Andreas: OUR Sustainability Manager in Austria

Andreas, what does it mean to be a Sustainability manager? How would you explain your job? 

My job is to ensure a safe working environment for our employees so that they can supply our customers with products, meeting the highest quality standards with the least possible environmental impact. These pillars are subject to continuous change driven by various factors like technology, innovation and compliance, which make this challenging job even more interesting. 

You always need to consider the big picture. For example, if we discuss changing technology or a production line, we will always assess the whole process and resources usage including oil, wood, electricity, water, emissions etc. It’s big picture thinking in this kind of role, which makes it so exciting.

What is the biggest prejudice or fun fact towards people working in sustainability?

Sustainability professionals are often seen as nerds, which I honestly take as a compliment!

Was it your dream job when you were little?

During my childhood, I was always eager to fix things because I did not like if something was not working the way it should be. 

I always dreamt about finding solutions and keep everything running for a living. Within the position of the country lead for Sustainability and QSE, I feel I have found a suitable equivalent for this dream in the grown-up’s world! 

I was lucky to join CCHBC Austria during a period of massive change in 2013 which allowed me to develop personally as well as professionally within the organization rapidly. After several years in the field of quality assurance and production, I received the chance to move to Sustainability and I was blown away by the vast strategic as well as operational challenges. From this moment the personal target of becoming Country Sustainability Manager was born.

If your dream is to choose Sustainability as your professional area, it is possible to start from different educational points. My background is in nutritional science. My advice would be to gain a healthy mix of operational experience from different functions paired with strategic knowledge and technical interest.

What does sustainability mean for you?

Sustainability needs to become a part of all employee´s DNA.  Embedded in our business agenda as the “licence to operate”, for me, sustainability means to continuously earn this licence by establishing an ambitious mission together with our partners and gain the trust of our customers, consumers and communities by delivering them. An exciting example is the work on reducing plastic waste caused by secondary packaging, meaning the packaging around bottles/cans. Here at CCHBC Austria we recently introduced a paperboard solution called KeelClip, which allows us to eliminate the plastic shrink film of can multipacks. This is a step change in the right the direction toward package-less production which I believe will be one of our challenges to be prepared for in the years to come.

Another example from our Edelstal plant here in Austria is the reduction of virgin plastic bottles by continuously increasing the recycling content within our PET portfolio. The biggest success so far was the switch to 100% recycled PET material for the entire PET Römerquelle portfolio. The message behind this initiative could not be more simple - “from bottle to bottle”, you produce a bottle which has been a bottle in its previous life. There are now 4 water brands in 5 CCHBC countries that are produced in 100% rPET bottles.

Sustainability means a lot to me when it comes to day to day life as well. I care about the packaging of the goods I purchase for my home. Also, I prefer buying mostly regional products as this way we are supporting local manufacturers.

CCHBC was just recently ranked as the most sustainable beverage company in Europe: From your perspective, what are key attributes that companies need to have?

Besides being agile and having the ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities, I would say that a growth mindset thinking with a high perseverance threshold is key in order to have and retain a leadership position in sustainability. When it comes to CCHBC and our achievements at DJSI, I believe that the holistic approach for how sustainability is placed within our agenda is key to the DJSI results from previous years. The broad range of sustainability commitments begins with responsibility for our employees and communities. Then, it takes a turn for responsible sourcing of key agricultural ingredients and targets demanding reduction plans for waste, water and emissions which can only be achieved by the persistent effort of all functions and levels within the organization. In Austria, we collaborate with other companies on the market to share and exchange our best practices for the common good. In my opinion, continuously challenging the status quo paired with unwavering perseverance is key for our current but more important also our future success.