Coca-Cola opens new LEED-certified facility in Yunnan

The Coca-Cola Company and Swire Group jointly celebrated the opening of a new plant in Yunnan on Friday.

The facility, which is the largest Coca-Cola production plant south of the Yangtze River in China, is a world-class operation that received a gold certification of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the rating system used by the US Green Building Council to measure a building's sustainability and resource-efficiency. The investment is another example of the Coca-Cola system's commitment to investing and growing in China.

"Yunnan is promoting three provincial propositions: green energy, green food, and healthy living environment," said Wang Qingmei, deputy director of the Provincial Bureau of Investment Promotion and Cooperation. "This new plant coincides with our 'green food' proposition and contributes to the industry development in Yunnan."

James Quincey, president and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, said "Coca-Cola has been part of the tremendous changes in China since the opening of the market in 1979."

"We started our business in China with a single brand, and we've gone on to build a portfolio of more than 20 brands in the market today. The new Yunnan plant marks a milestone in celebrating the upcoming 40th anniversary of Coca-Cola's return to China. Together with our bottling partners, we offer a growing portfolio to Chinese consumers, in addition to playing an important role in the communities where we operate," Quincey said.

To meet the needs of the fast-growing market, Swire Coca-Cola Beverages Yunnan Ltd decided to build a much larger production facility to replace the previous one.

"Swire has significantly increased investment in our global Coca-Cola bottling business in recent years, and this new bottling plant is a good example of that. The increased capacity will help us satisfy millions of consumers and continue to drive sustainable growth throughout Yunnan," said Merlin Swire, CEO of John Swire & Sons Ltd.