The Mark We Make Today Shapes the Future
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2006 Corporate Responsibility Review The mark we make today shapes the future. We may be best known for the shape of our bottle, but we are also passionate about shaping the world — one community at a time. Each of us leaves a mark on the planet and on one another. At The Coca-Cola Company, we are committed to making a positive mark on communities and minimizing our impact on the planet. Together with our bottling partners and suppliers, other businesses, community leaders, governments and nongovernmental organizations, we are working to improve lives, fuel local economies and protect the environment. That is the mark we want to make. Chairman’s Letter 2 Business Profi le 10 Colombia and India Updates 26 President’s Letter 4 Performance Overview 12 Operating Groups 28 Scope and Approach 6 Detailed Performance 14 GRI and UN Global Compact 40 Frameworks and Principles 8 Challenges and Opportunities 16 “As we create value for our shareowners and other stakeholders by running a successful business, we must also be a force for positive global change — one community at a time. We must help create economic and social value, protect the environment and contribute to the long-term sustainability of every community we serve.” E. Neville Isdell Chairman and Chief Executive Offi cer DEAR FELLOW STAKEHOLDER: We like to say that magic is one of the secret ingredients We have one planet, and many parts of it are under in our beverages. I believe a big part of that magic has stress — from population growth, shrinking supplies always been the spirit of optimism and hope that has of clean water, climate change and confl ict. shaped our Company since the fi rst glass of Coca-Cola was poured 121 years ago. Meaningful change in addressing these global issues requires collaboration and commitment. Today’s world is very different from what it was in Our impact is magnifi ed when we work with others: 1886. Optimism and hope are more important than our bottling partners, suppliers, other businesses, ever — and increasingly harder to fi nd. Our role in this local communities, governments and nongovernmental changing, challenging world can be captured in a organizations (NGOs). single sentence: We must refresh the world responsibly. Because The Coca-Cola Company is a local business Through the years, responsibility has been framed in on a global scale, the issues that challenge the terms of citizenship and philanthropy. And, certainly, sustainability of communities in the more than 200 both of these are important. But it is time to raise countries we serve also challenge the sustainability of our expectations and work toward the sustainability our business. Our business cannot hope to thrive long of our communities. term unless our consumers do; we cannot hope to prosper unless our associates and communities do. What does this have to do with creating and selling consumer products? Today, everything. This report cites many examples of that belief in action. And we believe no issue is more important — Recently, I spoke at the United Nations Global or urgent — than access to clean, safe water for Compact Leaders Summit about my thoughts communities around the world. That is why, in June on business as an agent of global transformation. 2007, we pledged to replace every drop of water we I challenged the business leaders in the audience use in our beverages and their production. This goal to speak up, step up and scale up — to leverage our is, admittedly, aspirational. It will be a multi-year combined efforts through concerted, coordinated journey for our Company and our bottling partners. and cooperative global action. We are also focusing on reducing our carbon footprint The urgency of this message stems from my experiences. and increasing the sustainability of our packaging. Each time I travel around the world, each time I talk to Muhtar Kent, our Company’s president and chief people in local markets, I become more convinced that operating offi cer, discusses some of these initiatives the time to take meaningful action is growing short. in his message to you. 2 The Coca-Cola Company We are committed to: Refreshing the world in body, Replacing every drop of water Growing our business but not our mind and spirit by anticipating our we use carbon footprint consumers’ desires and needs Designing packaging that will Helping to improve the well-being Providing great jobs and be seen as a valuable resource of the people in the communities protecting the workplace rights for future use where we operate of all our associates We understand that our contribution to helping to use our strengths and our presence to help protect build sustainable communities extends beyond the the health of our planet and to improve the lives of the environmental impacts of our business. We are also people who inhabit it. committed to the health and well-being of the people our business touches, including the men and women No company can aspire to have that kind of impact of The Coca-Cola Company. by working — or thinking — alone. Change is a group effort, crossing governments, NGOs, individuals and We are committed to protecting the workplace rights businesses. Working together is the only way that we of all our associates. In January 2007, we launched our can create solutions equal to the issues we all face. global Workplace Rights Policy, which was guided by the principles developed by the United Nations International For all the complexity of fi nding solutions to these Labour Organization and other well-known human issues, the basic idea is simple: Imagine what could rights organizations. Our Workplace Rights Policy happen if every organization, every community, every formalizes our long-standing commitment to ensuring individual simply did what is right — for the planet, and that each one of our approximately 71,000 associates for all who share it. Global business is rich in talent and around the world is treated fairly and with dignity. resources. Now is the time to engage and combine our strengths to create a better world. Our business contributes to the well-being of communities through economic development. From Speaking for the people of The Coca-Cola Company the truck driver who delivers our beverages to the around the world, we are already on the job. retailer who sells them, we support local economies. A study conducted in South Africa demonstrated Sincerely, that for every job created by the Coca-Cola system, an additional 16 jobs are created indirectly. I have a deep and personal belief about our responsibilities to the communities and people we serve. This Company has been a major part of my life E. Neville Isdell Chairman and Chief Executive Offi cer for more than 40 years, and I think a lot about the mark The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company will leave on the world. August 2007 In this era of great need and unique opportunity, we intend to create positive change. We are determined 2006 Corporate Responsibility Review 3 “When you live and work in the local communities you serve … when your business depends on the vibrancy of these local communities for its very survival, it shapes your philosophy about how you conduct yourself.” Muhtar Kent President and Chief Operating Offi cer DEAR FELLOW STAKEHOLDER: Neville and I realize that the future of our business As we work on our own long-term sustainability, depends on the vitality of the communities where we we continue to focus on our three key pillars: operate. We think about the impact our business has consumer marketing, commercial leadership and on the local environment, the people we hire and local franchise leadership. communities. We know that the continued health and sustainable growth of our business depends on the Consumer marketing is about expanding consumer long-term health of the communities that surround it. preference through a broad and balanced portfolio of more than 400 brands and 2,600 beverage products, Today, our business is healthy and growing — with expanded nutrition labeling, options in packaging size, improved alignment within our bottling system and and responsible marketing. a proven business strategy that is generating results. Commercial leadership relates to our customer Unit case volume growth is at its highest level in years. and supplier partnerships. We are building long- And, most importantly, we are focused on sustaining term relationships that help us sell more beverages those results, by working to improve our operating and, at the same time, help us create positive effi ciencies and effectiveness, and by better change in the communities where we work and live. collaborating and engaging with our bottling partners. We recently updated our Supplier Guiding Principles to partner more effectively with our suppliers, holding The continued health of our business requires them and ourselves to higher standards of conduct reinvigorating top-line growth, across our portfolio and and responsibility. around the world, and enhancing and protecting our bottom line. We must be profi table in order to sustain Franchise leadership refers to the relationships we our investment in communities around the world. have with our bottling partners. We do not own or manage most of our bottlers; they are independent, We are continuing to increase our productivity and, local companies running their own businesses. But ultimately, to be as close to our local markets — and we strive to work closely together to strengthen the our local bottling partners — as possible. Working Coca-Cola system. smarter means identifying new opportunities for growth, bringing innovations to the marketplace, The bottlers we do own are managed by our Bottling streamlining processes, minimizing costs and Investments operating group, the second-largest maximizing our marketing investments.