Coca-Cola highlights efforts to protect biodiversity at COP 15

Contributing to climate change efforts and biodiversity conservation have been the priority of the ongoing work for global beverage leader the Coca-Cola Co in China, as it has operated more than 50 water stewardship programs in the country, said its top executive in the China unit.

During the recent 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15), which was launched in Kunming, Yunnan province, Zhang Jiantao, Coca-Cola Greater China and Mongolia vice-president, shared many examples of their efforts in protecting biodiversity.

"We have more than 50 water stewardship programs across 23 provinces, regardless of whether it's about the longest river in China, or a county community," he said.

Since 2007, Coca-Cola has been working with the WWF, UNDP and other partners to protect the freshwater resources of the Yangtze River, in which rare species such as pandas, snow leopards, white cranes, porpoises and Chinese dragonflies were bred.

Coca-Cola's actions over a decade have effectively contributed to the protection of more than 200,000 hectares of high-ecological value areas, as part of the efforts to conserve the biodiversity and communities of 2 million hectares of wetland ecosystems in the basin.

For example, Coca-Cola worked with the WWF to create two oxbow lake reserves, the Tian-e-zhou and He-wang-miao, which are critical habitats for the Yangtze finless porpoise. These habitats were the world's first two successful conservation sites for freshwater porpoises that were reintroduced to the wild.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola China has also been working on responsible agriculture. Since 2012, together with the UNDP, Coca-Cola China helped double the production of sugar cane in Chongzuo, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, by establishing a drip irrigation system, which uses wastewater byproducts to irrigate the fields.

The Coca-Cola Company utilized a smart "golden triangle" model in all sustainability initiatives. The innovative model gives full play to the advantages, expertise and resources of governments, enterprises, nongovernmental organizations and all sectors of society, to meet the increasingly serious environmental challenges, and protect water and biological diversity.

Zhang said: "We act in ways to create a more sustainable and better shared future. Sustainability remains core to what we do."