Poverty Footprint Study on how the Coca Cola - Oxfam America

Recommendations for follow-up action
Engage sugar farmers and producers to
improve safety and health of sugarcane
harvesters.
Investigate why independent truck drivers
in Zambia work more than eight hours
per day and discuss with drivers potential
mechanisms to ensure safe driving.
Diversity and women’s participation
Women represent a large proportion of the world’s
poor and face unique barriers when seeking
education, employment and health care. Women
are more likely than men to be denied basic rights;
they often have a limited role in decision making and
are more vulnerable to violence. Investing in gender
equality can help drive economic growth. Studies
have shown that when women’s incomes increase,
family health, education and well-being improve. 7
Women involved in sugar growing and harvesting
face traditional gender biases, hindering their ability
to earn an income, own land, access credit and build
skills. Women are often dependent on men and have
limited economic opportunities in both countries,
although in El Salvador the circumstances are
slightly more positive.
Despite formal antidiscrimination policies at the
SABMiller bottling plants in both countries, women
remain underrepresented, a challenge consistent with
manufacturing employment statistics the world over.
Recommendations for follow-up action
Establish focused business training and
support for women in the Coca-Cola/
SABMiller value chain to work toward
more equal employment opportunities.
Make further efforts to recruit women
for nontraditional and senior
management jobs.
Consider ways to increase women
business partners’ access to credit, taking
into account the unique circumstances
women face when running businesses
in these communities.
Research how operations and practices
in the value chain empower or undermine
small women farmers.
16 Exploring the links between international business and poverty reduction
Formal jobs in the value chain are dominated by men,
and there is gender segmentation by occupation,
type of activity and level of seniority. Several factors
have led to this imbalance, including the perception
that jobs in the beverage industry are more suited
to men due to the requirement of physical strength
and the lack of security for workers who travel long
distances to work.
Women do play a significant role in the Coca-Cola/
SABMiller value chain at the retail level. Of the
approximately 64,000 retail outlets in El Salvador,
an estimated 76 percent8 are owned by women. In
Zambia, an estimated one third of the approximately
25,000 retail outlets are estimated to be owned by
women. Both bottling plants offer training workshops
for small retailers; however, limited access to credit
often limits business expansion.
Local environmental impacts:
Water and recycling
Climate change threatens water access in many
countries and it is vital that water is responsibly and
strategically managed. The greatest use of water
in the Coca-Cola/SABMiller value chain occurs in
sugar production. This is consistent with the fact that
agriculture in general uses approximately 70 percent
of freshwater globally, compared with the 20 percent*
used by industry. Sugar fields are often irrigated via
flood irrigation, and sugarcane processing requires
water for cleaning.
In both Zambia and El Salvador, significant parts
of the value chain are located near water sources
that serve multiple purposes—domestic, agricultural
and industrial. The main issues characterizing the
water debate are access in Zambia and scarcity in
El Salvador. In Zambia, water usage associated with
increasing sugarcane production is leading to conflict.
In both countries, this study revealed the paramount
importance of open and transparent dialogue with
communities about water. Both ILC and Zambian
Breweries engage in regular dialogue on this
topic with communities surrounding SABMiller’s
bottling plants.
Efforts are under way through The Coca-Cola
Company’s participation in Bonsucro, formerly
called the Better Sugarcane Initiative, to develop
a production standard and certification scheme for
sustainable sugar and ethanol from sugarcane.
In addition, The Coca-Cola Company has teamed
up with sugarcane producers to launch pilot projects
aimed at benefitting both the producer and the
environment, including in El Salvador.
SABMiller’s bottling plants in both countries are
engaged with communities on water issues. The full
treatment of wastewater by both bottling plants has
been well received by their communities, particularly
in El Salvador where municipal water treatment plants
are lacking. The discussion on wastewater treatment
*http://www.unesco.org/water/iyfw2/water_use.shtml