2017 Coca-Cola Human Rights ReportThis week, The Coca-Cola Company released its first stand-alone Human Rights Report, sharing how the company identified and addressed its human rights risks, including references to the CGF’s work on forced labour. The report, which marks a bold step in the right direction for the company aligns with the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles Framework and complements The Coca-Cola Company’s 2016-2017 Sustainability Report.

The CGF is proud to have The Coca-Cola Company as a committed partner within our social work stream, as we work together to implement the Social Resolution on Forced Labour, calling on members to eliminate forced labour from global supply chains. Brent Wilton, Director of Global Workplace Rights at The Coca-Cola Company, currently co-chairs the social work stream and was instrumental in the design of the Priority Industry Principles, which The Coca-Cola Company continues to champion.

The report takes an in-depth look at the company’s efforts, initiatives and key milestones up to this point. Some key work in the past two years includes the publication of five studies relating to child labour, strengthened collaborative action to mega-sporting events and the sourcing of more than one million tons of more sustainable sugar in 2016. It also examines and maps out a pathway for the work that remains to be done. Such areas include: improved access to remedy for workers in their supply chain, further protection of human rights defenders, more accuracy in data gathering, and further integration of the UN Guiding Principles deep into their supply chain. 

The report also references the work of organisations like the Institute for Human Rights and Business and Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, with whom the CGF is also engaging with. Collaboration is key to the CGF’s mission to drive positive change and collective action across global supply chains. The issue of forced labour is too big for any one company, organisation or government to solve alone, and invested members such as The Coca-Cola Company help serve as a bridge between the industry and its key stakeholders to share knowledge and find tangible solutions.

If you would like to learn more about the report and how it was created, take a look at Brent’s interview here: http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/working-to-get-human-rights-rightand-reporting-on-it

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