Vending Machines in Japan Now Make it Easy for Consumers to Support Earthquake Victims

Coca-Cola System, Japanese Red Cross Society partner to design new units

Newly installed Coca-Cola vending machines in Japan now make it easier than ever for the public to support earthquake victims in the hardest-hit areas of the country.

Red "charity buttons" on the units -- which were designed by Tone Coca-Cola Bottling Company in collaboration with the Japanese Red Cross Society -- give consumers the option of donating either 10 yen or 100 yen (approx. $0.12 or $1.23) to the charity while purchasing their favorite beverage. Standalone contributions are accepted, too. The machine says "Thank you very much for your donation" after each offering.

The initiative is part of a global partnership between the Coca-Cola system and The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Our Company and bottling partners around the world have worked together with IFRC chapters to provide disaster relief and other humanitarian services to communities since 1917. All donations made through September 2011 will support victims of the Japan earthquake. Contributions made after that will fund Red Cross humanitarian operations.

Tone CCBC plans to expand the deployment to up to 100 units this year in sales territories such as the Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures. Three-dimensional curves and features like HFC-free heat pumps make the vending machines both eye-catching and eco-friendly.

Japan has more vending machines than any other country in the world. Approximately 30 percent of all Coca-Cola beverages sold in Japan are purchased in one of the more than 980,000 vending machines our system owns and operates nationwide. These units, many of which accept cashless payments through mobile devices and provide unique ways for consumers to engage with our brands, dispense both cold and hot drinks.

To date, the Coca-Cola system has pledged $33 million to the ongoing relief and recovery efforts in Japan, including donations of more than 4 million unit cases of bottled water. The Coca-Cola Japan Reconstruction Fund will help rebuild schools and youth-focused community facilities across the impacted areas of the country. The Coca-Cola Foundation matched all associate contributions to the Fund dollar for dollar through June 30, 2011.

Our system also announced plans to reduce power usage in vending machines this summer in the hardest-hit regions of Japan.