Coca-Cola Increases Conservation Support for World’s Largest Forest
November 12, 2012
Partnership Addresses Social, Economic and Environmental Needs
Manaus, Brazil, Nov. 12 th , 2012 –The Coca-Cola Company and the Sustainable Amazonas Foundation (FAS) today announced the expansion of their partnership focused on the economic development and conservation of Amazonian preservation reserves. The expansion's objective – which includes financial support of US $1.3 million – is to invest in programs that support income generation and conservation in the Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve. By 2017, Coca-Cola Brazil will have invested over US$ 13 million in FAS programs.
The announcement is being made during a ceremony today at FAS’ headquarters in the Amazonian city of Manaus, Brazil.
Earlier today, the Sustainable Development Rio Negro Reserve was toured by Coke executives, including the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Muhtar Kent, CSO Bea Perez and Coca-Cola Brazil President Xiemar Zarazúa.
“As we pursue our 2020 Vision for growth, we’re intensifying our efforts across the sustainability spectrum,” said Muhtar Kent. “We’re committed to creating value for every stakeholder we touch while improving the quality of life for people around the globe and helping conserve the extraordinary natural environments of the communities we’re so privileged to serve. This initiative in the Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve is a great example of our commitment.”
Generating jobs and income so that workers can guarantee their living conditions without harming the forest is a main focus of FAS. In the Amazon, without plant coverage, desertification could soon be a reality, leaving the greatest watershed of the world unprotected.
“This new partnership with Coca-Cola is extremely important for FAS and the communities directly benefited by it. Coca-Cola has been a strategic ally since 2009 together with the Amazonas State Government and Bradesco bank. The challenge ahead is to make this partnership contribute significantly for the improvement of the quality of life and preservation through the programs implemented by FAS at the Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve. With this expansion, Coca-Cola is further strengthening its ties with Amazonian society”, said Virgilio Viana, Managing Director of FAS.
"At Coca-Cola, our sustainability initiatives focus on People, Communities and the Environment,” said Bea Perez. “Water is key to all three of these focus areas, and it is the most essential ingredient in all our beverages. We are working to achieve water neutrality by returning to nature and communities an amount of water equal to what is used in our finished beverages and their production. Coca-Cola Brazil is the fourth largest Coca-Cola operation worldwide, and it has already achieved this water neutrality goal."
In addition to FAS’ existing community development projects, the expansion of this partnership will include Coca-Cola Brazil Foundation’s projects on recycling. The goal is to increase the collection and separation of recyclable materials in the Rio Negro communities, which will be used in the production of designer objects and accessories with the remainder for recycling. Women of these communities are already being trained to produce artisan goods. In the future, youth will be trained, further diminishing the pressure on the forest and the watershed.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit www.coca-colacompany.com , follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or visit our blog at www.coca-colablog.com .
About the Sustainable Amazonas Foundation
The Sustainable Amazonas Foundation (FAS) is a non-profit, non-governmental and non-partisan institution founded on December 20, 2007, through a partnership between the Amazonas State Government and Bradesco bank, and joined by Coca-Cola Brazil in 2009. FAS’ mission is to promote sustainable development, environmental conservation and help improve the quality of life of the communities residing in the Amazonas State Conservation Units (UCs) – located throughout an area extending more than 10 million hectares – by increasing the value of environmental services and products. FAS’s top priority is to implement the Forest Stipend Program (PBF), which is the first internationally-certified Brazilian project to compensate the traditional populations for maintaining the environmental services provided throughout the forests.
