Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the world’s largest independent bottler of Coca-Cola, has [this week] welcomed Edmonton MP Kate Osamor to its local manufacturing site.
The site, which has 280 staff and seven production lines, received an additional investment of £12 million this year.
The visit was an opportunity to showcase the plant’s latest sustainability initiatives, which the latest round of funding has enabled and will continue to support over the coming year. The Edmonton site recently achieved a 70% reduction in carbon emissions from 2010 levels, with the site aiming to achieve carbon neutral status in the future, supported by the sustainability action plan from CCEP, This is Forward.
The manufacturing site received a total of £42million in investment since 2017, which includes £5.8m funding for a rear door loading facility, doubling the number of loading bays and increasing overall capacity by 22%.
The site, which has been using 100% renewable electricity for more than 10 years, also recently replaced all material handling equipment (EMH), such as forklifts, with new models powered by lithium-ion batteries, which do not produce zero carbon emissions in their daily operations.
Edmonton supports CCEP’s national sustainability ambitions and will be the next location to begin producing CCEP’s redesigned bottles with caps attached, following the initial production rollout in Scotland last month. A £3million investment will convert the site’s existing lines, allowing the site to produce bottles that are easier to collect and recycle, as the new design means all caps remain attached to the bottles, reducing the risk that they are thrown away.
These ongoing developments have seen the creation of 14 new manufacturing positions this year alone, and the company is currently recruiting two new apprentices to join the existing 14 health, safety and environment (HSE), engineering and business apprentices. To support this, CCEP recently undertook a £500,000 investment in employee wellbeing facilities in Edmonton, including a new kitchen and social areas, as well as changes to make the facilities accessible to all future employees. .
Edmonton MP Kate Osamor with workers at the CCEP Edmonton site. Credit: CCEP
Karl Probert, Director of Operations at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in Edmonton, said, “We’re thrilled to be able to show Kate Osamor all the work we’ve done to make Edmonton an even more sustainable operation and a great place to work for everyone. With over 30 nationalities and 20 different languages spoken, Edmonton is one of our most diverse manufacturing locations. The site truly embodies our welcome to all philosophy, and we pride ourselves on creating a fair workplace for colleagues from all walks of life.
Stephen Moorhouse, Vice President and Managing Director, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (GB)said, “Edmonton has played a key role in many of the company’s most significant milestones along its sustainability journey, and continuing to invest in reducing carbon emissions at the site helps us contribute to our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030[1] across our UK operations, as well as our overall ambition to reach net zero by 2040. It is thanks to the hard work of all our colleagues on site that we are where we are today , and I look forward to seeing continued positive change.”
Kate Osamor, MP for Edmonton, said, “This significant investment in Edmonton demonstrates CCEP’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, as well as to the surrounding community and local economy. The company has been a key employer in Edmonton for nearly five decades, and it’s fantastic to see how it has evolved over that time, continuing to invest in sustainability and well-being at every stage.
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