Coca-Cola to meet 2020 water replenishment goal by end of 2015

STOCKHOLM — The Coca-Cola company’s efforts to replenish the water used in its beverages and their production by 2020 are expected to be met the by the end of this year, the company reported Tuesday.  Coca-Cola said that at the end of 2014, it had balanced about 94% of the water used in its finished beverages — about 153.6 billion liters since 2004.

“As a consumer of water, the Coca-Cola system has a special responsibility to protect this shared resource. This is why we set an aspirational goal of being water neutral by 2020,” Coca-Cola chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent said. “While we have made significant progress toward making that goal a reality, we are more intent than ever to give back the equivalent of all the water that we use to communities and nature. And we will continue to do so after we meet the 100 percent goal.”

Since 2004, the company has worked in 61 countries on 209 community water projects, and has made water efficiency a priority in all its plants and implementing wastewater treatment programs, Coca Cola said. It’s goals for water replenishment were decided in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

“More and more companies now recognize that factoring nature into their decision-making is a smart business strategy. Coca-Cola’s commitment to water underscores that investing in nature can produce very positive returns for businesses and local communities,” TNC president and CEO Mark Tercek said.  “TNC is proud of its collaboration with Coca-Cola and congratulates the company and its bottling partners on a very significant achievement.”