What follows is perhaps 10% of the total copy contained in a document
which, light-hearted and friendly in look and feel, was nevertheless
packed full of facts and figures, quotes and case studies,
testimonies and reams of hard, down to earth information.
What's good for the environment is good for our business
We are committed to sound and responsible environmental management in everything we do. This is a natural extension of the importance we place on protecting the world in which we live - in our own interests and in the interests of generations to come. It is also an integral part of achieving our objective to grow shareowner value over the long term. When you take into account the long term, you invariably find that what's good for the environment is also good for consumers and good for business.
A group-wide policy since 1993
We adopted our Corporate Environment Policy in 1993. In 2000, in line with our undertaking to review and update the policy on a regular basis, we extended it to cover every aspect of our business - not only our manufacturing processes and the distribution, sale and consumption of our products, but also our raw materials and the ecosystems that provide them.
A set of targets to beat
Working to a group-wide Environmental Management System, we actively manage environmental issues and set detailed performance targets with a factory audit programme based on a three-year cycle.
We regularly measure ourselves against our performance targets and look for continuous improvement, particularly in the key areas of air emissions; water, energy and materials conservation; wastewater treatment; solid waste and packaging management; and soil and groundwater protection.
A part for everyone to play
Accountability for our environmental performance cascades down from the Board (who annually review our environmental performance), through individual business units to every individual. Each and every employee is responsible for some aspect of environmental performance - from the Principal Environmental Officer who reports directly to the Board's Chief Operating Officer, to the factory worker charged with turning the lights off at the end of the shift.
A road map for everyone to follow
Our Guide to Environmental Management (GEM) is one of the most important tools for ensuring consistent implementation of our Environmental Management System throughout the group. Ranging from the nomination of a Site Environmental Steward to a regularly updated set of Best Practice Guidelines, it acts as an invaluable road map for us all to follow in continuously improving our environmental performance.
- Innovest ranked us 1st in the beverage & tobacco sector in June 2001 for our environmental programme.
- Eight sites have ISO14001 or the EU's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) certification.
- Dow Jones rated us above average in the food and beverages sector, as part of the STOXX-European Index for Corporate Sustainability.
- Business in the Environment survey 2001 ranked us 2nd in our sector and 30th overall out of 200 participating companies. We have significantly improved our performance since the survey began with our score increasing from 50% in 1997 to 91% in 2001.
- EIRIS (the Ethical Investment Research Service) survey 2002 noted our environmental policy, commitment and management systems, and said we were making significant improvement in environmental impact, particularly in the areas of water consumption and waste.
You can download the latest Environment, Health & Safety Report from our website at www.cadburyschweppes.com
Going green in Ireland
For the past few years the plant management team at Cadbury Ireland's Rathmore Crumb Factory has been focusing on reducing the energy needed to make the chocolate crumb that goes into many of our brands. The more energy they save, the more money they save - what's good for the environment is also good for the business.
As a first step they commissioned a comprehensive energy audit of the site. They then set about implementing the ideas generated by the report.
"One of the most interesting opportunities we found concerned our air compressor which could only provide compressed air at a constant pressure," says Frank Hickey, Site Environmental Steward. "So we replaced it with a digitally controlled, speed-regulated machine which supplies exactly the pressure the system needs. As a result we have been able to run the system at a lower pressure and reduce its electricity consumption by 29%."
"Our focus on energy consumption has also led us to review some of our day to day practices. We have reduced space heating times and temperatures, restricted unnecessary use of the cooling tower and revised the sequence in which the refrigeration units operate. All in all, since 1992 we have reduced the electricity needed to make each tonne of product by 22%, and the boiler energy required by 18%. And we haven't finished yet!"
As well as cutting down on energy use, the team has also improved environmental standards in other areas: reducing factory waste by 39% and effluent strength discharge by 91% per tonne of crumb over the last nine years.
Making light work in the USA
We are constantly looking for opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts of our packaging without compromising on safety or consumer satisfaction. One of the ways we do this is to make the packaging lighter but still just as good at protecting the product.
At our Mott's plant in Williamson, New York, we make applesauce and juice as well as other fruit products. Many of our products are sold in 36-ounce and 64-ounce recyclable plastic bottles. In the last two years, we have reduced the amount of corrugated cardboard needed to package these bottles by 75%. What's the secret of all this weight loss? A clever combination of a cardboard tray with a shrink-wrap cover.
"By moving to 'tray-and-shrink', we have been able to reduce the overall weight of packaging leaving the factory during a typical year by almost 3,000 tonnes," says Tom Freeman, Site Environmental Steward. "Both the card and the plastic wrap can be recycled after use. We also sell applesauce in a single-serve plastic cup sealed with a foil lid. We have recently reduced the weight of the foil used on each cup by 25%. These changes not only conserve resources, they also reduce the impact from transporting the packages because they weigh less - and, of course, they save us money."
Watching water in Russia
Water is one of our most important raw materials. It's the main ingredient in our soft drinks and is used extensively in our manufacturing processes. Cooling and heating systems, washing, and canteen and office facilities - our plants depend on reliable, high quality water supplies. As you can see, making brands people love can be thirsty work.
We know the world's water resources are facing increasing pressure from over-consumption, which is why we place great emphasis on conserving water and using it as efficiently as we possibly can.
At Cadbury Russia's plant in Chudovo, for example, we have been driving down water consumption. Water meters were installed at various points throughout the production process so that consumption could be closely monitored. Having a clear idea of just how much water was being used, and where, allowed the site to identify significant opportunities to use less. Processes were improved and awareness among employees was raised. As a result, the plant reduced water consumption per tonne of production by 8% between 1998 and 1999.
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