General Soft Drinks wins award

Coke bottler General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd has been presented with the Management Award for Sustainable Development at the fifth Environment Award for Industry ceremony.

Malta Environment and Planning Authority environment director Martin Seychell presented the award to GSD managing director Brian Mizzi and operations manager Peter Kristensen.

The awards recognise the important role of a management systems approach in delivering continuous improvement in environmental performance.

They also highlight the growing need for businesses to be accountable to a wide range of stakeholders, and to manage their broader social responsibilities accordingly.

GSD successfully demonstrated that environmental and social issues are integrated into business management systematically. This award also enables the company to compete in the 2010 European Environmental Award Programme.

The Environment Award for Industry is organised and administered by The Cleaner Technology Centre every two years.

GSD is certified ISO 14001 (Environment Management System Certification), ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems certification), and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management system Certification).

The plant's energy usage is monitored through a building management system which controls the air conditioning, ventilation and lighting to reduce environmental impact. Rain water is collected in underground reservoirs for specific reuse. The company also exports several materials for reuse, including perform cardboard boxes and wooden pallets.