2Sustain

Last week, the Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SDBC) released its second sustainability report, which highlights the company’s 2009 sustainability achievements and establishes clear goals for the future.

For instance, with regard to environmental sustainability, SDBC says it wants to:

• Reduce per-unit non-product related water usage by 25 percent by 2011, compared to a 2007 baseline.

• Reduce per-unit energy usage by 25 percent by 2011, compared to a 2007 baseline.

• Reduce per-unit carbon footprint by 25 percent by 2011, compared to a 2007 baseline.

• Reduce material use and increase recycling content for all packaging materials –bottles, caps, labels and corrugate.

• Improve shipping efficiency to reduce SDBC’s carbon footprint.

• Send zero waste to landfills by 2013. Three of SDBC’s six plant sites met the company’s zero- waste-to-landfill goal in 2009 –four years ahead of schedule. The remaining three plants met this goal early in 2010.

“We pursue sustainability because it so strongly fits with the personal values of those who manage the company every day,” says SDBC President and CEO, Billy Cyr. “We have made tremendous progress by further reducing the plastic in our bottles, the calories in our products, the water and energy used by our plants, and the fuel needed to produce and transport our products. These results have simultaneously strengthened our company and reduced the impact we have on the environment.”

Interestingly, with regard to procurement, the company reports that currently, one-third of its suppliers have active sustainability efforts in place. SDBC says that it is “interested in doing business with suppliers who share our commitment to helping preserve the environment,” and that it will “continue to work with our business partners to identify opportunities to help those suppliers start, or further increase, sustainability initiatives.”

The 44-page report is available at http://ww2.sunnyd.com/files/SDBC09SustainabilityReport.pdf .