British soft drinks company Britvic has announced new carbon emission reduction targets to tackle climate change.
Britvic is now the first UK soft drinks firm to have announced an approved 1.5°C target.
Halve Emissions
The business has committed to halving emissions from its operations by 2025, with a larger target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
The target includes reducing emissions across its extended value chain by 35% before 2025.
Britvic follows more than 310 companies worldwide that have committed to reducing their carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
Assessment Body
The company’s targets have been assessed by the Science Based Target Initiatives (SBTI) body, which uses the latest climate science to ensure that targets meet the the Paris Agreement – to limit global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and limit warming to 1.5°C.
The SBTI’s recent Raising the Bar report revealed that 285 companies have committed to eliminating 265 million tons of emissions from their operations.
To reach its 2025 science-based target, Britvic is making strategic changes to its operations. These include installing biomass boilers to power manufacturing as well as switching packaging from steel to aluminium cans.
In 2018, the business transitioned to using 100% renewable grid-sourced electricity in all of its manufacturing sites in the UK. The company also transitioned its manufacturing sites in Ireland and Brazil to green electricity.
'Escalating Urgency'
Clive Hooper, supply chain director for Britvic, said, “We recognise the escalating urgency and ambition required to tackle the issue of climate change and are committed to stepping up our role in addressing this. By setting a 1.5°C-aligned carbon reduction target, the most ambitious science-based target currently available, we are ensuring that we lead the way in driving significant emissions reductions across our full value chain.”
Britvic’s new carbon reduction strategy incorporates all aspects of the product lifecycle, it said.
The company's agenda also includes initiatives to target zero waste to landfill and support the development of a circular economy for packaging.
Last year, Britvic reduced its manufacturing carbon emissions by 16%. This was achieved by increasing the use of renewable energy and investing in new, more efficient manufacturing equipment.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Elizabeth Schroeder. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
