Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), one of the most credible and widely recognized sustainability ranking for companies has acknowledged Coca-Cola HBC for its robust, transparent and consistent sustainability performance
Coca-Cola HBC, a leading bottler of the brands of The Coca-Cola Company was named sustainability leader of the beverage industry by the DJSI assessment published recently. The company achieved a total score of 90, which is 40 points higher than the industry average and 3 points higher than last year.
This is the ninth year that Coca-Cola HBC has been included in the global assessment, as a result of its leading sustainability performance in 2015. During the year, Coca-Cola HBC continued to reduce its environmental footprint posting a double digit decrease of its carbon emissions. At the same time, it further reduced the amount of water used for producing a litre of beverage, as well as the amount of packaging materials, despite higher production and sales. Coca-Cola HBC was one of the first 12 companies in the world in 2015, to establish science-based carbon reduction targets for both direct and indirect operations. Putting an internal price on water and carbon in 2015 and committing to accounting for sustainability are practical ways how Coca-Cola HBC supports the global action to reach the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations.
Coca-Cola HBC is the most diversified bottler in the Coca-Cola System, serving almost 600 million consumers across 28 established, developing and emerging countries on three continents. The company has invested €8.2 million – 2.3% of its 2015 pre-tax profit – in improving community wellbeing, focusing on three key areas: active lifestyle, environmental and water stewardship and youth develpment, in partnership with more than 230 NGOs.
Its 2015 key performance highlights include 33,311 employees, 43,000 suppliers, 1.3 billion spent in direct procurement, €271 million total taxes paid and 11.7 % direct carbon emissions reduction year-on-year. Other high points were energy use ratio that improved by 7.2% year-on-year, 19.4% increase of recycled PET usage year-on-year and 87% sustainable engagement score.
Amid recession, Simplified Corporate Logistics promises 70% freight savings to Nigerian businesses
Business owners currently facing difficulty ordering goods from overseas due to the high cost of clearing and logistics are set to receive a boost as Simplified Corporate Logistics, a global procurement, handling, clearing and forwarding service targeted at Nigerian businesses, recently began operations with a promise to reduce fines and charges, improve cargo logistics efficiency and shrink their freight costs up to 70 per cent.
Offering a full service cargo logistics package for export and import, global procurement, warehousing locally and internationally, clearing, documentation review to ensure Customs and regulatory compliance, Simplified Corporate Logistics takes risk away from businesses complexity associated with import and export – by handling their forex needs to reduce the long processing times needed to access forex, providing a transparent Customs Clearing typically within 6 days while handling documentation for efficiency and offering a cargo consolidation service that will save businesses up to 70% on freight costs.
Speaking at the launch of Simplified Corporate Logistics, in Lagos, founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nduka Udeh remarked, “Nigerian businesses of recent have been hit by a steep hike in the price of ordering, handling and clearing goods from overseas. What Simplified Corporate Logistics is that it removes the risk factor from businesses. We make it our responsibility to source for forex to carry out transactions so our customers only pay in naira. Then we guide them through the entire clearing process and handle the documentation on their behalf so that they reduce incurred fines and charges to the barest minimum. Our process is so efficient that we can guarantee clearance of goods within six days”.
He stressed further that the company could even source for the items our customers want from trusted manufacturers globally, and get them at the best prices – thanks to partnerships with several auction companies in the United STates.
“Most significantly, we offer a cargo consolidation service that can save our customers up to 70 per cent in freight costs. We believe that it is these cost and efficiency savings that will propel the Nigerian small and medium enterprises into the future,” he said.