Environment

On the 10th June 2008 the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) launched the soft drinks industry's sustainability strategy which we fully support. This strategy sets out the industry's aims and objectives moving forward and the commitments that the industry believe it is important to make. These objectives are long-term and far-reaching goals which will have a positive impact on the environment and create a sustainable future for the soft drinks industry.

The objectives focus on four areas:

Climate change

Industry ambition: In line with the aims of the Climate Change Bill, it is the sector's ambition to achieve a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions from manufacturing by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.

Waste and packaging

Industry ambition: It is the sector's ambition to: send zero manufacturing waste to landfill from 2015 and contribute to WRAP's objectives by aiming to improve the sustainability of soft drinks packaging.

Water

Industry ambition: It is the sector's ambition to reduce its waste water volumes (i.e. water not contained in the product) by contributing to a food and drink industry target to reduce water use by 20% by 2020 compared to 2007.

Transport

Industry ambition: It is the sector's ambition to contribute to the overall food and drink industry objective to reduce the external impacts of transport by 20% by 2012 compared to 2002 by: Integrating environmental efficiency techniques in the sector's own transport operations and working with suppliers and customers to address supply.

The Sustainability Strategy sets out the soft drinks industry's commitments in each of these areas. Importantly, these areas of focus reflect the objectives laid out in the government's Food Industry Sustainability Strategy and align the BSDA with the Food & Drink Federation's (FDF) environmental commitments announced earlier this year. The soft drinks industry believes that by working collectively as an industry and with the support of Government we can make a significant and positive impact on the environment.

Click here to link to The Soft Drinks Industry Sustainability Strategy