11/07/2016
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam Ltd., Co. (Coca-Cola VN) in recent years have not only helped manage environmental issues and social security and contributed to making people’s lives better but have also allowed the sustainable development of the foreign company in Việt Nam. This information was shared by Lê Từ Cẩm Ly, head of Legal and Public Affairs for Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam, at a recent signing ceremony for a cooperative agreement on environmental protection between the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) and Coca-Cola VN.
As a leading global beverage brand, what measures have Coca-Cola adopted to protect the environment during production and business activities in Việt Nam?
Environmental protection is part of Coca-Cola’s global mandate to ensure sustainable development. In Việt Nam, Coca-Cola has invested in developing infrastructure and systems for advanced production lines, achieving strong performance at its 3 factories in Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng and Hồ Chí Minh cities and building an LEED-certified facility. At the same time, the company has also changed its production processes to save energy, water and packaging materials, thus contributing to protecting natural resources and minimizing carbon emissions by replacing fuel oil with compressed natural gas cleaner, improving production processes to reduce the required energy consumption, reducing water consumption by using clean rainwater and building an on-site clean recycling system to minimize the use of groundwater.
Besides this, Coca-Cola VN uses environmentally friendly technology as part of its marketing efforts (e.g., the CO2 refrigerator) and is now leading the industry in this initiative. In addition, Coca-Cola has built large warehouses to store hazardous waste and has signed contracts with relevant companies to collect the waste each month.
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| Thousands of local people have accessed to safe drinking water conducted by Coca-Cola VN |
It is said that Coca-Cola has actively conducted many community projects to bring positive changes to the lives of many people in recent years. Can you brief us on these projects?
On CSR initiatives related to the environment, Coca-Cola VN has always paid a great deal of attention to the environment. Since 2004, the company has invested more than US $100,000 annually to support local communities in Việt Nam, providing access to clean water and sanitation. Coca-Cola has also worked with the World Wildlife Fund to adopt management strategies on hydrology, water storage and freshwater filtration in Tràm Chim and Đồng Tháp. One popular CSR project is the Ekocenter (Community Support Center), which aims to bring positive changes to the community and to provide safe drinking water for thousands of locals in many provinces throughout the country. The highlight of this project is the use of solar energy. The Ekocenter offers benefits ranging from education to healthcare, thus improving living standards in the community.
The Ekocenter was first launched in Hồ Chí Minh City. The model is expected to be launched at seven locations across the country in 2016, including in Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng.
Recently, the VEA and Coca-Cola Việt Nam signed an agreement on environmental protection and sustainable development. What does this mean for the community and how will the deal be realized in the near future?
Coca-Cola Việt Nam is honored to participate in the public-private partnership resulting from the signing of this cooperative agreement on environmental protection. The agreement marks a major step forward in strengthening the commitment of the company in investing in and conducting CSR initiatives in general and initiatives on environmental protection in particular. Through this agreement, Coca-Cola Việt Nam will ensure greater cooperation with environmental protection efforts in the future.
Thank you!
Phương Tâm
(Implemented)
