On November 24, 2015, Coca-Cola HBC, a leading bottler of the brands of The Coca-Cola Company, has announced new water and carbon commitments after being named by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) as the world sustainability leader in the beverage industry.

Coca-Cola HBC has announced that it intends to reduce water use intensity by 30% by 2020, compared to 2010 and direct carbon emissions intensity by 50% over the same period.

The company's approach to sustainability was endorsed in September when Coca-Cola HBC was named beverage industry leader in the Dow Jones World and Europe Sustainability Indices for the second consecutive year.

Coca-Cola HBC was also ranked eighth out of the top 100 companies listed on the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE 100) Index for its carbon reporting by Carbon Clear - and ranked first within the beverage sector.

Baltic General Manager Konstantin Chukchukov said: "Our new commitments reflect our company's position as the driving force of sustainability within the beverage industry. Here in Latvia we will be contributing to meeting these targets through various sustainability programmes. Our partnerships with stakeholders in Latvia have been fundamental to our achievements so far and will continue to be instrumental in meeting our new commitments."

This is the eighth year that the company has been included in the DJSI, the global benchmark for corporate sustainability due to its rigorous assessment process and its focus on best-in-class companies.

Of the 2,500 companies across different industries, invited to participate in the DJSI assessment worldwide, Coca-Cola HBC AG ranked beverage industry best with a total score of 87/100. This was 34 points higher than the industry average. The Group was ranked industry best in eight criteria: code of business conduct/compliance/anti-corruption, environmental policy, packaging, raw materials sourcing, human capital development, health & nutrition, social reporting and talent attraction & retention.

Examples of Coca-Cola HBC's sustainability programme in Baltics include:

• Weight reduction of PET bottles and closures
• Introduction of Mobileye for light fleet to increase drivers safety and environmental footprint
• Replacing of ozone depleting substances in coolers and Post-Mix equipment by more environmental friendly CO2 technology

Annual highlights of Coca-Cola HBC Group's 2014 integrated report include:

• An 'A' rating by CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project
• 7.8 % direct and indirect carbon emissions reduction (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
• €4.3m invested in energy efficiency projects
• 4.3% improvement in energy intensity
• €5.8m invested in water saving projects, saving 1.1million m3 water
• 4.1% improvement in water intensity
• 82% Sustainable Employee Engagement Index