Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) will invest £66 million ($98 million) in its British operations in 2015, the company announced.
This surpasses the £1 million a week the company spent in 2014 and brings the total investment by the business to nearly £300 million ($444 million) over the last five years.
This year's investment will go towards a range of efficiency and operational upgrades at the company's sites across the country, in areas such as automation and water treatment.
Coca-Cola Enterprises has also formed an industry research partnership with Cranfield University entitled Sustainable Manufacturing for the Future. Over the next six months researchers will investigate the current sustainability landscape across the supply chain, examining issues such as resource security, the circular economy, sustainable technologies and waste management. The study will also take a glimpse into the future, envisaging what a sustainable factory will look like in 2050.
Mark Jolly, Professor of Sustainable Manufacturing at Cranfield University, commented: "This is an exciting opportunity for Cranfield researchers to share their expertise in sustainable manufacturing processes, systems and business models in order to help CCE in their mission to achieve best-in-world manufacturing for the future. We hope that Cranfield's cross-sector vision and experience as well as its extensive network of contacts will be invaluable for CCE in its vision for lower energy, reduced materials usage and lowest CO2 footprint in its manufacturing plants."
Coca-Cola Enterprises bottles Coca-Cola products in Great Britain, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
