Coca-Cola to emphasize women in its supply chain

24 Sep 2010

Source: Market Watch
Coca Cola Co. plans to double the number of women in its supply chain, the company announced this week. Chief executive Muhtar Kent said the goal is to "empower" five million women entrepreneurs throughout Coca Cola’s  global business system by 2020. In Africa, Coca Cola wants to grow its "micro distribution centers," an independent network of entrepreneurs who distribute Coke's beverage products to retailers, often by bicycle or pushcart.

At last year's Clinton Global Initiative, the company said half of all new micro distribution centers would be run by women, and Coke says it is on track to achieve that target. Coke says its business model relies on millions of small-scale distributors and retailers, many of whom are women. "We need to increase awareness that better societies can be created as a result of empowering women," Kent said in a statement.

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