Ke n ie articles

The power of sustainability

create shared value: Coca-Cola
demonstrates that doing good is
good for business
Received (in revised farm): 9th October, 2014

BEA PEREZ
is Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of The Coca-Cala Company. Bea drives a global sustainability strategy that
usi
positive erence or people. communities and the environment. Prior
to becoming Coca-Colals first CSO, Bea served as Chief Marketing Officer for thesomkany.:s Nor&Actier.is_an
Division. She helpe_d_bring brands to life"TolrEonsurreFrEYZe;an tegic partnerships with IslASCAR,.PQA,
LeBron arnes,'American Idol', rheps cars, Ryan Seacrest, and others Bea is a member of the American
Advertising all of Achievement. She earned an industry Career Achiever award from the American Advertising
Federation's Mosaic Center and is a member of the Sports Business Journal's Hail of Fame. Bea serves on the
boards of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation, the LAO, Save the Children,The Boy Scouts of
America, and Primerica.

Abstract
Many businesses today are still contemplating the decision to make investments in either
communitybased social good initiatives or in business operations. The reality is that one investment
in
sustainability and in people and communities can achieve return on investment for both. in fact,
choosing to operate sustainably is becoming less of a choice and more of an imperative if brands are
to remain relevant and-companies are to grow. Coca-Cola is on a sustainability journey to grow its
business while it makes a positive difference for people, communities and the environment. The journey
is rigorous and requires strong partnerships, deep innovation and the commitment across the company
to integrate sustainability into the business. it is how this 128-year-old company is connecting with
consumers today and how it plans to remain relevant and trusted for the next 128 years.

Keywords
sustainabaity, social value, business growth, innovation, partnerships, Sby2O, water conservation,
water replenishment
beaperezgcaca-colacom

INTRODUCTION
Within the business conummity, conventional wisdom held that investments in
community-based social good initiatives
are typically separate and unrelated to
investments in the business.
Not anym ore.
Bea Perez,

When considering whether to invest

in
sustainability
projects or growth
initiatives,
it
is
now
possible to say 'both'.
This

is because both are beneficial to business. In

fact, sustainability is no longer a choice: it is
a business imperative and critical to
company growth, brand relevalice di id

long-term value,
At Coca-Cola, sustainability commitments are making a difference for people, communities and the business. As of
December 2013, the company helped provide safe water access to almost 2 million

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O HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 3045-85SX JOURNAL OF BRAND STRATEGY VOL 3. NO.4.310-3 IS WINTER 2014-I5