Dr Pepper puts sourcing at heart of its new plan

The US soft drinks group Dr Pepper Snapple has included an ethical sourcing strategy in a new five-year CSR plan throughout its operations.

The company, which owns the Dr Pepper, 7UP and Canada Dry brands, will conduct annual third-party risk assessments of all suppliers and audit any high-risk firms to ensure full compliance with its ethical sourcing code of conduct.

Dr Pepper Snapple has also produced its first CSR report, which includes a corporate responsibility strategy for the next five years, including goals for 2015 in North America and the Caribbean. The targets include a ten per cent fuel reduction in manufacturing, the conservation of 60 million pounds of plastic through recycling and new packaging, and a 20 per cent increase in product shipments per gallon of fuel.

It will also, by 2015, aim to reduce its lost time injury frequency accident rate by 25 per cent, contribute a total of 100,000 employee volunteer hours to community projects, and reach an annual giving level of $10million (£6.6m, €8m) in charitable cash donations.