Poverty Footprint Study on how the Coca Cola - Oxfam America

Muhtar Kent
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Coca-Cola Company
More than ever it is clear that the world’s most
pressing social problems—from poverty to health to
education—cannot be solved by government alone.
Government, civil society and business must stand
together and build innovative partnerships to create
lasting solutions to these difficult challenges. The
Coca-Cola Company is proud to be at the forefront
of these kinds of partnerships, building models of
public-private collaboration that push the boundaries
of development thinking.
As stewards of the world’s most recognized and
valuable brand, we recognize that the success and
sustainability of our business is inextricably linked
to the success and sustainability of the communities
in which we operate. The strength of our brands
is directly related to our social license to operate,
which we must earn daily by keeping our promises
to our customers, consumers, associates, investors,
communities and partners.
To this end, we have created a number of groundbreaking
partnerships around issues of watershed
management, access to clean water, recycling, small
business development and disaster relief. These
partnerships are developed through our systemwide
initiatives to create positive change in the world in
four key areas: Water; Packaging and Recycling;
Climate; and Community.
This report represents a new kind of partnership;
one built on intellectual cooperation. By opening
our doors to Oxfam America, one of the world’s
most respected nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), The Coca-Cola Company and SABMiIIer
have raised the bar for corporate transparency
and contributed to building trust between civil
society and the private sector.
While this partnership may not have beneficiaries in
the traditional sense, the insights gained from this
report may ultimately benefit many people in our
supply chain around the world. Through this work,
Oxfam’s development experts have helped identify
areas where our business could bring more benefit
to more people. We take the content of this report
seriously, and we will consider its recommendations
with our bottling partner, SABMiller, and our
stakeholders, as we strive to create sustainable
businesses in El Salvador and Zambia.
For the reader, this report is a unique opportunity
to see the inside of our business through the eyes
of development practitioners. We hope you find it
interesting and thought-provoking.
Muhtar Kent
Exploring the links between international business and poverty reduction 9