Engaging with our stakeholders strengthens our relationships and helps us make better business decisions and deliver on our commitments.

When introducing new packages or products, developing strategies or setting targets to manage the social and environmental impacts of our operations, we consider what is meaningful and valuable to our stakeholders. This requires understanding our stakeholders’ priorities and expectations.

We strive for long-term partnerships with non-governmental organisations, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to maximise the impact of community programmes.

For instance, to build trust by operating responsibly and sustainably, and addressing issues that are material for our communities, we engage directly with people in the markets in which we operate, particularly those living in the areas around our bottling operations, and through third-party partnerships.

In 2019, we co-operated with nearly 400 non-governmental organisations and non-trade partners, including the International Federation of the Red Cross, the World Wide Fund for Nature, Junior Achievement, Teach for All and the Global Water Partnership. In October, we hosted 35 stakeholders from 20 countries at our Stakeholder forum in Athens to discuss and listen to various viewpoints and recommendations on how to take our water stewardship agenda forward.