Sustainability is core to our purpose to Refresh the World, Make a Difference and our growth strategy. This resource provides an overview of our efforts to help create a more sustainable business and a better shared future.
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A sustainable and resilient agricultural supply chain is critical to achieving our interrelated environmental goals around water and climate. We seek to continue initiatives and programs with suppliers and third-party stakeholders to support sustainable sourcing of agricultural ingredients. These actions are intended to reduce water use and emissions to help prevent deforestation and conserve high-risk areas in the supply chain. We work with our suppliers to promote practices and build capabilities covered in our Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA), which span human and workplace rights, environmental protection, responsible farm management and animal health and welfare.
A comprehensive bottler and supplier governance system was also introduced that aims to encourage continuous improvement toward credible global assurance schemes and standards across our agriculture supply chain.
Additional Resources
- 2023 CDP Forests Response
- Principles for Sustainable Agriculture
- Principles for Sustainable Agriculture Supplier Guide
- Supplier Guiding Principles
- Responsible Land Acquisition Guidance
- Costa Coffee Responsible Sourcing
- Innocent Sustainable Business
- Animal Health and Welfare Guiding Principles
- Fairlife Animal Welfare
- 2023 Environmental Update
Our entry into alcoholic beverages outside the U.S. brings new responsibilities1. To help ensure accountability, we’ve developed our Global Policy on Alcohol Responsibility. These policies outline our commitment to grow our alcohol brands in a responsible way; prohibit marketing to people under the legal purchase age; and support responsible consumption.
There are four components to the policy:
- Responsibly marketing our alcohol brands.
- Supporting local partnerships and communications programs to help reduce and prevent the harmful use of alcohol.
- Providing information to enable people to make informed choices.
- Enabling our employees and partners to be ambassadors for responsible consumption.
We support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all and will take action to help ensure our alcoholic beverages are consumed responsibly.
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[1] The Coca‑Cola Company is not licensed to trade in alcohol in the U.S. The Company has instead authorized third parties to use its brands for their use in manufacturing, selling and marketing alcohol products and those third parties maintain their own alcohol responsibility policies.
We value the humane treatment of animals and prioritize continuous improvement in animal health and welfare. The Coca‑Cola Company does not conduct animal tests on its beverages or ingredients, except when explicitly required by governmental agencies to demonstrate safety. In these instances, we rely on third-party experts or external organizations to conduct these tests using protocols and test methods determined by government agencies. We encourage our ingredient and packaging suppliers and external research organizations to use animal alternatives, if such tests are available and acceptable to government agencies to demonstrate safety.
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The Coca‑Cola Company values the humane treatment of animals and we prioritize continuous improvement in animal health and welfare. We aim to ensure that 100% of the ingredients we source meet our Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA), which were updated and expanded recently to include responsible animal health and welfare conditions. Our Animal Health and Welfare Guiding Principles are guided by the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. We require all suppliers to implement practices and pursue continuous improvement for:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst: by ready access to fresh quality water and a diet that maintains full health and vigor.
- Freedom from discomfort: by an appropriate environment, including shelter and comfortable resting areas.
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease: by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
- Freedom to express normal behavior: by providing enough space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
- Freedom from fear and distress: by ensuring conditions and care that avoid mental suffering.
Our suppliers are required to implement and relay a zero-tolerance policy for willful acts of animal abuse and neglect, which must include a definition of what constitutes abuse and neglect, and potential consequences should abuse or neglect occur. In addition to eradicating willful acts of abuse and neglect, we expect our suppliers to adopt a proactive approach to demonstrate and assure sustainable farming practices and animal health and welfare by identifying and adopting relevant third-party standards to assure best practices.
As we continue our journey, we will continue to seek feedback from global experts on animal health and welfare to align with science-based practices. We will engage and work to adopt a comprehensive, systemic vision for animal health and welfare.
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In 1934, we became one of the first major U.S. companies to appoint a woman to its Board of Directors.
Since then, we have worked to ensure our Directors represent the interests of our shareowners and bring to their roles a diversity of experience, background and thought to best govern our company. The Board strives to maintain an appropriate balance of tenure, turnover, diversity and skills across its Directors as a whole.
The Board does not have a specific diversity policy but fully appreciates the value of Board diversity. Diversity is important because having a variety of viewpoints improves the quality of dialogue, contributes to a more effective decision-making process and enhances overall culture in the boardroom.
In evaluating candidates for Board membership, the Board and the Committee on Directors and Corporate Governance consider many factors based on the specific needs of the business and what is in the best interests of the company’s shareowners. This includes diversity of professional experience, race, ethnicity, gender, age and cultural background. In addition, the Board and the Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee focus on how the experiences and skill sets of each Director nominee complement those of fellow Director nominees to create a balanced Board with diverse viewpoints and deep expertise.
Our Board today is diverse across age, race and gender, and has a strong reservoir of experience. As of December 2024, six female Directors comprise 54% of the current Board, and 27% of Directors self-identify as ethnically/racially diverse.
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The current Board leadership structure comprises of a combined Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and a Lead Independent Director, supported by Board committees led primarily by independent Directors and active engagement by all Directors. The Board believes that this structure effectively balances the Chairman/CEO’s strong company leadership and deep company expertise with appropriate safeguards, oversight and fresh perspective provided by independent Directors.
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The Board of Directors of The Coca‑Cola Company is elected annually by shareowners to represent their interests in the long-term financial health and overall success of the business. We believe that Directors with a diversity of experience, background and thought best represent shareowner interests and strengthen the overall governance of our company.
The key responsibilities of the Board are oversight of business strategy, risk oversight and succession planning. As the Company’s ultimate decision-making body, the Board provides advice and counsel to the Chief Executive Officer and other company leadership.
The Board has established several committees to give focused attention to certain important areas, including: an Audit Committee, a Talent and Compensation Committee, a Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee, a Finance Committee and an Executive Committee. The charter for each committee, as well as our Code of Business Conduct, Corporate Governance Guidelines and Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, can be found here.
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Our Human Rights Policy, Supplier Guiding Principles and Principles for Sustainable Agriculture expressly prohibit child labor throughout our value chain. While child labor is not a significant risk in company-owned operations, there are risks deep within our supply chain, including at the farm level or downstream at recovery points for recyclable materials. We work diligently to address such risks through engagement with a wide cross-section of stakeholders.
We are an active member of the Child Labor Platform (CLP). Under the leadership of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the CLP takes a multi-stakeholder approach to identifying obstacles to the implementation of the ILO conventions in supply chains and surrounding communities, finding practical ways to overcome these obstacles, and catalyzing collective action.
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We believe that we have a long-standing responsibility to reduce emissions in our own operations; to manage the short and long-term risks and impacts climate change has on our business; and to partner with businesses, organizations and communities to help drive meaningful actions to create positive change.
We continue to track and report our progress annually as we work to address interconnected environmental challenges. For example, climate resilience is a key aspect of our water strategy; our agriculture practices include a focus on lower carbon emissions; and our packaging initiatives contribute to our emission reduction goal.
As of 2023, we reduced our absolute emissions by 8% against a 2015 baseline. In 2024, we announced our aim to reduce the company’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in line with a 1.5°C trajectory by 2035, from a 2019 baseline.
Our goal aims to focus on reducing emissions in the company’s own operations, including concentrate manufacturing operations and company-owned bottlers. The company’s acquired businesses will be excluded from this goal, including BODYARMOR, CHI, Costa, doğadan, fairlife and innocent. The company expects to prepare these businesses for integration into its 1.5°C trajectory over time.
Achieving this ambition requires additional investments in new technologies and renewable sources, working with franchise bottling partners and suppliers to reduce their direct emissions, which are the company’s Scope 3 emissions.
Our actions on water and packaging can help mitigate the impacts caused by climate change, as well.
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To view additional reports, visit Policies and Practices.
The company plays an active role in the growth of the communities where it operates through several sustainable development initiatives which include water stewardship, community recycling and women’s economic empowerment. In addition, The Coca‑Cola Foundation, our company's primary international philanthropic arm, has supported sustainable community initiatives around the world since its inception in 1984.
Grants funded by the Foundation complement the contributions of our company operating units and bottling partners.
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The Coca‑Cola Company and its Board of Directors are committed to good corporate governance, which promotes the long-term interests of shareowners, strengthens Board and management accountability, and helps build public trust in the company. We continuously engage with our shareowners and others to ensure that we are employing “best practices” at the Board level and for our shareowners.
As opportunities arise, we also update or enact new corporate governance policies or disclosure to enhance transparency and accountability.
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The quality and integrity of our products depend on a healthy supply chain with thriving farming communities. With our vast and global supply chain, it is critical for us to focus our attention and resources on areas of greatest risk and opportunity for influencing change. One area is deforestation which may occur in the supply chain as a result of the production of agricultural raw materials used in the Coca‑Cola system and value chain.
Priority ingredients at risk of causing deforestation, such as soy and timber, are part of our global sustainable sourcing priorities. Safeguards against deforestation are built into our global Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA). We have discontinued products that require palm oil, except for some usage in our Global Ventures, such as food products sold at our Costa Coffee locations in the UK, which are Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified.
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In emerging markets, we advocate for government regulations permitting the use of rPET in food and beverage packaging, and we seek ways to empower the informal waste collection sector.
In developed markets, we are working with industry peers to build collection infrastructures—including our more than 40 years of experience operating 40+ local Deposit Return Systems (DRS).
Countries with a well-designed DRS scheme, like Germany, can achieve high levels of collection (approximately 97% collection for PET bottles in Germany).
The company aims to continue to focus on increased advocacy for well-designed collection systems, as these are often the most efficient ways to improve packaging collection rates.
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As both a global and local business, diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of our values and play an important part in our company’s success. We leverage the remarkable diversity of people across the world to achieve our purpose of refreshing the world and making a difference.
To that end, our long-term ambitions are:
- To develop a workforce that reflects the markets we serve.
- To enable an inclusive culture where our employees thrive.
- To advance equity and access within our business, communities and the marketplace.
We are also committed to disclosing our progress and driving accountability. We report data on employee representation by race and gender for our total workforce and leadership, information submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (our EEO-1 survey results), pay fairness statistics, and other information.
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The Company and the Foundation have a long history of supporting local communities in times of crisis. The Foundation provides funding for natural disaster and humanitarian relief efforts in countries around the world, complementing financial and in-kind donations from The Coca‑Cola Company and bottling partners. In addition to supporting local communities, the Coca‑Cola system’s top priority following a natural disaster is to ensure the safety of all associates andtheir families. The Coca‑Cola Employee Disaster Relief Fund (EDRF) provides grants to company and bottling partner employees impacted by naturaldisasters and humanitarian crises. The EDRF consists of contributions from The Coca‑Cola Company, The Coca‑Cola Foundation, bottling partners and system associates.
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We believe that a safe and healthy workplace is a fundamental right of every person and a business imperative. Every day, the people who produce and distribute our beverages should leave work as healthy and safe as when they arrived. In recent years, we have made progress toward our goal of zero work-related injuries and illnesses for employees and contractors, driven by our vision of Zero Is Possible.
We provide more than 700,000 employees within the Coca‑Cola system with tools, training, and resources to ensure their safety. Our Coca‑Cola Operating Requirements (KORE) define the policies and standards for managing safety, the environment and product quality throughout our operations.
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Integrity is ingrained in our culture, inspires our work and strengthens our reputation. At The Coca‑Cola Company, we have a robust Code of Business Conduct (“Code”) that serves to guide the actions of our employees consistent with our company values. It enables our people to conduct themselves honestly and ethically; uphold our values and protect our reputation; understand what Coca‑Cola expects from them; make good decisions everyday; comply with the laws, regulations and standards that apply to our company; and understand where to go for assistance or guidance if they have questions.
The Code is also a steering principle for our employees to act responsibly, live by our values and play by the rules wherever we operate around the world.
The Code also applies to controlled subsidiaries and entities in which the company either owns a majority interest or manages operations. All employees must acknowledge that they are subject to the Code’s provisions. Employees also receive periodic training on the Code and must complete an annual Code certification. Anyone who works on the company’s behalf (including suppliers, consultants and other business partners) must share our commitment to integrity by following the principles of our Code when providing goods and services to the company or acting on our behalf. Suppliers, as a condition of working with us, must comply with our Supplier Code of Business Conduct and our Supplier Guiding Principles.
The company has an Ethics & Compliance Committee that is responsible for administering the Code in an independent, objective and consistent manner. The Committee is comprised of senior company leaders who enforce the Code and is overseen by our Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Employees and third parties have confidential access to report Code of Business Conduct violations and other ethics and compliance concerns anonymously through the EthicsLine, a third-party phone and online service. Code violations may lead to disciplinary action aligned with the nature and circumstances of the violation, up to and including suspension without pay, loss of merit increases or annual incentives, and termination of employment. If an act violates the law, it could result in fines or criminal prosecution of the individual and/or company.
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We offer beverages in a variety of packaging formats – glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans and refillable packaging. Each option can play a role in helping reduce packaging waste and emissions.
In 2024, we announced our goal to help ensure the collection of 70% to 75% of the equivalent number of bottles and cans introduced into the market annually.
We believe that locally appropriate collection and recycling solutions can effectively turn old packages into new ones, reduce our carbon footprint and keep plastic out of the environment.
We work with policymakers and industry partners to advocate for effective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems that provide an efficient, financially sustainable collection program for all recyclable materials to ensure we can collect more bottles and cans for recycling and reuse. EPR is commonly defined as shifting the responsibility of end-of-life management of products and materials to their respective producers. These systems aim to reduce the burden of municipalities; place a shared physical and/or financial responsibility for waste management on producers; and provide incentives for manufacturers to design resource-efficient and low-impact products.
We believe that well-designed EPR systems can play a key role in keeping packaging material out of the environment and in the circular economy. Good EPR schemes can motivate businesses and help us achieve our targets. This is why we joined more than 20 brands and retailers on The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Plastic Waste Coalition of Action to align with principles for effective EPR systems. This CEO-led effort has published a framework for EPR programs to support the development and improvement of waste management systems around the world and is now working to advance more progressive policies in key priority countries.
Leading fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, including Coca‑Cola, have committed to establish an EPR model to boost the value chain through a multistakeholder approach.
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The Coca‑Cola Company’s Human Rights Policy, Supplier Guiding Principles and Principles for Sustainable Agriculture prohibit the use of all forms of forced labor, including prison labor, indentured labor, bonded labor, military labor, slave labor and any form of human trafficking.
This prohibition on forced labor is embedded into contractual agreements between the company and direct and authorized suppliers. The company expects supplier partners to develop and implement appropriate internal business processes to help ensure compliance with these principles, and we monitor implementation through independent third-party audits of company office locations, franchise bottlers, and suppliers.
In addition to the third-party audits completed at company and supplier sites, The Coca‑Cola Company is an active member of various industry and cross-sector initiatives aimed at eradicating human trafficking and forced labor. We are a founding member of the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, which advocates for the “Employer Pays Principle” and our Vice President for Global Human Rights co-chairs the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) workstream focused on addressing forced labor.
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The Coca‑Cola Foundation, our company’s global philanthropic arm, is committed to making a difference by giving back to communities around the world. Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.6 billion in grants, as of 2023, to support sustainable community initiatives. The Foundation's giving is focused on impacting six core areas: Sustainable Access to Safe Water; Circular Economy; Climate Resilience and Disaster Preparedness and Response; Economic Empowerment; Hometown; and Employee Giving.
In 2023, The Coca‑Cola Foundation and The Coca‑Cola Company donated $158.1 million to 219 organizations around the world to help create a better shared future for the communities our business serves.
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Freedom of Association is one of 13 salient human rights issues associated with our business activities and relationships.
We respect our employees’ right to join, form or not to join a labor union without fear of reprisal, intimidation, or harassment. Where employees are represented by a legally recognized union, we are committed to establishing constructive dialogue with their freely chosen representatives in addition to bargaining in good faith with such representatives.
Similarly, our Supplier Guiding Principles (SGPs) request suppliers and business partners to respect Freedom of Association and the right to bargain collectively and audits are conducted with our suppliers and bottlers against these principles. Additionally, we have developed extensive guidance on Freedom of Association and the right to bargain collectively to support our Operating Units in fully respecting these important human rights.
Freedom of Association and the right to bargain collectively are part of the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization’s (ILO’s) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
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As a company we continuously work to promote gender parity within our business operations at all levels. Our aspiration is to be led by 50% women globally by 2030. Investments in human capital, in particular investing in women’s empowerment, can spur economic growth and foster sustainable development.
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As a global company, we aim to focus on reducing emissions in our own operations, including concentrate manufacturing operations and company-owned bottling partners. Our approach to climate is threefold: to reduce the impact our business has on the climate, manage risks and impacts climate change has on us, and partner with others to make an even greater contribution.
We continue to work and develop solutions related to climate-related issues including Greenhouse Gas emissions. Our carbon footprint represents total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced directly or indirectly from our company’s activities, broken down into three categories:
- Scope 1 Emissions (Direct GHG Emissions): Emissions occurring from sources owned or controlled by our company. This includes the combustion of fossil fuels within our buildings and fuel consumption in fleet vehicles.
- Scope 2 Emissions (Indirect GHG Emissions): Indirect emissions resulting from the generation of purchased energy. This includes the emissions resulting from the generation of electricity, heat and steam we purchase from a utility provider.
- Scope 3 Emissions (Other Indirect GHG Emissions): All other emissions in the value chain, both upstream and downstream. This includes emissions from growing and processing ingredients; from producing and landfilling our packaging; and our customers’ use of our refrigeration units.
Our aim is to reduce the company’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in line with a 1.5°C trajectory by 2035, from a 2019 baseline*.
Achieving these ambitions requires additional investments in new technologies and renewable sources, working with franchise bottling partners and suppliers to reduce their direct emissions, which are the company’s Scope 3 emissions. The company’s actions on water and packaging can help mitigate the impacts caused by climate change, as well.
As of 2023, we reduced our absolute emissions by 8% against a 2015 baseline, and several of our bottling partners have announced their own science-based targets to drive climate action across the global Coca‑Cola system, as well.
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*The company’s acquired businesses will be excluded from this goal, including BODYARMOR, CHI, Costa, doğadan, fairlife and innocent. The company expects to prepare these businesses for integration into its 1.5°C trajectory over time.
Our human rights commitment is deep and longstanding. We have strived to build a comprehensive human rights oversight program consisting of due diligence, continuous engagement, and innovative programming to help reinforce our commitment to respecting human rights across our value chain.
Our program is built to align with the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The rights underpinning our commitment are drawn from the International Bill of Human Rights, the ILO Core Conventions, and other foundational human rights instruments.
Our Human Rights Policy is embedded in the company’s Code of Business Conduct for employees, and its principles are extended to our direct supply chain through the Supplier Guiding Principles (SGP). Our Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA) outline our farm-level expectations for environmental, social and economic performance across our agricultural suppliers.
In line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we carry out human rights due diligence to identify actual or potential human rights impacts across our value chain. We regularly assess our key human rights risks to ensure that we are taking steps to identify and address them and support remediation where appropriate.
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As a total beverage company with an ever-expanding portfolio of choices, we source a wide range of agricultural ingredients from a complex global supply chain. Helping to ensure that these ingredients are produced in a way that respects farm workers and their communities while also protecting ecosystems is important to us. In 2023, 64% of our global priority ingredient volumes were sustainably sourced to our leader standard, in line with our Principles for Sustainable Agriculture.
We work with our suppliers to promote practices and build capabilities covered in our Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA), which span human and workplace rights, environmental protection, responsible farm management and animal health and welfare. We are also committed to collaboration across the wider industry and support credible third-party standards to simplify assurance and certifications for the farmers in our supply chain. For example, the Farm Sustainability Assessment of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the Bonsucro sustainable cane standard and Rainforest Alliance certifications are three of the leading standards we support.
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Land is a source of food and livelihood for many, yet in many countries land rights are not properly registered. In response to this challenge and Oxfam’s 2013 Behind the Brands campaign on this issue, we committed to responsible land acquisition and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Although we do not typically purchase ingredients directly from farms, nor are we owners of farms or farmlands, we acknowledge that as a major buyer of several agricultural ingredients, we have a responsibility to act and use our influence to help protect the land rights of local communities.
Land rights has been identified as a salient human rights issue for The Coca‑Cola Company. We added protocols on land rights into our Supplier Guiding Principles and assessment process, developed a Responsible Land Acquisition Guidance for suppliers and developed training materials. In partnership with Landesa, our sugar country studies focused in on land rights. When risks are identified, we work with our supplier partners to address the challenge.
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The Coca‑Cola Company and our bottling partners pay competitive wages for our sector. The Company also has policies and procedures to ensure that our suppliers adhere to human rights standards and all legal wage requirements (see links below). Annually, the Company performs third-party audits across our value chain to verify compliance with our Supplier Guiding Principles, which include clear expectations on working conditions and pay.
We have also joined with industry peers to share practices and approaches to advance the topic under the auspices of AIM-PROGRESS.
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We listen to our consumers and do our best to deliver products that meet their needs. We use the highest quality ingredients, provide reduced- and no- sugar alternatives, and we aim to source sustainably and ethically.
We offer a wide variety of drinks including still and sparkling soft drinks and water, dairy, fruit juices, sports and plant-based drinks, teas and coffees, and we're always aiming to make our drinks better and with more benefits by providing drinks that contain functional ingredients, including protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
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The Coca‑Cola Company is a leader in the food and beverage industry putting clear, easy-to-find nutrition information on the front of nearly all our packages to support informed consumer choice. These front-of-pack labeling efforts are in addition to back-of-pack labeling on nearly all our products globally.
Nutrition information is displayed on most of our product labels, except for certain returnable bottles, fountain beverages, alcohol ready-to-drink (ARTD) beverages and unsweetened, unflavored waters. Information for these beverage and packaging types is available on our websites and through our consumer hotlines. Additionally, in the United States, we were an early adopter of the Consumer Brands Association-led SmartLabel initiative, which enables shoppers to access more in-depth product facts by scanning on-pack QR codes.
Easy-to-understand nutrition labeling supports other steps we are taking to embrace consumers’ evolving preferences and complements our responsible marketing policies and practices. Front-of-pack nutrition labels have been identified as being able to help improve the dietary habits of populations and aid in the prevention of obesity and non-communicable diseases and incentivize product innovation and reformulation. They can help consumers interpret the nutritional quality of products by providing simplified nutritional information. There are several labeling schemes used by The Coca‑Cola Company on a global basis, and we will continue to ensure ongoing compliance or voluntarily implement labeling schemes that help consumers make informed choices.
The Coca‑Cola Company has global regulatory labeling requirements for labeling front and back of packs, including labeling of micronutrients. The Coca‑Cola Company provides clear, accessible nutrition information on its packages in line with national regulatory requirements in the markets where we sell our products. Where regulations do not exist, nutrition information is provided in line with the standards and guidelines adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Comission, part of the Joint Food and Agriculture (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Food Standards Programmme.
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We offer beverages in a variety of packaging formats – glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans and refillable packaging. Each option can play a role in helping reduce packaging waste and emissions. The Coca‑Cola system aims to focus on measurable and interconnected actions under two pillars: Design and Partner to Collect.
In 2024, we announced our goal to use 35% to 40% recycled material* in our primary packaging (plastic, glass and aluminum), including increasing recycled plastic use to 30% to 35% globally.
We are focused on ensuring our primary packaging is recyclable. This effort, combined with innovations such as lightweighting, can avoid additional use of virgin plastic. Costs, quality and scaling innovation are dynamic external factors that will affect implementation.
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*The company will continue to comply with local regulations, including where higher percentages of recycled content are required.
Our Approach
At The Coca‑Cola Company, we believe in equal pay for equal work. Pay equity is an important pillar of our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
Our approach to compensation is grounded in principles of fairness and equity for all employees. We believe that employees in the same job, or similarly situated jobs, should be paid fairly and equitably for their work. We work with external experts to help identify and adjust unfair disparities in our pay structures. In the United States, we have conducted pay equity analyses for many years to ensure our pay practices are fair. We have also rolled out gender-based pay equity analyses across our offices globally.
We will continue to build on the progress we have made by accelerating and advancing our pay equity agenda.
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Our responsibility to help create a better shared future extends into our bipartisan political contributions from both a company and Coca‑Cola Political Action Committee (PAC) perspective. We consider it our duty, and our responsibility, to make our views clear to those who have the potential to impact the laws, regulations and policies that can influence our global business.
The ESG & Public Policy Committee of our Board of Directors annually reviews and approves all U.S. political contributions from both PAC funds and, where allowed by applicable law, the company’s general treasury funds. We have always taken a bipartisan approach to political contributions, and we have always evaluated our giving based on our political engagement criteria, which we share publicly.
In 2020, we updated our political giving policy to ensure we are evaluating a broader range of criteria. And following the events that unfolded in the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, our company and PAC suspended political giving to further review how we best use our resources to promote and advocate for the things we believe in and align with our company’s purpose and values.
We do not make independent political expenditures, including electioneering communications, in support of the election or defeat of a particular candidate independent of that candidate or his/her campaign committee.
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Our Political Engagement policy allows us to engage in conversations and act on issues we care about and thus is a high priority for our business. By being an active participant in these discussions and through political engagement, we seek to make a difference in the communities we serve.
Political engagement takes on many forms, including lobbying, as a way for organizations (including NGOs and companies) to ensure their views are heard or at least considered; political contributions to candidates; involvement with trade associations, which lobby on behalf of the companies, organizations, causes and industries they represent; and direct advocacy, which is central to policymaking.
Since we serve a diverse array of constituencies—customers, consumers, employees, distributors, bottlers, small business suppliers, government, community partners, shareowners and more—we participate in all these public policy and governance avenues. We consider it our responsibility, to make our views clear to those who have the potential to impact the laws, regulations and policies that can influence our global business. Our advocacy work in the United States focuses on three core areas: Environmental Policy, Health & Wellness, and Fiscal Policy.
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Our commitment to meeting consumers' trust and their expectations for refreshing, high quality, and safe products using more sustainable manufacturing practices is central to our company’s philosophy. Quality, food safety and regulatory compliance are cornerstones of our dedication to high-quality, safe products.
We are a world class leader in the products we serve as a result of strong product quality, diligence in standards, continued testing and auditing, and taking a progressive view on innovation and science techniques.
Food safety is integral to our gold standard of quality. Our fundamental responsibility is to enforce safety standards for the products we produce and distribute. Food safety and product quality are a fundamental part of our product design, supply chain execution, marketplace excellence and consumer experience feedback processes. We expect our beverages to be produced to high standards of quality and with safe manufacturing practices throughout our supply chain.
Governance & Stewardship
Our high standards are set so a quality product can be enjoyed around the world. We demand our standards and policies are met for all products we serve. This includes globally recognized standards, local regulatory needs, and where needed, establishing our own standards of excellence.
The Coca‑Cola Operating Requirements (KORE) define the policies, standards and requirements for managing our quality & food safety responsibilities across our operations. In addition to requiring compliance with applicable legal laws and regulations, KORE requires that our manufacturing facilities implement FSSC 22000 (internationally recognized standard for food safety) that ensures the provision of resources to achieve the organization’s food safety objectives, together with the fostering of continual improvement in food safety performance.
To guide us in working to achieve a safe, quality product, KORE also defines a rigorous set of operational controls to manage known risks. These controls generally align with top global requirements and consensus standards, local regulatory needs, and where needed, establishing our own standards to protect consumers.
Our governance framework includes regulatory compliance, standards, requirements and guidelines. Our framework covers all aspects of the supply chain, including:
- Product Formulation
- Supplier Management
- Ingredients
- Packaging
- Labeling
- Claims and Communications
- Manufacturing
- Equipment
- Occupational Safety
- Environmental Protection
- Marketplace Management
- Risk Management
We promote continuous improvement through innovation and collaboration with industry and partners. We have a continual program for audit and measuring.
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We do not target our advertising to children under age 13, anywhere in the world. We are committed to not market any of our products—regardless of nutritional profile—to children under the age of 13 and in media where 30% or more of the audience is composed of children under 13. Our Responsible Marketing Policy clearly states that we will respect the role of parents and caregivers by not marketing directly to children under 13.
Specifically, this means we will not advertise in: All media which directly targets children under 13, including shows, print media, websites, social media, movies and SMS/email marketing. We define media that directly targets children under 13 as media in which 30% or more of the audience is composed of children under 13, where this information is possible to obtain.
We respect and apply all local regulations that define children at a higher age threshold.
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The Coca‑Cola Company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference.
Our vision is to craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body and spirit. And done in ways that create a more sustainable business and better shared future that makes a difference in people’s lives, communities and our planet.
Transparent collaboration with stakeholders is essential to achieving our purpose. We believe that meaningful partnerships can drive collective action and build shared opportunities for people and communities around the world.
On our dedicated webpage ‘TRANSPARENCY IN PARTNERSHIPS: OUR APPROACH TO STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH’, we provide a holistic overview of our partnership across two important areas:
- STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: We outline our approach to partnerships and the key stakeholders with whom we engage to drive progress in our business and priority sustainability topics, including information on U.S. trade associations.
- SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: We outline our research principles, share published research on key topics we have supported or funded since 2008, provide details about our sweeteners research program, and continue to disclose our well-being scientific research and partnerships.
Honoring the rights of parents and caregivers to make choices for their children is the cornerstone of our Responsible Marketing practices. We believe in commercial-free schools for children and we do not allow any marketing or advertising in schools.
Our Global School Beverage Policy establishes principles to guide our practices across the more than 200 countries where our products are consumed. They apply to all beverages directly distributed by our local bottling partners to primary and secondary schools that bear trademarks owned and/or licensed by The Coca‑Cola Company. As a global enterprise that operates as a local business, we abide by all local regulations and industry voluntary commitments related to the sale of beverages in schools.
When we offer our beverages for sale in primary schools, we will allow the sale of only:
- Water (still/sparkling, plain/flavored).
- 100% fruit/vegetable juices and smoothies.
- Dairy (low/no fat, plain/flavored). Local regulations will define “low-fat.” In all cases, fat must be ≤2%.
- Plant-based drinks (low/no fat, plain/flavored).
- Additionally, if requested, we will make our full range of products available in teacher’s lounges or areas for teachers which are restricted from students.
We will not permit branding on vending machines or coolers, except for the selection button.
When we offer our beverages for sale in secondary schools, we will work with school authorities to ensure that a full range of beverages (including water, juices and other beverages in both regular and low-or no- sugar versions) is made available. Where primary and secondary school students share a common area or building, our approach, in dialogue with school authorities, will be commensurate with the majority of the student population.
Additional Resources
We are committed to continuous, active shareowner engagement. We greatly value the insights and creative suggestions that our shareowners often share with us during the course of our engagement efforts and have used many of these to develop “best practices” that our shareowners currently benefit from.
For example, our shareowners have the right to call special meetings, the right to present proposals at our annual meeting of shareowners and proxy access. Our Company By-laws outline the rights of shareowners, with information on the annual meeting and proxy statement, as well as voting protocols and processes for nominating directors and presenting proposals. More information can be found in the Shareowners section of our website.
Additional Resources
We believe that businesses, governments, NGOs and civil society can make a greater impact by working together through meaningful partnerships to build shared opportunities for people and communities globally.
Multi-stakeholder collaboration is especially critical to make significant strides toward eliminating plastic waste, reducing carbon emissions, ensuring access to clean water and building inclusion. We are committed to engaging proactively with partners and stakeholders—which include bottling partners, suppliers, consumers, customers, industry partners, governments and NGOs—in countries where we operate.
Insights and feedback from consistent dialogue with our key stakeholders inform our sustainability strategy across our goals. Stakeholder feedback is also fundamental to our priority assessments, which guide our sustainability strategy, engagement, reporting and disclosure. When engaging with stakeholders, we apply the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, consistency, and accountability to promote positive impact and create a virtuous cycle of collaboration.
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As we evolve our portfolio to meet changing consumer expectations, we are also taking steps to offer more options with less added sugar while providing more drinks with nutrition benefits; optimizing our mix of products; offering more small packaging choices; and providing consumers with clear nutrition information.
The Coca‑Cola Company supports the current recommendations of several leading health authorities that individuals should not consume more than 10% of their total calories from added sugar. We are taking action on reducing added sugar even where it means changes to our most popular, time-tested products—putting our strength in innovation to meet our consumers’ evolving needs.
As a company, we continue to market our beverages responsibly and to provide easy-to-understand nutrition information and labelling on our products. As of 2023:
- 30% of our global volume is low-or no-calorie.
- 46% of our sparkling brands come in packaging of 8.5 fluid ounces or less.
- ~68% of our products are less than 100 calories per 12-oz. serving.
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Supplier diversity is an integral component of our management strategy. We aim to create equal opportunity for all suppliers to bid for our business. We work to promote equal opportunity for and proactively build partnerships with diverse-owned suppliers across a range of industries—from warehousing and construction engineering to IT and media buying.
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The Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee has primary responsibility for overseeing the Company’s sustainability strategies and initiatives, including the Company’s short, intermediate, and long-term goals, and receives regular updates from management on priority sustainability topics, including information on actions and progress toward goals. In addition, while the Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee has primary responsibility in overseeing most aspects of the Company’s sustainability programs, the Board works closely with the Audit Committee and the Talent and Compensation Committee on certain related matters that befit the role of those committees. For example, the Audit Committee oversees certain processes related to external sustainability reporting and disclosures, while the Talent and Compensation Committee has purview over the Company’s people and culture strategy, including diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Board and its committees also receive regular reports from the Chief Sustainability Officer, and others as required, related to progress toward achieving the Company’s sustainability goals.
Additional Resources
We aim to provide comprehensive and transparent sustainability disclosure. Explore the following resources for more information on our reporting.
For an index of our policies and practices, visit Policies, Practices and Reports.
2023 Reporting and Assurance Resources
- 2023 CDP Climate Change Response
- 2023 CDP Forests Response
- 2023 CDP Water Response
- 2023 Environmental Update
2022 Reporting and Assurance Resources
2021 Reporting and Assurance Resources
- 2021 Business & Environmental, Social and Governance Report
- 2021 Business & Environmental, Social and Governance Report Highlights
- 2021 World Without Waste Report
2020 Reporting and Assurance Resources
- 2020 Business & Environmental, Social and Governance Report
- 2020 Business & Environmental, Social and Governance Report Highlights
- 2020 Reporting Frameworks and SDGs
- 2020 World Without Waste Report
- 2020 5by20 Report
- 5by20® Independent Accountants’ Review
- Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) Independent Accountants' Review
- 2020 Carbon Accounting Manual
Reporting Archive
2019
- 2019 Business & Sustainability Report
- 2019 Business & Sustainability Report Highlights
- 2019 Reporting Framework Indexes
- 2019 World Without Waste Report
- 2019 Water Progress Update
- 2019 Water Replenishment Projects
2018
2017
2016
CDP
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Additional Resources
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were first launched in 2015 and are a core part of the agenda developed by the 193 member states of the United Nations to work toward the future we want, one where all people thrive within a healthy environment. These 17 goals—geared toward a 2030 timeframe—and their related 169 targets have become an important framework for companies to rally around as they address an array of complex, interrelated global issues.
We evaluate the 17 SDGs and focus our core sustainability actions where we can make the biggest impact in collaboration with partners. We recognize that we cannot achieve any of the SDGs on our own. Yet, as a global company with a wide supply chain and consumer reach, we have a significant role to play in meeting many of these ambitious aims.
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We use sugar alternatives in some of our products because we know that many people want the choice of great-tasting beverages with less sugar and fewer calories. We are always rethinking many of our recipes to provide options with less sugar and fewer or no calories. To do this, we use a range of artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes, like Stevia leaf extract, acesulfame potassium, sucralose and aspartame.
Over the past decade we have invested heavily in natural sweetener research leading to the discovery, development and commercialization of sweeteners by The Coca‑Cola Company and partners. We only use sugar alternatives that have been thoroughly tested in scientific studies and are confirmed as safe by globally recognized authorities, including FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
When used as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, low- and no- calorie sweeteners can help us meet current public health recommendations to reduce excess sugar consumption without affecting the enjoyment of sweet-tasting foods and drinks.
Our people are at the heart of our company and play a major part in our purpose to refresh the world and make a difference in the countries and communities where we operate. We are focused on developing an inclusive and respectful work environment where employees across our entire workforce are empowered to speak with truth and candor, raise concerns and implement new ideas in the best interests of themselves and the business.
The Board of Directors is directly involved in leadership development and succession planning, primarily for CEO succession, but also have oversight of other executive officer positions. The Compensation Committee has direct oversight for human capital management, which includes corporate culture, diversity and inclusion, pay equity, health and safety, training and development, and compensation and benefits.
Additional Resources
Water is essential to people and ecosystems, and is the main ingredient in our products. It is also critical to public health, food security, biodiversity and the climate crisis. The world is experiencing increased water scarcity, with demands for safe, usable water exceeding supply in certain areas.
We have operations nearly everywhere in the world - in more than 200 countries and territories. That means we have a responsibility to help address water stress, protect local water resources and help build community climate resilience - communities' ability to adapt to these changing conditions.
Since 2015, we have met or exceeded our goal to return more than 100% of the water used in our finished products globally, on an aggregate level, to nature and communities*.
Additionally, in 2024, because water is sourced locally, we announced a new goal to reach 100% replenishment in each of more than 200 high-risk locations** across our system by 2035. These locations represent almost a third of the Coca‑Cola system’s locations***.
Our strategy is grounded in the fact that water is a shared resource. As such, our work is organized to address water security in our operations, our watersheds and our communities.
Additional Resources
* With support from The Coca‑Cola Foundation, the company’s owned and independent bottling partners and independent suppliers and partners.
** Locations were identified following an extensive analysis updated in 2024 using the World Resources Institute Aqueduct 4.0 tool and Coca‑Cola system level assessments of each production facility.
*** The Coca‑Cola system is made up of over 200 bottling partners and 950 production facilities. For the assessment of high-risk locations, the number of facilities evaluated was approximately 720 locations as it does not include third-party contracted manufacturers.
A safe workplace is fundamental to our business and is part of our commitment to employees, customers and consumers. We promote a culture of caring and safe behavior, reaching beyond compliance to ensure continuous improvement and implementation of integrated health and safety controls and programs.
We aim to compensate employees competitively relative to the industry and local labor market, and where applicable in accordance with terms of collective bargaining agreements. We work to ensure full compliance with applicable wage, work hours, overtime and benefits laws.
The principles underpinning our commitment to human rights are drawn from the International Bill of Human Rights, the International Labor Organization Core Conventions and other instruments. Our Human Rights Policy is embedded in the company’s Code of Business Conduct for employees, and its principles are extended to our direct supply chain through the Supplier Guiding Principles (SGP). Our Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA) outline our farm-level expectations for environmental, social and economic performance across our agricultural suppliers.