In a constantly changing environment and at a time when challenges remain great for both society and modern business, concepts such as sustainability, care, contribution become even more necessary and important.

Just as importantly, there are initiatives and companies that stand out not only for the quality of their products, but also for their broader philosophy that puts the well-being of our society and planet first.

In 2018, The Coca-Cola Company in Greece was re-registered under a dedicated sustainability strategy focused on water, the environment, climate change and social contributions.

With a structured approach, the company consistently and continuously maintains a long-term plan and recognizes that it is not enough for it to simply produce soft drinks, something needs to change.

Driven by the key criterion of having a significant impact on the local communities in which it operates, Coca-Cola in Greece is embracing environmental and social issues and constantly looking for new ways to respond to consumer desires and the needs of the times, putting people, society and the environment at the center of attention.

As such, he constantly invests in collaborations with agencies and organizations with the ultimate goal of informing and educating a wide variety of audiences, as if we all did simple daily actions together, we could make a difference.

At an event a few months ago, Coca-Cola Hellas CEO Mr. Stavros Mourelatos emphasized that “Every day we make our mission a reality to bring the world to life with our products, and to make a difference in the local community, making a difference in people’s lives.” recognizing that the development of its business is inextricably linked to the sustainable development of Greek society and therefore follows a sustainable business model oriented towards ESG criteria.

Remains true to its obligations to World without waste and wants to expand its presence, grow and open horizons for a more sustainable future for all.

Environment and waste

With plastic packaging found everywhere as unrecycled waste and polluting our planet, Coca-Cola Hellas, in collaboration with its bottler Coca-Cola Tria Epsilon, aims to reduce the environmental impact of its packaging every year.

In 2022, the Coca-Cola System in Greece innovated again with the introduction of new aluminum polybags made from 100% recycled cardboard, which, thanks to the innovative KeelClip™ packaging, eliminate the use of plastic film and reduce the use of plastic by 540 tons per day. year . Target; Encourage citizens to easily and quickly recycle all the multipacks they buy.

In addition, the company is already producing 100% recyclable packaging in Greece, while focusing on developing packaging with at least 50% recycled plastic by 2030, and collecting and recycling 1 plastic bottle or 1 aluminum can for every 1 package on the market.

Water and conservation

The most valuable asset for the development and proper well-being of society is water, which is the most important pillar of the company’s strategy and a key ingredient for the production of its products.

In its 16 years of operation in Greece, Coca-Cola has supported more than 100 water protection, conservation and sufficiency projects across 35 Greek islands and cities that have benefited more than 280,000 citizens by providing 2 billion liters of water per year.

In the summer of 2022, he launched a pioneering water protection program for the island of Folegandros with the aim of making it the first island in Greece with zero water loss.

Program “Zero reset”was implemented in collaboration with the international organization GWP-Med and with the exclusive support of The Coca-Cola Foundation and included technical interventions to modernize the local network. The result was particularly positive, as the island’s water sufficiency increased by 63%, which means a saving of 10 million liters of water per year.

Responsible and healthy lifestyle

The company’s sustainable development strategy extends to its products.

Globally, The Coca-Cola Company supports the World Health Organization’s recommendation to limit sugar intake to less than 10% per day. Greece led this effort 15 years ago, achieving an 18.7% reduction in the sugar content of our soft drinks from 2017 to 2021, and in 2019 made a new commitment to reduce the sugar content of its products by another 10%.

Meanwhile, the company has introduced 18 new low or no sugar drinks since 2010 and already offers a low or no sugar option for each of its soft drinks.

In fact, at the beginning of 2022, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Zero Caffeine, a product with zero sugar and caffeine content, was added to the company’s portfolio.

At the same time, the company adheres to a responsible marketing policy and has voluntarily made a commitment not to advertise or promote any products in its portfolio to children under the age of 13.

Well-being of society and people

In addition to directly supporting society in emergencies – as it did in August 2021 in the Varibompi-Tatoi area – Coca-Cola in Greece is implementing various actions for youth and women, as well as the coffee and hospitality industries.

Since 2018, Coca-Cola in Greece has implemented the Zero Waste Future social collaborative platform to raise awareness among citizens about recycling and the circular economy. Over the past 4 years, the program has collected more than 2,200 tons of recyclables – a figure corresponding to energy savings for 1,877 households per year – and more than 1,300,000 citizens have been informed in various municipalities of the country.

This year the HoReCa sector has been at the center of the program, with a big evolution of the Zero Waste HoReCa Network and its first digitalization to find the sector’s protagonists one step closer on the path to a zero waste culture and increase the country’s overall recycling rate.

In addition, in recent years, despite the additional challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic for all, the company has continued to support and invest in local programs that bring Greek society to the fore. And he succeeded, because in difficult times he showed adaptability, flexibility and foresight, anticipating the ever-changing needs of the Greek citizens.

Everything that the company is already doing in our country, as well as what it plans for the future, has a common denominator, which is none other than Greek society.

It is now clear that in order for real change to occur, the entire business world must follow this path and implement practices that promote the development of local communities and their employees.

Today, perhaps more than ever, all businesses play an important role in respecting the needs of people, society and future generations and, of course, the environment itself and our planet.