Coca-Cola in Italy is worth 870 million euros and creates more than 22,000 jobs

Even in the difficult year of the pandemic, Coca-Cola remains the 1st reality in the soft drinks and beverages sector and confirms its key role in the country's employment levels.

Milan, 27 September 2021 – Coca-Cola confirms its position as the leading player in the soft drinks and beverages sector in terms of economic and employment impact also in 2020: adding salaries, supply contracts, taxes and tax contributions paid, more than 870 million euros (equal to 0.05% of the national GDP) are generated in Italy and allocated to families, to companies and the State, and over 22,000 jobs created directly and through its related industries. The people who depend on the labor income generated (directly and indirectly) by Coca-Cola are a total of over 50,000. A result that was not taken for granted, in the difficult period that the country has gone through, aggravated by the closures of the Horeca channel that have generated a negative impact on the entire supply chain. 

This is what emerges from the study carried out by SDA Bocconi School of Management , which analyzed the socio-economic impact of Coca-Cola Italia, Coca-Cola HBC Italia and Sibeg. The three companies that make up the Coca-Cola system in the country and that have always stood out for their deep bond with the territories they belong  to and the desire to be an active part of it. Starting from the "facts", the study tells and frames the contribution made, every day, by the women and men of the Coca-Cola system in Italy and which makes the company "de facto Italian".

The study also shows that, if the presence of Coca-Cola were to disappear, in addition to eliminating the economic impact on a national scale, there would be important consequences in terms of employment, especially in those regions where the offices and plants of the three companies are present: the growth in the number of unemployed would in fact record +1.2% in Piedmont, +5.3% in Lombardy, +1.7% in Veneto, +1.8% in Abruzzo, +0.3% in Campania, +1.2% in Basilicata and +0.3% in Sicily. 

The Covid impact and support for families and HO. RE.CA.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong economic impact on every link in the supply chain linked to the sector, with a contraction in Coca-Cola's resources allocated to companies (122.4 million euros) and the State (about 37.5 million euros) as well as a loss of 6,100 indirect, external and temporary workers. Despite this, Coca-Cola distributed 2.8 million euros of additional resources to families and remained close to bars and restaurants in Italy , reinvesting over 2.5 million euros in the Horeca channel, through commercial and tax policies and dedicated communication activities. 

Investments in favour of local communities even in emergencies 

SDA Bocconi's analysis also highlights investments in building long-term relationships and initiatives in the territories, which always put people at the center. In the two-year period 2019-2020, Coca-Cola supported about 60 projects in Italy dedicated to inclusion, sustainability and education for a total of 4.4 million euros. These also include the donation of over 1.4 million euros to the Italian Red Cross on the front line in emergency management and more than 3.2 million products to health personnel.

An ongoing commitment to an inclusive work environment

Despite the difficulties related to the emergency, Coca-Cola also confirms its commitment to creating an inclusive environment: compared to the national average in the beverage sector, Coca-Cola employs a greater number of women, while, with reference to the average of companies active in Italy, it has a higher number of women executives (44% compared to 17%) and middle managers (36% compared to 29%). The salaries of Coca-Cola's direct employees are higher than the Italian average and, with the same professional qualification, there is less inequality between the remuneration of executives and that of other categories.