GREENPEACE: COCA-COLA WINS FIRST GREEN MEDAL

Calculated based on an expected ten-year life span of the units, the approximately 6,350 climate-friendly refrigeration units to be placed by Coca-Cola in the venues reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 45,000 metric tons.  To help put this number in perspective, it is comparable to taking about 218,000 cars off the road for two weeks during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.  

This commitment came as a result of continuous joint efforts to advance sustainable refrigeration from Greenpeace and Coca-Cola since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.  

Greenpeace has been campaigning for the phase-out of HFC air-conditioners and refrigerators since the early 1990s. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, HFCs are potent greenhouse gases and some HFCs are 11,700 times more harmful than carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.  And furthermore, according to German scientific institute Oko-Recherche, by 2050, HFCs and other fluorinated gases are expected to contribute 8.6% of the world’s global warming emissions, which is equivalent to the CO2 emissions of all the world’s passenger cars in 2004 (both figures use a 20-year time-horizon.) Through extensive research and development, CO2 and hydrocarbons have been identified as climate-friendly natural refrigerants.  The natural refrigerant used in the units Coca-Cola will place in all official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is CO2 refrigerant.  

Coca-Cola responded quickly to the challenge in 2000 and started to work together with Greenpeace to develop and commercialize climate-friendly refrigeration equipment, leveraging the respective strengths of a non-governmental organization and a multinational company.  Since then, Coca-Cola has invested nearly $40 million USD in research, development, testing and deployment of sustainable refrigeration equipment.  Coca-Cola has provided HFC-free refrigeration units at both the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. But the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will mark the first time Coca-Cola has committed to providing HFC-free insulation and refrigerants together with the energy-saving EMS technology to all official venues of an Olympic Games.  

“This innovative approach of combining natural refrigerants and energy-efficient technology is a great example of how a business can work with other stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We hope Coca-Cola’s efforts can accelerate industry-wide actions to combat climate change,” said LO Sze Ping, Campaign and Communications Director of Greenpeace China.  

“Greenpeace continues to be a tremendous collaborator to Coca-Cola as we develop innovative sustainable refrigeration solutions together.  While we are pleased with the progress already made on this complex issue, we recognize that our Company and our industry still have much more to do,” said Christina LAU, External Affairs Director of Coca-Cola China.  

YU Xiaoxuan, Deputy Director of BOCOG’s Construction and Environment Department, said, “BOCOG congratulates Coca-Cola and Greenpeace for working together to bring climate-friendly coolers and vending machines to the 2008 Olympic Games.”