Coca-Cola officially kicked off its new green plant construction in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province on June 26. Located in the South Harbin Industrial City, the new plant represents a $100 million investment and is part of the three-year, $4 billion investment plan that underscores Coca-Cola's confidence in and commitment to China.

Qu Lei,  deputy mayor of Harbin, Martin Jansen, regional director for China & Southeast Asia of Coca-Cola Bottling Investments Group, Glen Walter, CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Investments Group China (BIG China), and Guo Mu, general manager of Coca-Cola (Heilongjiang) Beverage Co., Ltd attended the groundbreaking ceremony. 

Coca-Cola established its first plant in Heilongjiang in the Harbin Economic-Technological Development Zone in 1994. The new plant is part of the redevelopment plans and will be located in the New South Harbin Industrial City. With strong business growth in the northeast region, there is a need to increase capacity to fulfill the fast increasing local consumer needs.

The 200,000-square meter new plant is designed to accommodate nine production lines for both sparkling and still beverages, including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid and Ice Dew. Upon completion, the total investment is expected to deliver an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons of beverages. The first phase of the new plant will be operational in 2016. At that time, the existing Heilongjiang plant will be relocated to the new site together with its operation and management team.

Following the concept of green plant, green operation and green office, the new Coca-Cola Heilongjiang plant adopts green building standards in various aspects from site selection, building environment, water-saving, energy-saving, air protection, material and resource utilization, indoor environment quality and design innovation. The plant will strictly enforce the international certification system requirement for the Silver Certification of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED*). 

Deputy Mayor Qu Lei congratulated Coca-Cola on the groundbreaking of the new plant: "Coca-Cola has been one of the very first international companies in Heilongjiang, and contributed a lot to local economic development.  We strongly believe its new plant will bring positive influence to Heilongjiang and the New South Harbin Industrial City, with its leading role in the industry. The green plant philosophy of Coca-Cola will also set an example for the green economy development."

"Thanks to the tremendous support from the provincial, municipal and district governments, our Heilongjiang plant has become an integral part of our business in China, having played an economic and social role for more than 20 years since its establishment in 1994," said Glen Walter, CEO of Coca-Cola BIG China.  "With the state-of-the-art technologies, this new plant is a testimony of the Coca-Cola green philosophy and will become a modern and environment-friendly model for Coca-Cola in Asia."

Martin Jansen, Regional Director for China and Southeast Asia of Coca-Cola Bottling Investments Group, said, "China is an important growth market and growth engine for the Coca-Cola system, and is currently the third largest market globally. This project reiterates our long-term commitment and confidence in the Heilongjiang province."

Coca-Cola (Heilongjiang) Beverage Co., Ltd has achieved long-term development in the past 20 years with its establishment in the Harbin Economic-Technological Development Zone. Providing quality and safe products to consumers, the Coca-Cola Heilongjiang plant has always been committed to operating in a sustainable way, promoting energy-efficiency, low-carbon and green operations, and has played an active role in supporting and driving various social and charity causes.  "We have invested significantly in water-saving and energy-saving projects," said Guo Mu, general manager of Coca-Cola (Heilongjiang) Beverage Co., Ltd.  "We value the community and have built three Project Hope Schools to help children from underprivileged families to continue with their education, and improve their living and learning conditions." Along with the redevelopment plans, Coca-Cola will continue to strengthen its brands, invest in infrastructure and drive community initiatives, according to Guo.


* Note: LEEDTM, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. There are four levels of certification: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Certified.

About Coca-Cola in Heilongjiang

Coca-Cola (Heilongjiang) Beverage Co., Ltd is currently located in the Harbin Economic-Technological Development Zone. Started in 1993 and in full operation by 1994, it is one of the earliest plants of Coca-Cola China and also is one of the first international companies to operate in Heilongjiang. The plant currently has 3 bottling lines, producing multiple brands including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and Ice Dew, with an annual production of up to 190 thousand tons. Being part of the local communities, the plant has been committed to environmental protection and its social responsibilities. The plant has donated three Project Hope Schools in Heilongjiang, and has been active in health and environmental education activities, and water resource stewardship.

About the New South Harbin Industrial City

Harbin's "Southward Expansion" strategy is implemented from the New South Harbin Industrial City. The New South Harbin Industrial City will start from the Fifth Ring Road in the south to the Fourth Ring Road in the north, and the Xinhua Industrial Park in the east to the South Ha-Shuang Line in the west, with a total area of 462 square kilometers. It consists of the entire Harbin Economic-Technological Development Zone and the Pingfang district as well as some areas of the Nangang district, Xiangfang district, A'cheng district, Shuangcheng and Wuchang. From an international, functional and high-end perspective, the New City is designed to be "a key industrial city, a recognized innovative center, a new cultural city, the key link for Beijing and Russia, a forest land, and a pleasant community".  Generally, serving as "accelerating economic growth, leading pioneer, a regional engine, and a successful model" functioning, and featuring "the Manchu custom, 731 Relics, industrial civilization, animation/film/television development, and modern entertainment" culture. In 2013, the total output value of the New City's core area exceeded 100 billion yuan ($16 billion), its total industrial output value exceeded 200 billion yuan, and its amount of foreign investments utilized exceeded $1 billion, more than half of the city's total and one-quarter of the province's total. During the year, the New City relaunched 115 industrial projects and implemented 40 provincial key industrial projects -- both the number of projects relaunched and the amount of investment were among the highest in the entire city.

About Coca-Cola China

Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known international brands in China, with a leading position in the soft drinks market. By the end of 2014, Coca-Cola will have invested $9 billion in China since its return to the country in 1979.  With a total of 43 plants, the Coca-Cola system today employs about 45,000 people in China, 99 percent of whom are local hires. At the same time, Coca-Cola and its bottlers have been actively supporting educational and philanthropic causes, promoting environmental protection, and contributing to the development of local communities in China, with a total contribution of over 270 million yuan.  Coca-Cola is also the only company that has sponsored the Special Olympics, Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, EXPO and Universiade in China. For more information about the company, please visit its website at coca-cola.com.cn or follow its corporate microblog at weibo.com/cokechina.

About Coca-Cola Bottling Investments Group China

Coca-Cola Bottling Investments Group China (BIG China) was established in August 2006, and its headquarters is in Shanghai. BIG China is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of The Coca-Cola Company, and is attached to Coca-Coca Bottling Investments Group based in Atlanta, Georgia, US. BIG China, one of the four Coca-Cola bottling partners in China, is responsible for production, packaging and sales of beverages of The Coca-Cola Company in 10 provinces, and also constructs intensive connections with distributors in different levels and final consumers in the territory. BIG China directly manages 13 operation units located in Shanghai, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shanxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan and Guangxi. As of the end of 2013, BIG China had more than 17,000 employees, and operation units cover more than 10 provinces with 420 million people, which is almost one third of the Chinese population.