Our People and Communities

Human Rights Framework

Respect for human rights is fundamental to the sustainability of Coca-Cola HBC and the communities in which we operate. We are committed to ensuring that people are treated with dignity and respect. 

Our Human Rights Policy is guided by international human rights principles, encompassed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Our Policy covers diversity, vulnerable individuals and communities such as refugees and minorities, freedom of association and collective bargaining, safe and healthy workplace, workplace security, slavery, forced labour and human trafficking, child labour, environmental impacts, work hours, wages and benefits including equal pay commitment. Our Supplier Guiding Principles are also aligned with our Human Rights Policy and we expect our partners to respect the same workplace values as we do. Our Code of Business Conduct and Human Rights Policy  apply to every subsidiary and joint venture which the company controls therefore we apply a comprehensive due diligence process related to Human Rights also in connection with mergers, acquisitions and JVs, following detailed internal M&A Guidelines. 

Regular reviews ensure that we adhere to all applicable laws and regulations, our Code of Business Conduct and internal standards. Certification on a regular basis confirms that we are in legal compliance, processes are well implemented, targets are set and reached, and reporting is timely and accurate. In addition, we have a well-publicised whistleblower system in place, with all cases investigated. 

In 2025, we continued to strengthen implementation of our Human Rights Policy, including pay transparency and our second pay equity assessment, with results expected in early 2026. We maintained a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, forced labour, human trafficking and child labour. During 2025, no human rights or labour violations or related litigation were identified.

Human rights training remains mandatory for all employees and human rights topics are embedded in onboarding and e-learning, alongside broader leadership and inclusion programmes. We also continued to reinforce employee wellbeing through BeWell Days, mental health training for managers and our Employee Assistance Programme, which was available to more than 34,394 employees and reached a 1.90% utilisation rate in 2025. Across our grievance channels, 711 complaints were recorded in 2025 and reviewed through our established processes.

Workplace Accountability Audits

Our due diligence compliance model is driven through an external audit process.

Workplace Accountability Audits (Supplier Guiding Principles audits in our manufacturing operations) are conducted with a minimum cycle of every three years in Coca-Cola HBC’s plants.

The audit cycle is defined based on the audit outcome, with yearly follow up conducted for manufacturing sites with ‘orange’ or ‘red’ status. For all audit findings in all plants, mitigation or remediation process are required and implemented. (‘Green’ status means zero findings (no risk); ‘yellow’ means low risk; ‘orange’ means medium risk and ‘red’ means high risk).

Workplace Accountability Audits are conducted through an internationally recognised and accredited auditing organisation. The audits cover our own processes and employees, contractors and others who are not employees such as staff of third-party service providers, (e.g., for security or canteens). Identified risks and mitigation plans are reviewed regularly by senior management.

Workplace accountability audits cover: laws and regulations; modern slavery; human trafficking; child labour; forced labour; abuse of labour; collective bargaining; wages and benefits; equal pay commitment; working hours and overtime; business Integrity; work environment; health & safety; environment; and demonstration of compliance. The audits specifically cover our own employees, children, migrant workers, minorities, women, indigenous people, and third-party contracted labour in our premises.

New acquisitions are internally assessed for compliance to the SGPs, as part of the acquisition process, which includes relevant monitoring and enforcement activities related to modern slavery, human trafficking, child labour, and human rights generally, to the extent applicable to the target’s business and supply chain, including the steps taken by the target entity to ensure slavery, human trafficking, child labour, and other human rights violations are not taking place in any of its supply chains and in any part of its own business. During the integration period the assessment on compliance to the SGPs continues internally and is covered by the external audit process upon full business and process integration.

By the end of 2025, 100% of all Coca-Cola HBC beverage manufacturing plants (operations) have been assessed for human rights-related risks (98% of all Coca-Cola HBC beverage manufacturing plants have been audited by an independent, internationally recognised, and accredited organisation, while our Corporate Audit Department (CAD) audits covered 100% of our plants and operations). We have not identified any sites as high risk. 

Medium-risk findings were identified at four manufacturing sites—two in Nigeria, one in Ireland, and one in Italy—representing approximately 6.7% of total plants. All findings were addressed through corrective action plans, with no outstanding actions remaining at the end of 2025. In Nigeria, the findings were related to discrepancies in wage and overtime pay calculations. Corrective measures included strengthening the administrative control processes. In Ireland and Italy, the findings concerned missing records such as return-to-work evidence following sick leave and employee health certificates. In response, internal procedures and processes for documentation handling were reinforced to improve traceability. 

We make the health and safety of our people, contractors and visitors a key priority and place emphasis on the critical importance of ensuring the well-being of everyone at our workplaces. 

We have completed Mission 2025. You can see the final status of the six sustainability pillars in our Mission 2025 performance.

Mission 2025 sustainability commitments:

• ZERO work-related fatalities
• Reduce lost time accidents per 100 FTE by 50% by 2025 vs. the 2017 baseline

Mission Refresh is the next chapter of our sustainability journey. It focuses on four flagship commitments – climate, water, biodiversity, and communities – with clear, measurable targets to keep us on track. Learn more about our refreshed sustainability targets in Mission Refresh. 

From 2026, we are working towards a new target for Health and Safety.

Our Mission Refresh target for Health and Safety:

• Targeting zero on-site fatalities.

Alongside, we are monitoring other relevant H&S indicators, such as Lost Time Accidents (LTAs), Near miss, Severe near miss, Medical treatment cases, First aid, Behaviour Based Safety (BBS) observations conducted, Safety barrier removal rate, BBS observers trained, Accidents per million km driven (APMK). 

In 2025, the number of Lost Time Accidents (LTAs) among employees decreased by four compared with 2024 (96 vs 100), resulting in a Lost Time Accident Rate (LTAR) of 0.29. We noted progress in reducing contractors’ LTAs (46 vs 55), culminating in a final Lost Time Incident Frequency Rate (LTIFR) of 0.88 . No severe injuries occurred within the organization. Our primary road safety indicator, APMK (accidents per million kilometers driven), reached 1.53, which is an improvement of  8% compared with 2024. 

In Coca-Cola HBC, we have implemented a thorough process for assessing Occupational Health and Safety risks for all routine and non-routine activities across the organisation. To register a continuous improvement cycle and assuring the health and safety of all employees, contractors and visitors, learnings from all incidents recorded in Coca-Cola HBC are included in this process. 

All health and safety related incidents are investigated locally by cross-functional teams of experts from different departments. Steps taken for the investigation are conducted as per “Incident Investigation training material/curriculum” included in the Supply Chain Academy. The investigation teams also use Structured Problem-Solving methodology, including Fishbone analysis and 5 WHY principles. The analysis of incidents is performed in steps:  1. interviews,  2. incident preservation procedure,  3. root cause analysis, and  4. corrective/preventive action plan.  

After the incident investigation, a one-page lesson learned document is created and shared locally with all respective teams. It serves as a tool for learning and prevention of similar incidents in the future. Selected one-pager lessons learned are published on a special internal platform for knowledge sharing, accessible for all. 

All Business Units regularly conduct risk and hazard identification with respective corrective actions defined. Risk hazard assessment is in line with legal requirements and follows the internal OH&S management system processes.  

On top of the above and to proactively prevent any at-risk situations potentially leading to occupational health incidents, severe injuries or fatalities, we have introduced a new measure being reported by all our operations, called Potential Severe Injuries and Fatalities (SIFp). All SIFp identified (e.g., severe near miss, incidents etc.) trigger revision of the risk assessment and hazard mitigation measures. 

To take learnings from the severe near misses, SIF potentials and all incidents, we share and publish individual lessons learned across all our operations. 

H&S Programmes and initiatives

Our fleet safety training programmes aim to improve safety for all drivers within the Group. The blend of classroom and on-the-road training elements is adjusted for different groups, reflecting their relative risk classification. To reduce the number of road accidents, we have continued installing collision avoidance technologies in fleet vehicles. 

In 2025, we also continued our Behaviour Based Safety programme with the inclusion of HOP philosophy (Human and Operational Principles) implemented across manufacturing and non-manufacturing locations. We have reached 100% programme coverage in Supply Chain and Commercial (commercial excl. Egypt) and 84% of our offices have the programme in place, too. Since the beginning of the programme launch, we have trained 11,691 employees and 6,171 contractors as behaviour-based safety observers. Last year, we succeeded in eliminating 88.7% of barriers to safety identified under this programme. 

Regular health and safety awareness trainings are completed by all our employees. In 2025, we continued with mandatory H&S e-learning courses for all our employees and launched a new e-learning training dedicated and mandatory for all our Business Developers. Moreover, we deployed bi-monthly awareness campaigns, so called “health and safety awareness days”, where we engage with employees across the markets in different health and safety topics. 

In 2021, we launched a new The Coca-Cola Company programme called “Life Saving Rules”. It promotes 14 safety rules with specific requirements covering the full scope of our processes across the entire organisation. Compliance with these requirements is assessed on a quarterly basis in every Coca-Cola HBC relevant location – in 2025 the Coca-Cola HBC Compliance rate achieved 88.9%. Based on these assessments, each country has developed its own corrective actions addressing critical gaps and reducing the risk of workplace related accidents.   

H&S Management Systems

We’ve implemented our occupational health and safety (OHS) management system based on both national standards in the country where we operate and based on The Coca-Cola Company KORE requirements, which are either equal or in many cases stricter than the local regulation/requirements. 

Our operations are certified in ISO 45001 certification: 100% of manufacturing bottling sites representing 100% of beverage production volume. 100% of all our direct operations are covered by the internal Health and Safety audit process to assure full compliance with the local health and safety standards and our internal requirements. This includes manufacturing plants, offices, sales offices, our own distribution centres and warehouses, the contractors working in our premises, and third-party contractors. As part of the OHS management system, regular on-site inspections are performed by the local safety teams, by the central safety team and by so-called cross-border auditors (an internal team of safety experts) who verify compliance, share the expertise and best practice in Risk mitigation. Our data collection and reporting system uses special software and it is in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards. The data is analysed for safety performance indicators to ensure that operations are properly monitored and that corrective actions are taken in a timely manner. OHS performance of each facility and BU is regularly reported to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). 

We expect our suppliers to provide a safe workplace with policies and practices in place to minimise the risk of accidents, injury, and exposure to health risks. That is why our suppliers are required to acknowledge acceptance to comply with our Supplier Guiding Principles (SGPs) and with the Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA), which includes: compliance with local legal and Coca-Cola HBC Occupational Health and Safety requirements; risk management through Health & Safety management plans; providing and requiring the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); providing trainings on health and safety, including the use of PPE; assuring all workers have access to drinking water, toilets and hygiene facilities and are made aware of medical care facilities. 

We are committed to providing our employees with a safe and healthy work environment that safeguards their mental and physical wellbeing. To support this objective, we have a strong health and safety programme in place to drive a harmonised approach to mitigating safety risks and create a culture of continuous improvement. 
 
We have established several healthy working environment initiatives focusing on ergonomic workplaces, illumination, noise, indoor air quality and humidity. For each of these, specific design requirements are described in our Engineering Specifications and regular trainings are available to all employees (e.g., via specific Toolbox Talks, Supply Chain Academy, etc). Noise and indoor air control are regulated by The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) as a mandatory requirement for bottlers. Compliance to requirements is controlled by TCCC by regular on-site audits. In 2025, there were 8 H&S relevant compliance audits completed by TCCC; 6 audits were in our Manufacturing plants and two Route To Market related. 

Coca-Cola HBC conducts compliance assurance process through internal audits, audits conducted by TCCC and external audits as per ISO 45001 requirements and Supplier Guiding Principles (SGPs). 

For the evaluation phase of acquisitions and mergers related to the manufacture, storage, and distribution of products and services for Coca-Cola HBC and its subsidiary companies, we adhere to the due diligence process. The technical aspects of due diligence include Quality/Food Safety, Engineering, Environmental, Hydro Geological, and Health & Safety considerations. Safety & Environmental Due Diligence is also a supplemental requirement under TCCC Operating Unit Governance. 

Coca-Cola HBC and Emergency Preparedness 

In Coca-Cola HBC we have local emergency preparedness procedures available and annually tested in each site. Testing is primarily done for fire safety and at manufacturing locations. It is also run for the emergency spill preparedness and throughout working shifts. This testing includes assurance of employees' safety, and people evacuation and is conducted with the collaboration of local medical and fire protection emergency services. Based on safety risk assessments for high complexity manufacturing sites, we have trained dedicated fire emergency response teams. 

The Group Business resilience team is leading the emergency preparedness assessment of all our operating Business Units. This assessment includes the H&S response in emergency situations. 

We believe every young person deserves the chance to thrive. Through our flagship programme #YouthEmpowered, we are addressing one of the most pressing societal issues in our markets, youth employment. 

Since launching in 2017, #YouthEmpowered has supported 1,283,244 young people, surpassing our Mission 2025 target of one million participants by the end of 2025.

Young people face different barriers depending on local labour market conditions. In countries with high unemployment, such as North Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, Ukraine and Egypt, access to jobs remains limited. In other markets experiencing labour shortages, young people may enter the workforce without the skills required to succeed.

#YouthEmpowered responds to these challenges through tailored training, delivered both in person and online. The programme supports young people aged 18-30 years who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) or who are at risk of becoming NEET, equipping them with the skills, experience and confidence needed to transition into meaningful employment. Alongside training, mentoring sessions with Coca‑Cola HBC senior managers help participants build professional networks and real‑world insight. 

To maximise relevance and impact, we work closely with trusted NGOs and local partners, ensuring curricula reflect local labour market needs and reach those who need support most. This locally tailored approach allows #YouthEmpowered to deliver consistent quality while responding to diverse employment contexts. 

In 2023, we introduced #YouthEmpowered 2.0, an enhanced model designed to deepen impact and strengthen links to our business. This new chapter sharpens the focus on vocational skills, hands‑on learning and industry connection, equipping young people with the skills, confidence and networks needed to build sustainable careers.

Here are just some of our 2025 #YouthEmpowered activities:

• In Greece and Romania, we are tackling a critical skills gap in the hospitality sector by equipping young people with the capabilities needed to fill roles in an industry eager for talent.
• In Egypt, we partner with El Sewedy Technical Academy to provide applied technical training aligned with industry standards, offering participants pathways to internships within our business.
• In North Macedonia, through the Skills for Success programme, young people gain essential employability and leadership skills. As part of the summer internship initiative, 20 participants completed an intensive career-readiness course, with two securing roles in our local business.
• In Nigeria, we are helping advance employability and entrepreneurship through regional bootcamps focused on hospitality, digital literacy and business skills. This year, 10 participants secured internships with NBC, while three start-up grants worth 1 million Naira (€582) each were awarded to transform innovative ideas into real businesses.

Packaging plays a vital role in keeping our products fresh and safe. Sustainable packaging and waste management are important to our business, given the amount of packaging we use, the variety of pack materials we use and the need to recover and recycle them after consumption.

Read more about our Circular Packaging strategy here: Making our Packaging Circular | Coca-Cola HBC (coca-colahellenic.com)

Our Mission 2025 objective was to reduce the water we use in our production plants located in water-risk areas by 20%, compared with our 2017 baseline¹. Maintaining the long-term sustainability of the watersheds around our bottling plants is important to our business and to our relationships with local communities. Coca-Cola HBC is supportive of the global 2030 Water Framework for the Coca-Cola System. The objectives include less shared water challenges, better watershed health and sustainable supply chains as well as more community water resilience.  

Water reduction in our operations 

In 2024, we took an important step forward and started to certify our 60 beverage production plants in all markets with a new water efficiency management standard ISO 46001. This provides a consistent, robust framework for improving water efficiency, setting clear performance targets and ensuring all our plants are audited against the same standard.

By the end of 2025, 88% of our production sites were certified to the ISO 46001 water efficiency standard, with the remaining sites scheduled for certification in 2026, followed by the continuous recertification every 3 years.  

We used new and innovative approaches to optimise water use in our production processes. For example, zero-liquid  discharge equipment in Poland recycles water instead of discharging it into the nearby river. We then use this water in processes that do not come into contact with products or packaging. 

Working with our suppliers

We partner with suppliers to minimise our water footprint across the entire value chain. Using the WWF Water Risk Filter, we assess the basin and operational water risks of our critical suppliers by measuring their water consumption. Where suppliers operate in high‑risk areas, we work with them to develop targeted action plans to reduce water use. 

¹ _{We have 19 water priority locations, including Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Nigeria and excluding Egypt.}

Alongside our five Mission 2025 programme areas, we also addressed local issues of strategic relevance to our business. Across our 29 countries, we support initiatives that strengthen community wellbeing and health, working closely with partners such as the Red Cross, local NGOs and food banks to support vulnerable groups and people in need.

In times of natural disasters or crisis, we are often among the first companies to support emergency services and affected communities through in‑kind and financial contributions. Beyond donating products and emergency relief funds, we actively encourage our employees to volunteer and support local response efforts.

We continue with our long-standing projects aimed at local community wellbeing. Our “After Us” initiative in Romania is aimed at preserving the country’s natural resources and cultural heritage. Within the programme, we carried out eco-touristic projects in The Land of Dorna where our local water brands are produced, around the Bigar waterfall in the Caras-Severin County and in Tecșești, an isolated village in Transylvania. In Czechia, following our guidance, Prague 14, our local plant's district, has adopted responsible waste management principles for all cultural and sports events. In Ireland, we continued our support of the Simon Community, Fareshare, and FoodCloud making monthly product donations to help address food poverty and reduce food waste.  

We build long‑term partnerships with NGOs, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to maximise the impact of our community programmes. In 2025, we collaborated with more than 670 local and international organisations, including the International Federation of the Red Cross, Caritas, Habitat for Humanity, the World Wide Fund for Nature, Junior Achievement, Special Olympics and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean.

Beyond our financial investments to address the pressing challenges described above, we empower our people to make a difference by volunteering a portion of their working hours to support community programmes. This approach strengthens the communities where we operate, while also creating meaningful learning and development opportunities for our employees and supporting engagement and wellbeing.

Volunteering was a core part of our Mission 2025 sustainability commitments. We aim for at least 10% of employees to take part in volunteering activities during working hours each year. In 2025, we exceeded this target, with 13% participation. In total, 3,806 employees volunteered across our markets, contributing their time, skills and passion to support local communities.

Founded in 2023, the Coca-Cola HBC Foundation continues our tradition of giving back to the communities we are a part of. 

To help drive impact in our communities, we prioritise funding, and where relevant, advice and expertise, in the following areas: 

• Community resilience, including disaster relief and recovery. 

• Sustainable access to safe water for our communities. 

• Economic empowerment for young people. 

• Circular economy projects and initiatives. 

The new foundation brings clear focus to our work and empowers us to make decisions quickly to take action where it is most needed. 

In 2025, Europe faced severe wildfires in Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria, as well as devastating floods in Romania, destroying homes, forests and livelihoods.  Our longer‑term recovery efforts are focused on regeneration in Greece and Cyprus, covering anti‑erosion works, landscape recovery. We also equipped and trained volunteer firefighters in Bulgaria and helped rebuild homes in flood‑affected communities in Romania. To support these efforts, The Coca‑Cola HBC Foundation provided €2.3 million in disaster‑relief funding in 2025. These projects will continue through 2026, as part of a multi-year plan, designed to ensure lasting impact. Since its launch in 2023, The Coca-Cola HBC Foundation has committed €4.5 million in community grants, primarily for disaster relief, underscoring our enduring commitment to stand by communities in times of crisis. 

In 2025, Coca-Cola HBC committed an incremental €5 million in funding for the Foundation so that we can respond swiftly and responsibly to the needs of our communities..