Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has reported that its new technologies for the self-manufacture of lighter PET plastic beverage bottles delivered a reduction in the carbon footprint of each bottle by 22%. This is said to be equivalent to 1700 cars being removed from Sydney roads per year. CCA’s claims are set out in a detailed Corporate Responsibility Report issued this week by the company. The Corporate Responsibility Report ironically coincides with recent financial reporting by CCA that  featured its... ...Read more »

Coca Cola Amatil is expecting to make around A$165 million in profit from the sale of its shares in the joint venture beverage manufacturer Pacific Beverages to other shareholder, multi-national brewer SABMiller. Pacific Beverages brands include Peroni, Miller Genuine Draft and Pilsner Urquell. Coca Cola Amatil expects to record a profit of around A$60 million for 2011, comprising the above-mentioned profit less around A$105 million in the extra costs associated with the restructuring of fruit producer... ...Read more »

The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have given their approval for the use of steviol glycosides, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, as an ingredient in foods and beverages in the European Union. The new regulatory policy will enter into force twenty days after it is published in the EU Official Journal.  This means that products sweetened with steviol glycosides could be available to consumers across Europe by as early as 3 December 2011. Steviol glycosides are considered... ...Read more »

Australian soft drinks giant Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has been praised for its new Mount Franklin ‘Easy-Crush Bottle’ – said to be the lightest Australian produced 600ml water bottle.  The bottle came first in the Sustainability category of the 2011 Australian Packaging Design Awards. The Australian Packaging Design Awards (APDA) is an annual run competition for brand owners, designers, retailers, manufacturers. The awards are conducted by the Packaging Council of Australia. Coca-Cola Amatil’s... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil Australasia (CCAA) has invested A$35 Million in new “blowfill” technology at its Thebarton production facility in Adelaide, enabling the company to design and manufacture its own bottles using less raw materials. CCAA’s Managing Director, Warwick White, described the new technology as the single largest capital investment in the company’s history, adding that it will fundamentally change the nature of manufacturing in the business. He said, “The introduction of this technology... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil’s Managing Director Terry Davis has indicated that the company is considering buying the spirits, ready-to-drink mixed spirits and non-alcoholic brands of Australian brewer Foster’s Group Limited. Mr Davis made the announcement at a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia, held in Melbourne. The brands in questions include Foster’s Cascade brand of soft drinks, its Cougar and Black Douglas spirit brands, as well as its Fiji brewery and distillery. However,... ...Read more »

Despite widespread media reports to the contrary, Coca-Cola Amatil, Australia’s largest beverage bottler, denied today that it has been planning to initiate legal action against the proposed Northern Territory’ Container Deposit Scheme. Last month, Australian Food News reported the Northern Territory deposit scheme was generating considerable heat. Speaking to Australian Food News today, Coca-Cola Amatil’s spokesperson Sally Loane said, “Reports that Coca-Cola Amatil is planning legal action... ...Read more »

In a world-first Australian experiment, Coca-Cola is replacing the “Coke” branding with one of 150 of Australia’s most popular personal first names for its next summer marketing campaign. The company has allocated 268 million bottles and cans for personalisation. The campaign will include the use of Youtube and Facebook, encouraging people to promote the personalised bottles and broadcast their own names via SMS for display on a major advertising sign in Sydney’s King’s... ...Read more »

At a meeting held in Canberra today, federal environment ministers failed to reach agreement on a national recycling deposit scheme for packaged beverage containers. Under the proposed scheme, a 10-cent fee would be levied and refunded when containers are recycled. A similar scheme was introduced to South Australia in 1977 and is still in place today, allowing South Australians to collect a deposit for each beverage container they return to a recycling depot. The Northern Territory is also planning... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) may be preparing to bury the SPC Ardmona brand, reports the Weekly Times Now today. CCA’s board is due to meet on August 8 2011 to discuss the future of the brand. CCA’s managing director, Terry Davis, was quoted in the Weekly Times Now as saying that the review will determine the “right size of the food business”. The review might result in large job cuts at the SPC Ardmona plant in Mooroopna, which produces canned tomatoes, bulk-packed tomato pastes and crushed tomato... ...Read more »