- 200% : Water source replenishment. Focus on watersheds near our plant
- 30% by 2030 : Water usage reduction（By 2030）
Resources
What we are doing
- Driving continuous improvement in the sustainable use of resources
- Supporting the environmental conservation of our country
CSV Goals (Creating Shared Value) *The base year is 2015 and the target year is 2025 unless otherwise noted.
- 25% by 2030 : Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions（By 2030）
- Promotion of renewable energy
- Design
-
- 50% by 2022 : Content of recycled PET in PET bottles
- 90% by 2030 : Content of recycled PET in PET bottles
- 100% by 2030 : Sustainable PET without fossil fuel use
- 100% by 2025 : Adoption of recyclable packaging
- 35% by 2030 : Further lightweight PET packaging (compared to 2004)
- Collect
-
- 100% by 2030 : Collection percentage compared to sales volume
- Partner
-
- by 2030 : Extensive partnerships across industry and environmental organizations
Policy
Policy on environment- Water Resource Conservation
- Working to mitigate climate change
- Building a recycling-oriented society
Since we engage in business that relies on the indispensable resource of water, we promote water resource conservation with the goals of reducing water use by 30% by 2030, and maintaining a 200% water resource replenishment rate through 2025.
At our plants, we strictly manage the water used to manufacture products while continually reviewing and improving manufacturing processes and plant equipment in order not to waste any of this precious natural resource. In 2019, the water use ratio (WUR) of product manufacturing was 3.26 liters of water per liter of product, a reduction of 0.07 liters year on year. We work to conserve water resources by cooperating with communities and experts in efforts to return to nature a volume of water equivalent to the amount of water used for manufacturing products, and to contribute to the ability of water resource areas to sustainably cultivate and store water. In 2019, we achieved a 322% water resource replenishment rate, which was a 45% increase year on year.
The Coca-Cola system's water cycle
Within the Coca-Cola system, we regularly assess the vulnerability of water sources in line with the resource conservation guidelines established by Coca-Cola Japan and we develop conservation plans for the water we use at our plants.
These plans are the basis for our activities that focus on reducing the amount of water used in the manufacturing process, recycling what water is used in manufacturing, and replenishing water resource areas.
*As of December 2019
Plant initiatives and water resource area activities
Plant initiatives to reduce water use 30%
The Kumamoto Plant and Hakushu Plant succeeded in reducing water use to new levels through the adoption of chemical-free electron beam (EB) sterilization systems. By investing in new manufacturing lines and actively introducing the latest technologies, our plants are working to further reduce water use. We also use systems to manage and analyze water data to constantly improve water use.
Water resource area activities to maintain a 200% replenishment rate
In April 2019, the Akashi Plant signed its first agreement with Hyogo Prefecture and the local community for the conservation of the approximately 655 ha of forest in its water resource area. This marked the start of activities to conserve water resources over the next decade. We will continue to engage in and expand activities to cultivate groundwater resources by concluding further agreements for water conservation in all our plants' water resource areas. The water cultivated through these activities will generate groundwater reservoirs over the years to come, and that water will make its way through rivers to our plants where it can be used for product manufacturing.
| Production plants | Water resource areas | Agreements with organizations |
|---|---|---|
| Zao plant | Zao town, Miyagi | Zao town, Shiroishi Zao Forestry Association, Enda Industrial Forestry Association |
| Saitama / Iwatsuki Plants | Katashina villedge, Gunma | Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., Marunuma Kogen Resort |
| Ibaraki plant | Ishioka, Ibaraki | Ishioka city city, Tsukubane Forestry Association |
| Ebina plant | Atsugi city, Kanagawa | Kanagawa Prefecture, Atsugi city, Atsugi Forestry Association, Central Kanagawa Prefectural Government Center, Sagami River Left Bank Land Improvement District (Kanagawa) |
| Tokai plant | Ena city, Gifu | Nakanohocho Area Council, Sakaori Tanada Preservation Association, Gifu Prefecture, Ena city |
| Kyoto plant | Ujitawara town, Kyoto | Kyoto Model Forest Association (NGO),f Ujitawara town, Kyoto Prefecture, Tachikawa Industrial Forestry Association, Ujitawara Forestry Association |
| Akashi plant | Tamba-Sasayama city, Hyogo | Hyogo Prefecture, Hyogo Prefectural Greening Promotion Association (NGO), Tamba-Sasayama city, Tamba-Sasayama City Property Ward, NPO Hyogo Tamba Forestry Association, Hyogo Forestry Federation |
| Daisen plant | Hōki town, Tottori | Tottori Prefecture, Hōki town, Tottori Hino Forestry Association, the district of Kanaya |
| Hong plant | Mihara city, Hiroshima | Hiroshima Prefecture, Mihara city, Bisan District Forestry Association |
| Komatsu plant | Saijyo city, Ehime | Ishizuchi Forest Association |
| Tosu / Kiyama plants | Tosu city, Saga | Kyushu Forest Management Bureau |
| Saga Prefecture, Tosu city, Saga Eastern Forestry Association | ||
| Kiyama town, Saga | Saga Prefecture, Kiyama town, Saga Eastern Forestry Association | |
| Kumamoto plant | Aso city, Kumamoto | Aso city, NPO Aso Green Stock, Water Cycle Farming Promotion Council |
| Ebino plant | Ebino city, Miyazaki | Miyazaki Prefecture, Nishimoro District Forestry Association, Fumoto Public Forest |
*As of December 2019
●In July 2020, we concluded the first agreement with Yamanashi Prefecture, which is one of the local governments in the water source area of Hakushu Plant.
CCBJI concluded on July 9 a "collaboration agreement for the nurturing of water resources" (hereafter "Agreement") with Yamanashi Prefecture for the purpose to preserve and effectively use water and forests in the prefecture.
Under the Agreement, CCBJI and Yamanashi Prefecture will jointly work on various programs to protect and effectively utilize water and forests in the prefecture, mainly by promoting the prefecture's initiative, "nurturing of water resources (conservation of environmentally sound water cycle)" and offering information. As part of the Agreement, the two parties additionally concluded an "agreement for the protecting of forests for the nurturing of water", under which CCBJI designates a special activity area, "Hakushu - Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest" (282 ha), in the prefectural forest along the watersheds of Nagare River and Kakubosawa River originated in Mt. Amagoi, the water source of CCBJI's Hakushu Plant. This is to work on supporting forest management (tree thinning, vermin control; and strip road development in forests), in order to improve the designated area and Yamanashi Prefecture's forest.
I LOHAS Water source conservation "Morikatsu" project
A portion of the proceeds from sales of our "I LOHAS" brand mineral water is donated to support forest conservation activities in Japan. The forest plays an important role in preserving and protecting ground water. Protecting the forests means ensuring pure, clean and delicious water is available to future generations.
●Organizations to which we donate a part of sales through I LOHAS
| Production plant | Water source area | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Zao Plant | Miyagi Prefecture | Shiraishi Zao Forest Association |
| Saitama Plant/Iwatsuki Plant | Gunma Prefecture | NPO Tonegawa Genryu Forest Development Corps |
| Tama Plant | Tokyo | Public Interest Incorporated Association of Tokyo Metropolitan Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Promotion Foundation, Creating Forests with Fewer Pollen |
| Ebina Plant | Kanagawa Prefecture | Atsugi City Forest Association |
| Ibaraki Plant | Ibaraki Prefecture | Tsukubane Forest Association |
| Hakushu Plant | Yamanashi Prefecture | Hokuto City |
| Tokai plant | Gifu Prefecture | Ena Nakanohou Suigen-no-mori Executive Committee |
| Production plant | Water source area | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Plant | Kyoto | Ujitawaracho Forest Association |
| Akashi Plant | Hyogo Prefecture | Hyogo Prefectural Federations of Forest owners' cooperative associations |
| Oyama Plant | Tottori Prefecture | Tottori Hino Forest Association |
| Hiroshima Plant June 2020. |
Hiroshima Prefecture | Bisan District Forestry Association |
| Komatsu Plant | Ehime Prefecture | Ishizuchi Forest Association |
| Tosu Plant/Kiyama Plant | Saga Prefecture | East Saga Forest Association |
| Kumamoto Plant | Kumamoto Prefecture | Public Interest Incorporated Association of Aso Greenstock |
| Ebino Plant | Miyazaki Prefecture | Nishimoro Forest Association |
Five activities for Water Stewardship
Our Water Goal:Safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equal to what we use in our finished beverages and their production.
Regarding water source protection
All the plants of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. identify the water source and scientifically investigate if there are any issues in water volume and quality. Furthermore, we engage in water source protection activities together with the communities and specialists so that the water source can continue producing water in a sustainable manner.
Regarding water extraction
In order to prevent any wasteful use of natural resources, our plants strictly manage the volume of water used to manufacture our products.
We constantly review the manufacturing processes and plant facilities to make improvements and to reduce water usage every year as much as possible.
Efforts in water quality management
At the plants, we meticulously examine water quality on a daily basis to confirm there are no issues with the extracted water.
By doing so, we carefully monitor the water’s “health” since it is the basic ingredient for producing safe products to be consumed by people.
Also, as part of efforts to maintain water quality that meets Coca-Cola system standards, we constantly take heed of the changes in the environment surrounding our plants.
Efforts for efficient usage
Water used for cleansing and water used for heating. Water is used in various manufacturing processes in addition to its use in products.
Water used for cleansing is recycled into fresh water using special equipment and then reused for cleaning plant facilities. Thus, we have succeeded in reusing an average of 28% of all water used in manufacturing and are contributing to the elimination of wasteful use.
Efforts in water disposal management
Water used at plants is returned to nature after proper water treatment.
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. not only manages wastewater from plants in a manner that meets the standards specified by the country and local authorities but also a set of originally developed standards.
We rigorously monitor wastewater throughout the treatment process to prevent any possible leaks of untreated water.
We believe that sustainable growth requires balancing the reduction of environmental impact with business growth. We aim to contribute to the mitigation of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our entire business, including in the procurement of materials, production, logistics/transportation, and sales.
Disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions
We recognize the mitigation of climate change as a crucial issue to consider throughout the course of our business activities. As such, we transparently disclose corporate greenhouse gas emissions, of which CO2 is a primary example, and share information with our many stakeholders about the overall state of greenhouse gas emissions, the progress of countermeasures, and other topics so that this can lead to further emissions reductions.
Related data
Production initiatives
At our plants, we are actively adopting new processes and the latest technology for improving energy effi ciency. We are striving to reduce the greenhouse gases produced and fuel oil used in our manufacturing processes through measures such as introducing cogeneration systems that can create both electric power and heat from a single energy source, installing insulation and heat exchange systems that can eff ectively keep energy losses to a minimum, and converting from the use of fuel oil to natural gas.
Logistics and transportation initiatives
Our logistics divisions are implementing transportation efficiency improvements by accelerating the use of larger vehicles in order to improve load ratio and by continuing to utilize modal shift in transportation. In addition, we are undertaking greenhouse gas emissions reduction throughout the Group by improving the efficiency of shipping routes to our business partners; rigorously implementing ecodriving; increasing the replacement of existing fleet vehicles with electric, hybrid, and other fuel-efficient vehicles; and switching to the use of smaller vehicles for sales representatives.
Efforts to reduce CO2 emissions
The model for PET bottles is called a “preform”, and they can be transported in large volumes due to their small size.
This enables a reduction in fuel usage and significant decreases in nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions.
Sales initiatives
To reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of our vending machines (including coolers and drink dispensers), we continuously work toward the development and introduction of new equipment.
Our "peak shift" vending machines, which we have been deploying since 2013, shift electricity consumption used for cooling to nighttime, which can reduce power consumption during peak daytime hours by a maximum of 95%. The energy-saving specifications of these machines allow them to provide cold products 24 hours a day, even if the power for cooling is completely stopped for as long as 16 hours. We are also progressing with our plan to eliminate the use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants in our vending machines.
Toward Achieving a World Without Waste
2030 Packaging Vision
In 2018, The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) has declared its vision to work towards a "world without waste" by launching a global initiative under this name to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of packaging. In January that year, the Coca-Cola system in Japan announced its own commitments as "2030 Packaging Vision" in which it laid out a set of environmental targets that align with TCCC's global initiative. Furthermore, to accelerate the progress of this global initiative, the roadmap set in "2030 Packaging Vision" has been renewed in July 2019 with shorter timelines aimed at achieving the targets earlier than the original due dates.
Based on this global initiative, the Coca-Cola system in Japan is undertaking activities built on the three pillars of "Design, Collect, and Partner" to resolve the problem of waste originating from packaging.
Roadmap to 2030
Three core elements of the 2030 Packaging Vision
We are promoting bottle-to-bottle
recycling by improving the design
and material of our bottles to make
them more sustainable
We plan to collect and recycle the
volume of packaging equivalent to that
of products sold
We are building and maintaining stronger collection
and recycling schemes through partnerships with the
national and local government, the beverage industry,
and our communities
Design
- 50% by 2022
- Bottle-to-bottle recycling* will be promoted to achieve recycled PET plastic utilization rate of at least 50% by 2022 (actual results for 2018: approximately 17%).
- 90% by 2030
- The rate of bottle-to-bottle recycling will be increased to 90% in 2030.
- * In bottle-to-bottle recycling, used PET bottles are collected and processed for recycling before being remade into PET bottles for use as packaging for beverages.
- 100% by 2025
- By 2025, all products being sold in Japan will adopt packaging that can be recycled. In addition, by the same year, PET bottles for all products will use sustainable materials (recycled PET plastic or bio-based PET plastic).
- 100% by 2030
- By 2030, the proportion of sustainable materials will be made 100% so as to aim for complete implementation of packaging not using fossil fuels.
- 35% by 2030
- By 2030, the amount of PET plastic used in each product will be reduced by 35% (compared to 2004).
Collect
- 100% by 2030
- By 2030, collect an amount of PET bottles equivalent to the Coca-Cola products sold in Japan.
Partner
- By 2030
- The building and maintaining of even more steady packaging collection and recycling schemes will be undertaken in cooperation with the Government of Japan, local governments, beverage industry, local communities so as to contribute toward further improving the already very high level of PET bottle and can collection and recycling rates in Japan.
Initiatives to achieve "2030 Packaging Vision"
- Design
- Collect
- Partner
Bottle-to-bottle
Bottle-to-bottle recycling As a part of achieving the aims of The Coca-Cola Company's "World Without Waste" global initiative, we are taking part in the bottle-to-bottle recycling project to convert used PET bottles into product ready PET bottles. Bottle-to-bottle recycling makes it possible to manufacture PET bottles with a lower environmental impact.
I LOHAS Tennensui 100% recycled PET bottles
"Bottle to Bottle" where we recycle PET bottles as resources
In 2018, PET bottles manufactured by the Coca-Cola System in Japan contained about 17% of recycled PET resin. We have set a goal called "2030 Packaging Vision" to gradually increase the content and reach 90% by 2030. By launching "I LOHAS Tennensui" 100% recycled PET bottles, we have taken a big step toward our goal of "World Without Waste."
The bottles of "I LOHAS Tennensui" in the past contained 30% of recycled PET material.
However, in March 2020, we successfully launched "I LOHAS Tennensui" in "100% recycled bottles" on the largest scale in Japan※ by working with our partner companies and implementing technologies with challenging requirements that improved the transparency of recycled PET bottles by 30%.
※Comparison with the conventional 555ml of "I LOHAS Tennensui"
Reduce environmental burden!
Reduced volume of plastics
Massively reduce (*2) the volume of plastics that are manufactured using the amount of oil equivalent to 4000 cars (*1) in weight in a year.
*1 A compact cars equivalent of to 1 ton
*2 Compared to the previously launched "I LOHAS Tennensui" 555ml
Reduce CO2 emissions by 49%
CO2 emissions are reduced by 49% per bottle compared to traditional PET bottles (*3)
*3 100% petroleum-based PET bottles
Reducing the weight of PET bottles to reduce the usage amount of PET resin
Since 1970, the Coca-Cola System has been committed to making effective use of limited resources and reducing the weight of packages in order to reduce the amount of plastics. Our representative development includes "Eco-ru bottle shiboru" and "Pekoraku bottles" that are easy to crush and easy to pour. We are also aiming to reduce the usage amount of PET resin per bottle by 35% between 2004 and 2030.
Changes in packaging weight reducation of Coca-Cola products in Japan
* Packaging for water was 500ml up till 2010
* The weight of the can is calculated by the weight of the can body and the can lid
Increasing sustainable packaging
Under the shared global concept of sustainable packaging, we develop and use packaging within the Coca-Cola system that is specifically designed to be environment-friendly and also easy to use. We have introduced packaging like the ecoru shiboru bottle, which is easy to twist and flatten after drinking, to reduce both environmental impact and energy use.
Starts joint project with Far Eastern New Century in Taiwan on commercialization of PET bottles made from recycled PET raw material through chemical recycling
CCBJI started a joint project with Far Eastern New Century Corporation, one of the world's largest manufacturers of PET resin and polyester fibers, based in Taiwan, to commercialize PET bottles using recycled PET raw materials through chemical recycling (Note 1). This project aims to carry out pilot sales of PET-bottled product using recycled PET raw materials in some of our sales areas by the end of the year and expand opportunities to leverage this PET raw material at commercial scale in several years.
Note 1: What is chemical recycling?
After collected used PET bottles have been sorted, crushed, and washed to remove foreign materials, they are broken down into a raw material or an intermediate raw material of PET resin by depolymerization, and then the raw material is refined and polymerized into new PET resin. To depolymerize raw materials, ethylene glycol (EG) is added to convert them back to BIS-2-hydroxyethylterephthalate (BHET), the intermediate raw material produced during resin manufacturing. After refining, it is repolymerized into PET. Chemical recycling is characterized by the removal of foreign and heterogeneous materials during depolymerization/repolymerization, enabling regeneration of PET resin with the same high quality as that of virgin resin.
(Source: The Council for PET Bottling Recycling)
Collaborative initiatives with the beverage industry and other stakeholders
CCBJI endorses the Soft Drink Business Plastic Resource Reclamation Declaration, announced in November 2018 by the Japan Soft Drink Association with the goal of achieving the 100% effective utilization of PET bottles by fiscal 2030, and is cooperating on initiatives with others in the industry. Since May 2019, as part of an initiative to encourage recycling and prevent littering, we have distributed more than 200,000 stickers with an industrywide design that reminds people to not put anything in recycling bins other than empty bottles. These stickers have been placed on recycling bins next to vending machines, mostly in Japan's busiest downtown areas in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and Tokai and Kinki regions.
Collaborating with students
Members of the Coca-Cola system are always looking to engage in various projects in cooperation with students and private organizations. One such project is the design and development of recycling bins that will increase the accuracy of sorting collected recyclables. Before the demonstration of these new bins, we met with Mr. Ryobun Santo from the NPO, Think the Earth. Mr. Santo commented, "I hope that something like this new initiative, which brings together corporations and classrooms, will become a catalyst to change the world and contribute to student motivation and confidence."
Mr. Ryobun Santo
Nitobe Bunka Academy and
NPO Think the Earth
Cleanup activity
We work with our partners to achieve the "2030 Packaging Vision" through cleaning activities in each region.
Companywide cleaning activities
On November 18, 2019, about 750 employees participated in cleanup activities at 9 locations, such as Tsurigasaki Beach,Chiba Prefecture and other places.
Sendai (Miyagi), Kasumigaura (Ibaraki), Tsurigasaki Beach (Chiba), Shibuya (Tokyo), Yada River (Aichi), Nakanoshima-Tenmanbashi (Osaka), Miyajima (Hiroshima), Yashima Urao Beach (Kagawa), Kaizuka (Fukuoka)
Cleanup activities with local residents
Umeda River Cleaning (Miyagi), collaborated with NPO Green Bird (Tokyo and others), Beach Cleanup in SUMA (Hyogo), Zero Waste Clean Walk Hiroshima (Hiroshima), Oyama General Cleanup (Tottori), MyonoTanigawa Cleanup Volunteer Activities (Ehime), Love Earth Cleanup (Fukuoka)
Joint research with the Nippon Foundation on how trash ends up in rivers
It is estimated that in Japan approximately 98%* or more of all PET bottles are collected, but 2% are not being recovered and have a chance of ending up in rivers or the ocean. To find out the reasons for this 2% loss in recovery, the Coca-Cola system in Japan began a joint research project with the Nippon Foundation. The findings of this research have not only helped inform Japan's beverage industry, but are proving useful in policymaking and initiatives for more effective collection and for preventing bottles from ending up in rivers, the ocean, and elsewhere.
*Source: Coca-Cola Japan research based on findings of waste surveys by local governments in Japan
Recycling Materials & Packages
We strive to reduce environmental impact by collecting and recycling as much as possible of the waste generated throughout a product's life cycle. Through various initiatives such as reducing waste generated by production, using inventory controls to reduce product disposal, making containers easier to recycle, and using environment-friendly containers, we are contributing to the development of a sustainable society.
Recycling of plant waste
Recycling waste materials At our plants, we sort and recycle waste materials generated by production to continuously achieve zero waste emissions (a waste material recycling rate of over 99% at all 17 plants). Coffee grounds and tea leaves constitute the bulk of our generated waste materials, and we have achieved 99.88% and 100% recycle rates for them, respectively, as fertilizer or animal feed.
For example, the used tea leaves that result from the production of Sokenbicha at the Zao Plant are combined with byproducts, such as leftover whey from the manufacturing of cheese at the Zao Dairy Center, and used as "eco-feed" * for Zao Sosei beef cattle. Working with the local government and members of academia, the Tokai Plant is also pursuing research into a way to efficiently reuse coffee grounds and tea leaves.
* Food scraps that become feedstuff for animals. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is actively promoting eco-feed to increase the self-sufficiency rate for feedstuff.
Recycling vending machines
We recycle all vending machines that are taken out of service for disposal. Such vending machines are collected at our company's facilities, dismantled and sorted according to waste material type, and the chlorofluorocarbon is appropriately disposed.
What is a sustainable package?
Based on the Coca-Cola system’s philosophy that product packages should be environment-friendly and easy to use by consumers, packages are developed under the global “Sustainable Package” concept.
Packages with all three elements of “easy to use”, “environmentally friendly”, and “FUN” are the “Sustainable Packages” that we aim for.
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Packages using plant-derived materials
For the plant-based bottles, molasses, which is a byproduct of sugarcane produced in the sugar-making process, gets transformed into the structural components of PET resin.
The biggest advantage of such plant-based bottles is that they can be 100% recycled at existing PET bottle recycling plants. -
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Peko Raku Bottle
The “Peko Raku Bottle” is not just crushable, but compared to conventional PET bottles, it is easier to “hold” and “pour”.
The “Peko Raku Bottle” weighs just 29g, and its polygonal design means that the bottle can be easily crushed by lightly pressing down in a diagonal direction. -
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ecoru bottle raku-mochi (easily-held) “Morinomizudayori”
1.The waist of the bottle is three times stronger to prevent deformation.
2.Consumers can easily hold the bottle since they can completely wrap their fingers around the waist of the bottle.
3.The circumference of the waist is small, allowing consumers with small hands to easily hold the bottle.
4.The edges of the groove are deep and large, which enables consumers to easily pour drinks without the bottle slipping from the hands.
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Air Bottle
The Air Bottle was introduced for the “AQUARIUS” sports drink 500ml PET in 2010. Its ergonomic design allows consumers to easily hold the bottle, and the air cushion-like feel offers a comfortable grip.
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Grip Bottle & Fit Bottle
The Grip Bottle by Coca-Cola is a bottle shape that is designed for easy portability. It has a dent around the waist of the bottle, as well as a unique surface finish.
The Fit Bottle is designed to be gripped comfortably and used for “Sokenbicha” drinks. -
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Bubble Bottle
The Bubble Bottle is a name that describes the “bubbles’ in carbonated drinks.
It is used to express the pop and bubbly fun of “FANTA” drinks. -
