Optimising infrastructure to support a 24/7 portfolio
Optimising and developing our infrastructure also supports our expanding 24/7 portfolio. By centralising our production planning system for the whole Group, with each plant serving regional needs, we have been able to meet market demand with speed and agility. This is supported by expanding production capacity in targeted markets, including Nigeria and Russia, where we anticipate strong future growth.
We have also upgraded production lines to support product innovation. For example, we invested in a new premium glass packaging line for FUZETEA in the Czech Republic and Romania and for Coca-Cola Energy in Hungary, as well as investments to support the production of Cappy Lemonade and Coca-Cola signature mixers in Romania.
In Italy we recently invested in new production capabilities for different package sizes, a new aseptic PET line at our Nogara plant to accommodate Adez in our expanded 24/7 portfolio and new TriBlock technology in a PET line in our Marcianise plant. TriBlock technology helps us use production space more efficiently and reduce water and energy consumption.
To manage the increased output from our mega plants and the complexity of our expanded 24/7 portfolio, we continued investing in automation for our high-capacity warehouses. Automated warehouses, and automatic guided vehicles, improve both efficiency and service quality.
Sustainable sourcing
The sourcing of our raw materials accounts for a large portion of our economic, operational and environmental footprint, and the behaviour of our suppliers directly impacts our sustainability performance. We therefore consider our suppliers as critical partners, as well as contributors to the ongoing and sustainable success of our business.
As part of the Coca-Cola System, we have a uniform approach to sustainable agriculture, which is rooted in the principles of protecting the environment, upholding human and workplace rights, and helping to build more sustainable communities. These principles are showcased in The Coca-Cola Company’s Sustainable Agriculture Guiding Principles, which provide guidance to our suppliers of agricultural ingredients.
The scale and uniform approach of the Coca-Cola System helps us source our raw materials sustainably, while mitigating business risks. This helps us balance the costs of sustainability by leveraging relationships and initiating new opportunities, ensuring that our agricultural suppliers and their suppliers have a sustainable business. All suppliers are required to meet our Supplier Guiding Principles. These principles communicate our values and expectations of compliance with all applicable laws, and emphasise the importance of responsible workplace practices that respect human rights.
This framework for sustainable sourcing is integrated into internal governance and procurement processes. Our 2025 target for ingredient sourcing is to achieve 100% certification of our key agricultural ingredients against the Sustainable Agriculture Guiding Principles. In 2019, 74% of the key commodities we purchased for use as ingredients were certified, up from 64% in 2018. Our work to certify our key agricultural ingredients will continue to expand in 2020, with close cooperation with suppliers who are still progressing towards certification.