Coca-Cola remains committed to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, saying that neglecting these efforts could do more harm than good for its business.
According to Business Insider, Coca-Cola’s annual filing states that fostering an inclusive workplace culture is “critical” to its growth and success.
“Our diverse, high-performing global employee base helps drive a culture of inclusion, innovation and growth,” the company stated. “We aspire to develop a global workforce with diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds that reflect the broad range of consumers and markets we serve around the world.”
Coca-Cola warned that failing to entice and retain this specialized top-tier talent could lead to negative consequences for its growth and future success.
The company added that it remained committed to “providing access to equal opportunities and fostering belonging both in our workplaces and the local communities we proudly serve,” saying the opposite could disrupt its operations and hinder the development of a collaborative corporate culture.
Coca-Cola is reaffirming its commitment to DEI at a time when many major companies, including Meta, Google, Target, McDonald’s, Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, and Amazon, have either rolled back or completely terminated their initiatives, AFROTECH™ noted.
On Coca-Cola’s website, the company outlines goals including having women fill 50% of senior leadership roles by 2030 and ensuring that its U.S. workforce reflects national census data at all levels, Bloomberg reported.
When asked if it would change its DEI policies, Chief Financial Officer John Murphy said the company is “focused on having the best talent around the world.” However, he said Coca-Cola would adhere to regulation changes at the federal level.
PepsiCo, Coca-Cola’s competitor, rolled back some of its DEI policies this month, which included the removal of a statement about how a “culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a competitive advantage” that helps retain talent and strengthens its reputation, per Bloomberg.
The changes indicate a potential shift for PepsiCo, which states on its website that it aims to achieve gender parity in management positions while increasing Black and Hispanic representation in management to 10% by 2025, according to the outlet.
In 2020, PepsiCo had also announced a $570 million investment in Black and Hispanic communities to enhance representation in its partnerships and supply chains — a program that concludes this year.
On Jan. 21, 2025 — the second day of his second term — President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which mandated the end of “illegal” DEI efforts in the public sector.
“Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws,” the order read, “they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.”
It continued, “Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex.”
