The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group commits to conserving more than 60 million lb of PET through package reengineering and increased use of PCR material, details new CSR report.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (DPS) has announced its five-year goals for improved environmental and social performance across the company's operations and has released “Sustainability in ACTION,” its inaugural corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. The 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Goals address the company's operations throughout North America and the Caribbean, and provide the framework for the inaugural CSR report.

"Our evolution into an integrated beverage business has strengthened our ability to serve our customers and consumers while maintaining our responsibility to serve the needs of society and the planet we all share," says Larry Young, DPS president and CEO. "Setting and achieving long-term goals to improve our environmental and social performance is a vital part of achieving sustainable growth, because these goals reflect the best interests of the people who make, sell, buy, invest in, and enjoy our brands every day."

The company's five-year targets focus on the areas of environmental sustainability, health and wellness, philanthropy, workplace environment, and ethical sourcing.

In the area of Environmental Sustainability, the company’s goals include the following (note, all reduction targets are set against baseline data for the 2009 calendar year):

• Improve energy efficiency in manufacturing operations by 10% per gallon of finished product
• Increase product shipments per gallon of fuel used by 20%
• Replace 60,000 vending machines and coolers with Energy Star-rated equipment that is approximately 30% more energy efficient
• Reduce water usage and wastewater discharge ratio in manufacturing operations by 10% per gallon of finished product
• Recycle 80% of solid waste in manufacturing
• Conserve more than 60 million lb of PET plastic through package reengineering and increased use of post-consumer recycled material

CSR report highlights
“Sustainability in ACTION” details the progress made since DPS became a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2008. It also discusses current initiatives designed to help DPS achieve its long-term CSR goals. For example, DPS is addressing environmental sustainability by reducing fuel consumption with logistics software that configures shorter, more efficient delivery routes and by installing idle shutdown and electronic speed limiters.

The company also has numerous package engineering projects under way that are producing lighter plastic bottles across most sizes and formats and is identifying opportunities to incorporate PCR content into PET containers. And by using de-ionized air rather than water to rinse containers on most production lines, the company is conserving approximately 10,000 gallons of water per day on each line.

"We have much to be proud of as an organization that's only now two years old," says Young. "But this is only a starting point for us. Looking beyond our performance to date and the goals we've set for 2015, we understand that sustainability—whether environmental, social or economic—is an ongoing journey. There's much more to do, and we look forward to engaging our stakeholders to help ensure that day-in and day-out, our focus is always on continuous improvement throughout our business."