Coca-Cola, the global soft drinks giant, has announced plans to invest up to €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in France over the next five years in support of “sustainable development” and a broadening of its product portfolio.
The firm said that, together with Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), its primary French bottling partner, it planned to make a significant investment into innovation and the introduction of new products, as well as the expansion of bottling capacity and the modernization of CCEP’s manufacturing plants.
Plans in the pipeline for Coca-Cola’s manufacturing network include an aseptic bottling line for the CCEP plant in Socx (Dunkerque) to meet the increasing consumer demand for Fuze Tea ready-to-drink teas, as well as for Tropico, the juice drink company acquired by Coca-Cola in September 2018.
€500 million ($550 million) has been earmarked to support the development of Coca-Cola’s current brands and introduce new products in the French market. The firm said its intent was to “strengthen its existing positions and accelerate its entry into new categories”.
On the sustainability side, Coca-Cola said it planned to invest across all its five plants in France to increase the quantity of recycled material used in its bottles and cans, and to swap plastic for cardboard in its secondary packaging.
Source: Coca-Cola