Coca-Cola opens new LEED-certified facility in Yunnan

The design and construction of the new Yunnan plant followed LEED standards.

Photovoltaic power generators are located on the roof of the main building. The power generated will be integrated into the State Grid at an estimated annual capacity of 5 million kWh. To reduce summer heat and save energy, the plant uses natural lighting, intelligent lighting systems, two-way heat-protective glass and highly reflective materials that cover 75 percent of the roof.

The plant includes a 600-cubic-meter rainwater collection facility for irrigation and street cleaning, which helps conserve water. The water treatment system can handle 3,120 cubic meters of water each day to meet national discharge standards. Some treated water is reused for irrigation and restrooms in the plant.

Yunnan Swire Coca-Cola Beverages Co Ltd is dedicated to adopting "green" concepts in local communities.

Together with the China Women's Development Foundation, the Ministry of Commerce's Economic and Technical Exchange Center and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Coca-Cola will launch a regional, sustainable development program in Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture. The program will cover water replenishment, natural resource protection and women's empowerment to build a more sustainable, ecological economy on top of green farming and tourism initiatives.

The Yunnan location has been involved in local community development since 1995. Eleven Project Hope Schools were built, and 10,000 women have been empowered by retail and internet skill training in the province. Meanwhile, 144 clean water facilities were installed in 128 rural schools, providing more than 37,000 students and teachers with clean drinking water. Nine million bottles of water were sent to 24 disaster impacted areas, and 3,000 college volunteers were trained for handling emergency situations.