Aug 14, 2008

Mktg - Coca-cola's environmental champions film doc premieres in Beijing

MUMBAI: The personal stories and achievements of seven environmental champion torchbearers selected by Coca-Cola for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay are the subject of a new documentary film which premieres today in Beijing.

The movie makes its debut inside the Coca-Cola Shuang Experience Center within the Olympic Green complex of sports and media venues.


The worldwide presentation by Coca-Cola of this year’s Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay focused primarily on environmental sustainability and the roles people can play in improving the quality of life in their communities.

To help underscore the message of environmental stewardship – and recognise those who are dedicated to pursuing positive change – Coca-Cola selected local environmental champions to join the ranks of all the torchbearers the Company chose around the world to carry the Olympic Flame.

Individual vignettes profiling seven of the Coca-Cola environmental champions were shot and edited by student filmmakers from the torchbearers’ respective parts of the world.


The environmental champions' documentary film project is among several environmental programmes by Coca-Cola for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In one area, all the coolers and vending machines provided by Coca-Cola for Olympic Games venues – more than 5,600 climate-friendly, "eKOfresh" units – feature a natural refrigerant that is free of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), as well as proprietary technology that improves energy efficiency by up to 35 per cent.

This commitment alone the beverage conglomerate states will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 4,000 metric tons – the equivalent of taking more than 19,000 cars off the road for two weeks.


Other environmental initiatives by Coca-Cola for the Olympic Games include the presentation to all 2008 Olympians of Coca-Cola T-shirts made from a blend of cotton and recycled PET plastic bottles, to demonstrate the high value of PET bottles and how they can be turned into desirable products.

All 2008 paralympians are being provided unique Coca-Cola visors also produced using recycled Pet. In addition, all bottles collected from the Olympic venues will be recycled. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is supporting Beijing’s efforts to improve the city’s air quality by operating a "clean fleet" of electric- or human-powered delivery vehicles for Olympic venues.

Coca-Cola president and CEO Muhtar Kent says, "The Olympic Games provide a great platform to demonstrate the Coca-Cola system’s commitment to sustainability and help raise global awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship.

"These seven ambassadors of sustainability are distinguished representatives of all the environmental champions selected by Coca-Cola to be part of the Olympic Torch Relay. Their environmental accomplishments weave together to tell a powerful, inspiring story of how individuals can make a difference"

Coca-Cola tapped into its worldwide system to identify local student filmmakers who could creatively capture the personal stories and environmental work of the seven torchbearers. Their vignettes were edited into the final documentary by film students from Georgia State University (GSU), in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

The 2008 voyage of the Olympic Flame marked the sixth time that Coca-Cola has served as a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay and the eighth time since 1992 that the Company has been formally involved with the event.

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