CARBON FOOTPRINT OF COCA-COLA

Carbon Footprint of Coca-Cola



Carbon Footprint of Coca-Cola

Greenhouse Business Challenge

At present the problem of greenhouse effect is one of the most global environmental issues facing humanity. The essence of this phenomenon lies in the fact that the sun's heat remains on the surface of our planet in the form of greenhouse gas emissions. The main cause of the greenhouse effect is getting into the atmosphere of industrial gases (Houghton, 1995, pp.96-105).

In a greenhouse gas (GHG) conscious world, businesses of all sizes are increasingly looking to modify their actions to manage their impact, to protect their reputations and to prepare for tighter regulations. What is needed is a fit-for-purpose information-based management tool describing the GHG consequences of their activities and decisions—actual and planned. This presents a real challenge, since, for many organizations the greatest GHG impacts take place within complex supply chains rather than directly from fuel and/or energy consumption (Drake, 1997, pp.607-637).

A GHG footprint is the sum of the total set of emissions created by any organisation, event or product and as such is a key measure of the anthropogenic driver of climate change as it estimates the full impact, throughout the economy, that results from a business' activities and purchases. Whilst this is becoming 'must have' management information, the difficulties in estimating footprints are considerable (Hickling, 2006, pp. 450-455).

There has been a rising awareness of the social and ethical responsibility of business among many stakeholders such as consumers, government, and environmentalists. This awareness and laws governing pollution emissions, particularly from greenhouse gases (GHGs), for example, carbon dioxide (CO2), has prompted many companies to reexamine both their methods of production as well as the negative impacts of their products on the environment. The carbon footprint is one such method for examining the environmental impact of industry. Generally, the carbon footprint refers to the total CO2 and other GHGs that are released into the atmosphere when products are created, consumed, transported, or stored. For a business, the carbon footprint represents the effect an organization has on the climate based on the total amount of GHGs produced, measured in equivalent units of CO2 (Stiling, 1999, pp.240-244).

Carbon Footprint of Coca-Cola

It is estimated that the food and beverages industry and other related products accounts for approximately 20-30% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases. The amount of carbon dioxide emissions generated by a product, system or supply chain per unit of ...