The environment today is facing several problems some of which include pollution, destruction, and deterioration just to mention a few. Thus, issues of the environment have attracted a lot of concern from all levels of governance in the world.
It is because of this that companies are encouraged to practice corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Through corporate social responsibility, companies are able to get back to the society that they work in by improving the quality of life through social and economic development (Sun 63).
Sustainability on the other hand looks at protecting the environment for the future generation. This paper is an in-depth analysis of sustainability in Canada and the impact of the Coca-Cola Company on environmental protection.
The issue of environmental sustainability is one of the Millennium Goals because of its global concern. Canada is no exception in trying to achieve environmental sustainability. In environmental sustainability, people take care of the environment by making sure that they put to the environment only what it can endure (Blackburn 103).
Thus, the issue of environmental sustainability incorporates all stakeholders including the government. The Canadian government has in the recent past advocated for the ‘go green’ campaign. In this, the government requires that companies and the people in the society use substances that are environmental friendly.
For instance, the use of polythene and plastic substances has been banned in Canada. The Canadian citizens are also advised to watch on their retail shopping and ensure that they are buying environmental friendly products.
In addition to this, the Canadian government has established the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI), which is responsible for measuring the progress of sustainability development in the country.
The Coca-Cola Company is one of the oldest existing companies having been established in 1944. Despite getting competitors like Pepsi and Schweppes, Coca-Cola has managed to penetrate the market and distribute its products to over 200 nations globally.
In addition to the existing soft drink products, Coca-Cola has invented products such as caffeine-free Coca-Cola, diet coke, and Coca-Cola vanilla among others. From the aforementioned brands of Coca-Cola products, it is clear that the company is working towards protecting the environment in various ways.
For example, diet coke is a product made using natural sugars thus less harmful to the health of human beings. The caffeine-free product is also user friendly because it lacks caffeine, which is a mild drug. Other than this, Coca-Cola has been protecting the environment by putting measures that prevent environmental pollution.
In fact, Coca-Cola was among the first companies to attain ISO certifications as well as carry out its operations under the HACCP rules. This has played a major role in environmental protection because the food safety rules in HACCP and ISO are geared towards environmental sustainability among other measures (Blackburn 242).
Just like other food companies, Coca-Cola has put in place proper ways of disposal of wastes so that they do not pollute the environment.
Nevertheless, one of the biggest challenges that Coca-Cola faces in environmental protection is that of their packaging materials. For a long time, the soft drinks have been packaged in glass, plastic, and tin materials, which have proved to be polluting the environment (Sun 87).
Getting an alternative for the plastic bottles is s hurdle for Coca-Cola since their products are carbonated thus packaged under high pressure thus glass and plastics are the most suitable packages. However, recycling of the plastic and glass bottles has worked as one way of protecting the environment.
Works Cited
Blackburn, Wilson. The Sustainability Handbook. London: Earthscan, 2007. Print.
Sun, William. How to Govern Corporations So They Serve the Public Good: A Theory of Corporate Governance Emergence. New York: Edwin Mellen, 2010. Print.