efficient and cleaner production practices. Coca-Cola Sri Lanka received the Silver Award for Excellence in Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production Practices in the ‘Large Manufacturing’ Category from Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishard Bathiudeen at the National Cleaner Production Awards Ceremony held in Colombo recently. It also won an Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency, an Excellence Award for Water Efficiency as well as a Certificate of Merit for Cleaner Production Achievements in Material Efficiency.

The National Cleaner Production Centre is an institution established in 2002, under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, to assist industries to operate more efficiently with minimum harm to the environment. Cleaner Production (CP) also known as Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) is the tool promoted by NCPC to assist industries to achieve this goal. The National Cleaner Production Awards recognise the companies that have excelled in environmental performance and resource productivity, and encourage other companies to adopt cleaner production technologies. Award winners are selected based on an application filled with data, onsite verification by a team of assessors and then final selection by an expert judging panel. Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Limited Country Manager Kapila Welmillage said: “We are committed to continually reduce our ecological foot print by using resource efficient processes in all our operations. These awards are a testament to our commitment and we are very grateful to the National Cleaner Production Centre for recognising our efforts. We have a number of internal and external sustainability initiatives that are aimed at protecting the environment in which we operate.” In addition to the compliance with all applicable environmental laws, regulations and ISO standards, Coca-Cola Sri Lanka adheres to globally recognised, stringent environmental standards embraced by The Coca-Cola Company across the world. Coca-Cola is committed to a sustainable approach to business and promotes the efficient use of resources to minimise environmental impact throughout its operations. It is continuously engaged in finding innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and envisions zero packaging waste as part of their plan to grow their business in a sustainable manner. To this end Coca-Cola Sri Lanka has undertaken a number of sustainability initiatives such as increasing its use of renewable energy, treated waste water recycling for non-production purposes, PET recycling, water sanitation in affected communities etc. Each year, Coca-Cola Sri Lanka celebrates UN mandated World Water Day, Environment Day and Earth Hour by conducting community awareness drives and organising speeches, debates, art competitions etc. for school children on protecting and preserving the environment. The company also generates environmental awareness amongst employees via posters, videos and films. The Coca-Cola Company has contributed significantly to improving the beverage landscape in Sri Lanka and has been refreshing millions of Sri-Lankans with a wide variety of sparkling and still beverages to suite local palate. As a 127 year old company, with a presence in more than 200 countries and catering to consumers worldwide, the company understands the need to operate sustainably and responsibly while being continually focused on improving product quality and safety.