What is 5 BY 20?

"Enhancing economic opportunities for women in the Coca-Cola value chain will result in increased incomes, enhanced skills in business, increased stature within the community, and improved potential for communities."

Muhtar Kent
Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company
September 2010

By 2020, The Coca-Cola Company aims to partner with civil society and other private sector actors to support 5 million women through:

Access to financing
Access to business skills
Access to mentors and business networks

What is 5 BY 20?

Across the world, millions of women distribute and sell Coca-Cola products, working hard to improve the lives of their families and their communities and making a vital contribution to our business. 5 BY 20 is Coca-Cola's global commitment which aims to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs and help them to overcome the barriers they face to business success.

By 2020, Coca-Cola will have provided 5 million women with tools and skills they need to run thriving businesses.

Why invest in women? 

Women form the backbone of families and communities in the developing world, and a growing body of evidence demonstrates that investments in women's business success can have significant positive impact on local economies and the communities. 

How does this relate to Coca-Cola's growth goals?

Coca-Cola plans to double the size of its business by 2020. Women-run businesses play a significant role in the Coca-Cola business system today and will continue to do so in the years to come. Investments in their success - increasing access to finance, improving business skills, and providing access to mentors and networks - will help these women to be more successful and build the foundations for our future  business success.

How will we achieve this?

Coca-Cola already supports small businesses and women every day - through retail and distribution training programs, for example, in both emerging and developed markets. Together with our bottling partners, we will scale-up these projects and work with partners in civil society, government and other business to break down barriers to enterprise growth. As we do this, we plan to work closely with the women we are seeking to benefit so that we ensure that their views and needs are always prioritized. We also plan to engage our associates in this work, giving them opportunities to use their skills to benefit the small businesses in our system. In late 2011, we will publicly announce our plan to reach our ambitious goals.

"5 BY 20 is exactly the type of investment that we need in order to reinvigorate our economies and foster long-term, sustainable growth."

Melanne Verveer
Ambassador-At-Large for Global Women's Issues
US Department of State
September 2010