The keynote speech at British Water’s International Reception, which takes place in London on 24 February 2025, will be delivered by Dr Francesca O’Hanlon, senior water manager and leader of the water security strategy for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) – the largest bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company.
CCEP makes, moves, and sells some of the world’s biggest soft drinks brands, serving 600 million consumers across 31 countries. In a Q&A, Dr O’Hanlon shares her views and experience on water and sustainability and what themes she will discuss during her keynote speech.
Where did your interest in water start and what bought you to lead the water security strategy for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners?
I studied civil and environmental engineering at university and spent my early career working on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects in sub-Saharan Africa. As I progressed as an engineer, it became clear that water security is essential for global prosperity, yet so few people think about it day-to-day. I have always wanted to improve the public understanding of how essential water is to people and the planet.
I joined CCEP two years ago because it has incorporated water security strategies very sincerely into its business model. As an example, The Cola-Cola system pioneered work on returning water to nature through what we call ‘replenish projects’. In 2023, CCEP supported 27 water replenishment projects across Europe and nine in Australia, the Pacific and Indonesia, replenishing 18.3 million m3 of water.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is a global company, how can companies of this size meaningfully incorporate water stewardship and sustainability practices into business models without being accused of green or blue washing?
At CCEP, we ensure our water stewardship strategy is meaningful and measurable. This means we work continually to assess which interventions will have a genuine impact on overall watershed health.
Within our factory walls, we continually strive to improve water efficiency. Our current water use ratio of 1.6 litres of water per every litre of product is better than the industry standard. We also aim to safely return 100% of wastewater to nature by pre-treating onsite and sending it to municipal wastewater treatment plants – discharging 9.1 million m3 of wastewater in 2023 alone.
However, we know that onsite water efficiency needs to be complimented with a water stewardship strategy that reaches beyond our factory walls, which is why we continue to invest in our replenishment portfolio. We believe that there is huge opportunity for nature-based solutions to provide flood and drought resilience to both our sites and the entire catchments in which they sit.
Through our replenish programme we work collaboratively with NGOs and the public sector to ensure millions of cubic metres of water are returned to nature and communities each year. Our replenish projects have a common purpose of conserving and enhancing freshwater environments to improve water quality, reduce flood risk, store carbon, enhance habitat and biodiversity, and promote the health and well-being of local communities.
We measure the volume of water replenished through our projects using a universally agreed methodology called Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA), which ensures the accuracy of the volumes of water we report. We believe this process enables us to have a meaningful and measurable positive impact on the watershed.
Are there any Replenish programme projects you would particularly like to highlight?
In the majority of countries where CCEP operates, sells, or sources ingredients, we establish long-term partnerships with local organisations who suggest projects through which CCEP can have a positive impact on the environment or people. Either independently or co-funded with The Coca-Cola Company and The Coca-Cola Foundation, we support ambitious projects that aim to improve the state of nature.
Here in GB, one of the partnerships I am most proud of is with the Rivers Trust. They are an incredible organisation, with a bold and important mission. In 2022, we celebrated our ten-year partnership anniversary, and both organisations are now looking towards the future as they continue the commitment to improve the health of rivers and freshwater environments.
For example, a new project we are working on in collaboration with the Calder & Colne Rivers Trust in the catchment of CCEP’s Wakefield production facility in West Yorkshire, England, aims to replenish 100% of the facility’s water use by 2035. This is through improving water quality and freshwater retention, creating wetland habitat flora and fauna, and working with landowners to benefit both water replenishment and biodiversity.
Can you give us a sneak peek into the themes of your keynote speech at the British Water International Reception on 24 February?
The Reception is a unique opportunity to interact with a wide range of experts from the water sector. I want to take this opportunity to explore collaboration between the public and private sector, particularly on raising awareness of the importance of water stewardship and on investment into nature-based solutions.
I will be spotlighting some of CCEP’s work and hoping to highlight some of our achievements in water stewardship. I would like to highlight how important good water practices are now and, will continue to be in the future, especially as we face the impacts of climate change which are predominantly being felt through water.
What are you looking forward to most at the International Reception?
I am passionate about water, so I am excited to be in a room full of other water enthusiasts. In my day-to-day life, I don’t get much opportunity to talk with others who are passionate about water like I am, so I am looking forward to ‘geeking out’ with others and getting into conversations about how we achieve long-term water security. It is such an honour to have been invited to be the keynote speaker.
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Running since 2013, the British Water International Reception helps grow UK exports, raise the international profile of the UK water industry supplier community, and encourage the sharing of best practice, while providing an opportunity for businesses to gain further visibility as key players in the industry.
The event is held in collaboration with the World Water Tech Innovation Summit as supporting partner, and RSE as platinum sponsors. It is attended by international operators, consultants, contractors, technology suppliers, research institutions, government departments, and funding agencies. Delegates can register online.
