CSR COCA-COLA-WWF

CSR COCA-COLA-WWF

The whole issue of Kerala deeply impacted Coca-Cola, and resulted in lot of College campuses boycotting Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola then realized the responsibility they have to a community. In Kerala they were seen as a big symbol of water users in a community where water was scarce.

It was then CRS, especially on water dawned on Coca-Cola. It was incidents like these that made the company realized water shortages and its affect on their business. Coca-Cola sought to change itself to company that cared about water management. It decided to attempt into a partnership with WWF.

WWF realized that though there were successful in raising awareness amoung public, species were still dying and habitat continued to get destroyed. They could not work alone any longer. To make change they will have to form new partnerships with governments and business.

The first step Coca-Cola took is to appoint Seabright as Vice-President of Environment and Water. The company first wanted to initiate change in them, a series of detailed surveys took place in company and it was found people were eager to approach this issue. Mangers felt there was no framework on dealing with issues of watershed. Workshops were conducted and this gave a lot of insight from workers, stories were bought to the forefront and published on the internet. A strategic framework began to emerge which was resulting in operational excellence with realization of water wasting and pollution or realization of watersheds importance in the community.

For WWF to join into a partnership it had to rethinks its vision. They had to working together and not separately. They realized that though they had sophisticated watershed, but Coca-Cola had great watershed analysis and better commercial decision making. WWF realized this opportunity; working together they could make Coca-Cola change to sustainable resources.

WWF helped Coca-Cola realized the concept of their Water footprint which includes such things as sugarcane which absorbs a lot of water.

The partnership went on to become for collaborative. They both thought of the work they plan together and how to shape structure of work that they all agreed to. WWF helped Coca-Cola understand the local community and habitat protection and community protection are two sides of the same coin.

There was a lot of release of creative energy. For WWF they had to make sure that they did not impose their passion on Coca-Cola.

WWF planned over seven watersheds. Yangtze river basin was one of the watersheds. To understand the community the employees went and lived amongst them for some time.

For both the organizations this partnership venture has held a lot of risks. Coca-Cola promised WWF that they could without interference make an accurate water footprint estimate.

WWF may have been seen as taking money in return for green washing its corporate benefactors.

A partnership for with WWF with Coca-Cola has increased the CSR for them. It has changed the structure which Coca-Cola works, making it more community friendly.