Company Receives 2009 World Environment Center Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development

The Coca-Cola Company is the recipient of the prestigious World Environment Center's (WEC) Twenty-Fifth Annual Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development for implementing strategic business initiatives in the high impact areas of water stewardship, sustainable packaging, energy management and climate protection.

Our Signature Contribution, "returning to nature and communities an amount of water equal to what it uses in all of its beverages and their production," was cited by the independent international Gold Medal Jury as an exceptional demonstration of leadership in sustainability. Based on reducing and recycling the water used in manufacturing, and replenishing water as a vital resource, the efforts are yielding important social, environmental, and economic benefits.

Muhtar Kent, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company said: "We are very pleased to be recognized with this important international award. Together with our bottling partners around the world, we have made a deep commitment to managing and preserving our water resources. This recognition from the World Environment Center gives us confidence that we are heading in the right direction."

World Environment Center Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development was established in 1985 to recognize top industry initiatives in global environmental excellence and sustainable development. The WEC Gold Medal Jury is independent of the WEC and its programs, and is composed of international leaders from academia, government, and non-governmental organizations and retired industry professionals.

About World Environment Center
The World Environment Center (WEC) is an independent, non-profit, non-advocacy organization whose mission is to advance sustainable development through the business practices of its member companies in partnership with government and other stakeholders. WEC's activities and operations are global in scope, and it is unique in providing direct, on-the-ground support to companies to improve their performance, and that of their business partners, across the value chain.