Coca-Cola GB and CCE scoop national gold awards for community-based schemes
Coca-Cola Great Britain and Coca-Cola Enterprises have scooped two gold awards at the prestigious Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Community Partnership Awards, which reward organisations across the food chain making a positive difference to the communities in which they operate.
At the Awards, which took place at the Churchill Museum and War Rooms in London, Coca-Cola Great Britain won in the Culture, Media and Sport category for its ‘Talent from Trash' recycling scheme, while Coca-Cola Enterprises won in the Education category for its ‘Education Centres and School Outreach' initiatives.
‘Talent from Trash', which Coca-Cola Great Britain ran in 2007 as part of its partnership with the Football League, leveraged the appeal of football to incentivise consumers to recycle more, while reinforcing the brand's heritage of supporting the grassroots of the game.
Working in partnership with Local Authorities, Coca-Cola measured the total increase in house recycling tonnage in 13 participating areas over the period of the programme, compared to the same period in 2006, aiming for 4% above forecast trends.
The programme resulted in an average increase of 5.1% in recycling tonnages in each area, with four achieving over 10% and two over 20%. Football clubs earned money for their youth development programmes dependent on the number of online pledges made by fans and the uplift in the recycling rate in their area. On average, each club earned £4,815, with top-performing Brentford FC earning £23,000.
Coca-Cola Enterprises won its award for three Education Centres it has founded and funds in East Kilbride, Edmonton and Wakefield. These enable secondary school students to develop their understanding of the business world and workplace.
Education Centre Managers (ECMs) are qualified teachers employed directly by Coca-Cola Enterprises and each centre has a fully equipped interactive classroom. On average each centre hosts six two-hour school visits a week, providing enterprise education to over 12,000 students nationally. In addition, each Centre acts as a hub for schools outreach initiatives.
CCE has also developed projects where local schools compete against each other in Enterprise Challenges. In 2007 challenges in Yorkshire and West London involved 6,000 and 1,700 students respectively.
Julian Hunt, FDF Director of Communications and Awards judge said: "It's great to see that the food industry's huge dedication towards community initiatives is continuing each year. This year we received some excellent entries, which outlined initiatives that are helping to educate, inspire and develop local communities across the UK. Our Awards help to reward this fantastic but often unsung work."
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Notes to Editors:
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 450 sparkling and still brands. Along with ‘Coca-Cola', recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including ‘Diet Coke', ‘Fanta', ‘Sprite', ‘Coca-Cola Zero', ‘glaceau vitaminwater', ‘Powerade', ‘Minute Maid' and ‘Georgia Coffee'. Globally, it is the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.5 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, the Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about the Company, please visit the website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
