Coca-Cola Amatil has made the switch to 100 per cent sustainably accredited sugar right across its Australian non-alcoholic beverage range.
All sugar was now being sourced from growers who are independently accredited as following sustainable production frameworks, the company said.
Amatil’s sugar purchases are now a mix of Bonsucro and Smartcane Best Management Practice (BMP) certified sugar. Bonsucro and Smartcane BMP are production frameworks which aim to increase on-farm productivity while reducing environmental and social risks.
Group managing director Alison Watkins said the decision was based on both environmental and commercial factors.
“We have responsibilities to the community on resource use and renewal, and we’ve also heard customer feedback in favour of greater sustainability in the products we sell.”
“The switch to sustainably accredited sugar is a step forward for our overall operations, and also in meeting that customer demand.”
The decision means Coca-Cola Amatil’s sugar is obtained from farms with frameworks covering:
- decreased herbicides and pesticide use per hectare;
- prohibitions on some herbicide and pesticide use in sugar production;
- reduced water use in sugarcane growing and milling;
- natural systems management to protect adjacent wetlands and waterways and reduce runoff into sensitive areas such as the Great Barrier Reef;
- support for on-farm systems management;
- increased use of ethanol (rather than fossil fuels) in growing and milling;
- a chain of responsibility process from production to final use; and
- independent auditing of sugar industry safety and worker training, with issues addressed via published Health and Safety Management Plans.
Wilmar Sugar Australia is a certified supplier of accredited sustainable sugar, and a major supplier to Amatil, and Wilmar executive general manager North Queensland John Pratt said the company continually looked at opportunities to improve the sustainability of its operations.
“Our commitment to continuous improvement is good for our business and also the environment,” Pratt said. “The Great Barrier Reef is a vital part of our global environmental heritage. We are pleased to be able to make a positive contribution to its health.”
The switch to sustainably accredited sugar in Australia also reflects a global commitment by The Coca-Cola Company to source all priority ingredients from sustainable sources by 2020.
The news comes as the company also seeks to reduce its use of the sweet ingredient.
Coca-Cola volume sales in Australia grew in the second half of 2018, driven by Coca-Cola No Sugar and the ongoing consumer trend towards low- and no-sugar choices, according to the company.
Watkins said Coca-Cola No Sugar volume sales had led overall Coca-Cola Trademark volumes into positive territory for the half.
“That’s a testament to Coca-Cola No Sugar’s flavour - taste tests showed it’s actually preferred by a majority of Classic Coke drinkers and at least equally liked by lovers of Coke Zero,” Watkins said
“It’s also a testament to the trend toward low- and no-sugar choices. We’ve heard the message on consumer wellbeing, and we’re delivering with low- and no-sugar options for all our major beverage brands.”
As part of its commitment to consumer wellbeing, Coca-Cola Amatil has committed to a 10 per cent reduction in sugar content (grams/100ml) across its Australia-New Zealand portfolio of sales by 2020, and a net 20 per cent reduction in Australia by 2025.
“We have achieved strong progress against this target with a net 5.7 per cent reduction of grams of sugar per 100ml across our portfolio of sales against the 2015 baseline,” Watkins said.
“We also saw good results from products like Coca-Cola Raspberry, and the launch of Coca-Cola Orange No Sugar and Coca-Cola Vanilla No Sugar. And we’re leading the way in New Zealand with the world-first launch of Coca-Cola Stevia No Sugar.”
