sustainability x fritz-kola
a heart of glass
“we founded fritz-kola to make a better kola.” in doing so, they challenged the status quo in the beverage world in 2003, because at that time they were hardly any high-quality alternatives to the large corporations. this basic idea still drives them. they question, just like us and search for new approaches while going their own way. Together we are thinking of much more than just beverages: environmental crises, discrimination and social injustice are just some of the major challenges of the next years. therefore we want to wake people up to what needs to be done and bring about positive change. in the beverage industry and in society, with our consumers
and with ourselves, also At Lovibond Drinks. With their first sustainability report they explain the process, show where they stand and where the journey can lead us. because “the world belongs to the awake.”
The beverage industry is considered one of the biggest plastic polluters of them all. No wonder with so many commas: Over 480,000,000,000 plastic bottles are produced annually. Not a single one came from fritz-kola in 2019. Since the foundation of fritz-kola, their bottles have stood for reusable glass. Because we always want to be the most sustainable bottle on the shelf.
“heart of glass” is one of the punchlines you’ll notice poping up in the coming years
The environmental advantages of glass bottles are obvious. In addition, fritz-kola is constantly improving the environmental footprint of their bottles.Plastic bottles may not disappear from the sea, but they do like to disappear once they are out of sight and mind. That’s why, next to fritz-kola ‘s and fritz-limo ’s, they are always delivering new arguments for glass. Since late 2018 fritz-kola has been offering their ideal: the ideal 0.2 l refillable glass bottle designed for many rotations in the returnable cycle. They securely transport them in crates made of recycled material. Because individuality always brings an extra sorting effort, it is exclusively for gastronomy. There it is well sorted, and the return flow is ensured
fritz-kola as a beverage manufacturer also has an impact on the environment because they use resources such as energy and water and emit emissions. Fitz-kola does not want to talk this down, but rather find solutions to keep their footprint small. To do this, they work together with suppliers and bottlers who are as regional as possible. Regional production is indispensable for an environmentally friendly returnable glass system. That’s why fritz-kola likes to be at the center of attention. In 2019 they expanded their regional production network with Wüllner in Gänsefurth in Saxony-Anhalt, our fifth bottler in Germany. As a result, fritz-kola bottles cover even shorter distances and save transport emissions.
Speaking of emissions: In 2019 fritz-kola calculated the greenhouse gas emissions in CO2 equivalents (CO2-eq) for the first time. With this “footprint” they are following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and starting with themselves: Their direct emissions (Scope 1) come primarily from their vehicle fleet (including rental cars). Energy (Scope 2) fritz-kola buy’s themselves only for their office in Hamburg. As indirect emissions (Scope 3) they have included the energy consumption of their bottlers which are now also available in Belgium, imported by Lovibond Drinks. They also have less influence on which truck the retailer uses to transport our drinks or which tractor an apple farmer uses. Scope 3 emissions are also generated there, and fritz-kola want’s to take care of that too by 2021.
How can fritz-kola reduce theconsumption of diesel and gasoline and still be just around the corner? With this question in mind, fritz-kola ‘s mobility concept has been turning their vehicle fleet upside down since 2018. The city is their territory, which is why fritz-kola doesn’t need heavy SUVs, but make it easy for the environment with compact and mini cars. To make it even easier, 17 of them have completed an ecological driving training course in 2019. A similar training course was attended by ten of them in 2018. Even better: They have already acquired five electric cars and hybrids. Much better: 91 fritzees don’t take a car and prefer to travel by train, bus or bike to your place or to the office at fritz-kola’s expense. Also between the cities they prefer to travel by train and only take the plane in approved exceptions.
With fritz-kola’s social initiative “Pfand gehört daneben” (Bottle deposits belong beside the bin) they call for solidarity with deposit collectors to save them from the unhygienic and inhumane reach into the garbage can in search of a few cents. Every year, according to the Nature Conservation Association of Germany, 180,000,000 € worth of deposits in Germany land exactly there. In addition, fritz-kola tries to improve the living conditions of deposit collectors and impoverished people with creative actions and campaigns.
In their #nursoamrande campaign, a homeless person took over their social media channel in February 2019 and brought some people out of the colourful feel-good bubble of Instagram and into their harsh reality. Result: with almost five and a half million contacts, fritz-kola was able to open some closed eyes to the everyday situation of homeless people. This might just be a small piece of Belgium’s future, don’t you think?
Money for art and culture is scarce – as far as the public sector is concerned. The love for art and culture is great – as far as fritz-kola is concerned. They therefore consciously supports bright artists, cultural curators and organisations who dedicate themselves to their projects with as much passion as fritz-kola does. With their music programme « fritz-tunes » (fritz-töne) they supported a total of 25 selected musicians & partners in 2019, so that they can develop freely without having to take sales figures and popular tastes into account.
But where would fritz-kola be if there were no places where creativity could unfold? This is why we are actively involved in the public representation of the art and culture scene. To this end, they support art and cultural institutions such as galleries, cinemas, clubs, museums and art associations, so that they remain a point of contact for the curious.
inner worth is what counts
A drink is only as good as its ingredients. And the people who make them. That’s why fritz-kola prefer to work with family-run and owner-managed, just like us, Lovibond Drinks … companies that share our values. They want to work in partnership with all producers in their supply chain – from raw materials to bottling. In 2019, fritz-kola defined exactly what partnership cooperation looks like in their Code of Conduct for business partners. The code is an integral part of the purchasing and distribution contracts and applies to the whole supply chain from the cultivation of the raw materials, through further processing and bottling to distribution in Belgium and other countries. It sets out minimum social and environmental requirements. They didn’t just come up with them, they are based on international standards such as the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the labour and social standards of the International Labour Organization. Complaints or information about infringements against this code can be reported to us at fritz-kola any time, even anonymously.
The work continues. What we can say with absolute certainty so far: The juice for the organic apple spritzer came only from Germany as early as 2019, in the course of 2020 fritz-kola wants to achieve the same for the organic rhubarb spritzer. All products are vegan, including label glue and sealant, and are made with natural mineral water. With the green kola, which has been called “organic” since 2019, fritz-kola has already expanded their range in 2018 to include a green and fair product, Lovibond Drinks has been dist
ributing them since the start. In addition, from 2020 onwards, fritz-kola will be asking new raw material suppliers for relevant information – including on their sustainability management – before they cooperate with the fritz standards survey.
sustainability at fritz.
Sustainability has played a central role in their business operations since fritz-kola was founded. What was then reflected in brown returnable glass bottles is now reflected in their corporate goals, values, guidelines and daily work, just like Lovibond Drinks. They don’t want to walk this path alone, therefore they consistently involve their stakeholders. Fritz-kola is in constant contact with their suppliers and mineral springs as well as with distributors and customers from the beverage wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and cash-and-carry markets. they also maintain close contact with fritz-kola consumers through social media and events. In addition to specific events, just like us, fritz-kola supports numerous activists and non-governmental organisations in their work. They are always open for exchange with the media, politicians, scientists, local communities and other companies in the market. This multifaceted dialogue flows continuously into fritz-kola’s assessment of the key issues.
The overview of their sustainability management is led by a small team in the brand management department. Depending on the topic, they work closely with other departments throughout the company and determine the impact of fritz-kola ‘s actions and decisions on strategic projects.
