ko-20211231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number 001-02217

COCA COLA CO

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

One Coca-Cola Plaza

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (404)676-2121

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.25 Par Value KO New York Stock Exchange

0.750% Notes Due 2026 KO26C New York Stock Exchange

0.125% Notes Due 2029 KO29A New York Stock Exchange

0.125% Notes Due 2029 KO29B New York Stock Exchange

0.400% Notes Due 2030 KO30B New York Stock Exchange

0.500% Notes Due 2033 KO33A New York Stock Exchange

0.950% Notes Due 2036 KO36A New York Stock Exchange

0.800% Notes Due 2040 KO40B New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

__________________________________________________

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.☒

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant (assuming for these purposes, but without conceding, that all executive officers and Directors are “affiliates” of the Registrant) as of July 2, 2021, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $232,023,179,143 (based on the closing sale price of the Registrant’s Common Stock on that date as reported on the New York Stock Exchange).

The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s Common Stock as of February 18, 2022 was 4,335,473,308.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Company’s Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareowners are incorporated by reference in Part III.

THE COCA-COLA COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Table of Contents

Page

Forward-Looking Statements 2

Part I

Item 1. Business 2

Item 1A. Risk Factors 11

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 24

Item 2. Properties 25

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 25

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 28

Item X. Information About Our Executive Officers 28

Part II

Item 6. Intentionally Omitted 32

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 57

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 59

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 129

Item 9B. Other Information 129

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections 129

Part III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 129

Item 11. Executive Compensation 129

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 130

Part IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 130

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains information that may constitute “forward-looking statements.” Generally, the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “project,” “will” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. However, the absence of these words or similar expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future — including statements relating to volume growth, share of sales and earnings per share growth, and statements expressing general views about future operating results — are forward-looking statements. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. However, caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements because such statements speak only as of the date when made. Our Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our Company’s actual results to differ materially from historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the assumptions used to calculate our estimated aggregate incremental tax and interest liability related to the potential unfavorable outcome of the ongoing tax dispute with the United States Internal Revenue Service could significantly change; those described in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report; and those described from time to time in our future reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Part I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

In this report, the terms “The Coca-Cola Company,” “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” mean The Coca-Cola Company and all entities included in our consolidated financial statements.

General

The Coca-Cola Company is a total beverage company, and beverage products bearing our trademarks, sold in the United States since 1886, are now sold in more than 200 countries and territories. We own or license and market numerous beverage brands, which we group into the following categories: Trademark Coca-Cola; sparkling flavors; hydration, sports, coffee and tea; nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages; and emerging beverages. We own and market five of the world’s top six nonalcoholic sparkling soft drink brands: Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.

We make our branded beverage products available to consumers throughout the world through our network of independent bottling partners, distributors, wholesalers and retailers as well as our consolidated bottling and distribution operations. Beverages bearing trademarks owned by or licensed to the Company account for 2.1 billion of the approximately 63 billion servings of all beverages consumed worldwide every day.

We believe our success depends on our ability to connect with consumers by providing them with a wide variety of beverage options to meet their desires, needs and lifestyles. Our success further depends on the ability of our people to execute effectively, every day.

We are guided by our purpose, which is to refresh the world and make a difference, and rooted in our strategy to drive net operating revenue growth and generate long-term value. Our vision for growth has three connected pillars:

•Loved Brands. We craft meaningful brands and a choice of drinks that people love and that refresh them in body and spirit.

•Done Sustainably. We use our leadership to be part of the solution to achieve positive change in the world and to build a more sustainable future for our planet.

•For A Better Shared Future. We invest to improve people’s lives, from our employees to all those who touch our business system, to our investors, to the broad communities we call home.

Effective January 1, 2021, we transformed our organizational structure in an effort to better enable us to capture growth in the fast-changing marketplace by building a networked global organization designed to combine the power of scale with the deep knowledge required to win locally. We created new operating units, which are focused on regional and local execution. The operating units, which sit under four geographic operating segments, as discussed below, are highly interconnected, with more consistency in their structure and a focus on eliminating duplication of resources and scaling new products more quickly. The operating units work closely with five global marketing category leadership teams to rapidly scale ideas while staying close to the consumer. The global marketing category leadership teams primarily focus on innovation as well as marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Our organizational structure also includes a center and a platform services organization, as discussed below.

The Coca-Cola Company was incorporated in September 1919 under the laws of the State of Delaware and succeeded to the business of a Georgia corporation with the same name that had been organized in 1892.

Operating Segments

The Company’s operating structure is the basis for our internal financial reporting. Our operating structure includes the following operating segments:

•Europe, Middle East and Africa

•Latin America

•North America

•Asia Pacific

•Global Ventures

•Bottling Investments

Our operating structure also includes Corporate, which consists of two components: (1) a center focusing on strategic initiatives, policy, governance and scaling global initiatives; and (2) a platform services organization supporting the operating units, global marketing category leadership teams and the center by providing efficient and scaled global services and capabilities including, but not limited to, transactional work, data management, consumer analytics, digital commerce and social/digital hubs.

For additional information about our operating segments and Corporate, refer to Note 19 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part II, “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this report.

Except to the extent that differences among operating segments are material to an understanding of our business taken as a whole, the description of our business in this report is presented on a consolidated basis.

Products and Brands

As used in this report:

•“concentrates” means flavorings and other ingredients which, when combined with water and, depending on the product, sweeteners (nutritive or non-nutritive) are used to prepare syrups or finished beverages, and includes powders/minerals for purified water products;

•“syrups” means intermediate products in the beverage manufacturing process produced by combining concentrates with water and, depending on the product, sweeteners (nutritive or non-nutritive);

•“fountain syrups” means syrups that are sold to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores, which use dispensing equipment to mix the syrups with sparkling or still water at the time of purchase to produce finished beverages that are served in cups or glasses for immediate consumption;

•“Company Trademark Beverages” means beverages bearing our trademarks and certain other beverages bearing trademarks licensed to us by third parties for which we provide marketing support and from the sale of which we derive an economic benefit; and

•“Trademark Coca-Cola Beverages” or “Trademark Coca-Cola” means beverages bearing the trademark Coca-Cola or any trademark that includes Coca-Cola or Coke (that is, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke/Coca-Cola Light and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and all their variations and any line extensions, including caffeine free Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, etc.). Likewise, when we use the capitalized word “Trademark” together with the name of one of our other beverage products (such as “Trademark Fanta,” “Trademark Sprite” or “Trademark Simply”), we mean beverages bearing the indicated trademark (that is, Fanta, Sprite or Simply, respectively) and all its variations and line extensions (such that “Trademark Fanta” includes Fanta Orange, Fanta Zero Orange, Fanta Zero Sugar, Fanta Apple, etc.; “Trademark Sprite” includes Sprite, Sprite Zero Sugar, etc.; and “Trademark Simply” includes Simply Orange, Simply Apple, Simply Grapefruit, etc.).

Our Company markets, manufactures and sells:

•beverage concentrates, sometimes referred to as “beverage bases,” and syrups, including fountain syrups (we refer to this part of our business as our “concentrate operations”); and

•finished sparkling soft drinks and other beverages (we refer to this part of our business as our “finished product operations”).

Generally, finished product operations generate higher net operating revenues but lower gross profit margins than concentrate operations.

Our concentrate operations typically generate net operating revenues by selling concentrates, syrups and certain finished beverages to authorized bottling operations (to which we typically refer as our “bottlers” or our “bottling partners”). Our bottling partners either combine concentrates with still or sparkling water and sweeteners (depending on the product), or combine syrups with still or sparkling water, to produce finished beverages. The finished beverages are packaged in authorized containers, such as cans and refillable and nonrefillable glass and plastic bottles, bearing our trademarks or trademarks licensed to us and are then sold to retailers directly or, in some cases, through wholesalers or other bottlers. In addition, outside the United States, our bottling partners are typically authorized to manufacture fountain syrups, using our concentrates, which they sell to fountain retailers for use in producing beverages for immediate consumption, or to authorized fountain wholesalers who in turn sell and distribute the fountain syrups to fountain retailers. Our concentrate operations are included in our geographic operating segments and our Global Ventures operating segment.

Our finished product operations generate net operating revenues by selling sparkling soft drinks and a variety of other finished beverages to retailers or to distributors and wholesalers who in turn sell the beverages to retailers. These operations consist primarily of our consolidated bottling and distribution operations, which are included in our Bottling Investments operating segment. In certain markets, the Company also operates non-bottling finished product operations in which we sell finished beverages to distributors and wholesalers that are generally not one of the Company’s bottling partners. These operations are generally included in one of our geographic operating segments or our Global Ventures operating segment. Additionally, we sell directly to consumers through retail stores operated by Costa Limited (“Costa”). These sales are included in our Global Ventures operating segment. In the United States, we manufacture fountain syrups and sell them to fountain retailers, who use the fountain syrups to produce beverages for immediate consumption, or to authorized fountain wholesalers or bottling partners who in turn sell the fountain syrups to fountain retailers. These fountain syrup sales are included in our North America operating segment.

For information regarding net operating revenues and unit case volume related to our concentrate operations and finished product operations, refer to the heading “Our Business — General” set forth in Part II, “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this report.

For information regarding how we measure the volume of Company beverage products sold by the Company and our bottling partners (“Coca-Cola system”), refer to the heading “Operations Review — Beverage Volume” set forth in Part II, “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this report.

We own and market numerous valuable beverage brands, including the following:

•sparkling soft drinks: Coca-Cola, Diet Coke/Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, Fresca, Schweppes,1 Sprite and Thums Up;

•hydration, sports, coffee and tea: Aquarius, Ayataka, BODYARMOR, Ciel, Costa, doğadan, Dasani, FUZE TEA, Georgia, glacéau smartwater, glacéau vitaminwater, Gold Peak, Ice Dew, I LOHAS, Powerade and Topo Chico; and

•nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages: AdeS, Del Valle, fairlife, innocent, Minute Maid, Minute Maid Pulpy and Simply.

1Schweppes is owned by the Company in certain countries other than the United States.

In addition to the beverage brands we own, we also provide marketing support and otherwise participate in the sales of other beverage brands through licenses, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. For example, certain Coca-Cola system bottlers distribute certain brands of Monster Beverage Corporation (“Monster”), primarily Monster Energy, in designated territories in the United States, Canada and other international territories pursuant to distribution coordination agreements between the Company and Monster and related distribution agreements between Monster and Coca-Cola system bottlers.

Consumer demand determines the optimal menu of Company product offerings. Consumer demand can vary from one market to another and can change over time within a single market. Our Company continually seeks to further optimize its portfolio of brands, products and services in order to create and satisfy consumer demand in every market.

Distribution System

We make our branded beverage products available to consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through our network of independent bottling partners, distributors, wholesalers and retailers as well as our consolidated bottling and distribution operations. Consumers enjoy finished beverage products bearing trademarks owned by or licensed to the Company at a rate of 2.1 billion servings each day. Our strong and stable bottling and distribution system helps us to capture growth by manufacturing, distributing and selling existing, enhanced and new innovative products to consumers throughout the world.

The Coca-Cola system sold 31.3 billion and 29.0 billion unit cases of our products in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Sparkling soft drinks represented 69 percent of our worldwide unit case volume in both 2021 and 2020. Trademark Coca-Cola accounted for 47 percent of our worldwide unit case volume in both 2021 and 2020. In 2021, unit case volume in the United States

represented 17 percent of the Company’s worldwide unit case volume. Of the U.S. unit case volume, 61 percent was attributable to sparkling soft drinks. Trademark Coca-Cola accounted for 42 percent of U.S. unit case volume. Unit case volume outside the United States represented 83 percent of the Company’s worldwide unit case volume in 2021. The countries outside the United States in which our unit case volumes were the largest were Mexico, China, Brazil and India, which together accounted for 31 percent of our worldwide unit case volume. Of the non-U.S. unit case volume, 71 percent was attributable to sparkling soft drinks. Trademark Coca-Cola accounted for 48 percent of non-U.S. unit case volume.

Our five largest independent bottling partners based on unit case volume in 2021 were as follows:

•Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. (“Coca-Cola FEMSA”), which has bottling and distribution operations inMexico (a substantial part of central Mexico, including Mexico City, as well as southeast and northeast Mexico), Guatemala (nationwide), Nicaragua (nationwide), Costa Rica (nationwide), Panama (nationwide), Colombia (most of the country), Venezuela (nationwide), Brazil (a major part of the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, the state of Paraná, the state of Santa Catarina, part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, part of the state of Goiás and part of the state of Rio de Janeiro), Argentina (federal capital of Buenos Aires and surrounding areas) and Uruguay (nationwide);

•Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc (“CCEP”), which has bottling and distribution operations in Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Fiji, continental France, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Samoa, Spain and Sweden;

•Coca-Cola HBC AG (“Coca-Cola Hellenic”), which has bottling and distribution operations in Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine;

•Arca Continental, S.A.B. de C.V., which has bottling and distribution operations in northern and western Mexico, northern Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, and the state of Texas and parts of the states of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the United States; and

•Swire Beverages, which has bottling and distribution operations in 11 provinces and the Shanghai Municipality in the eastern and southern areas of mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and territories in 13 states in the western United States.

In 2021, these five bottling partners combined represented 41 percent of our total worldwide unit case volume.

Being a bottler does not create a legal partnership or joint venture between us and our bottlers. Our bottlers are independent contractors and are not our agents.

Bottler’s Agreements

We have separate contracts, to which we generally refer as “bottler’s agreements,” with our bottling partners under which our bottling partners are granted certain authorizations by us. Subject to specified terms and conditions and certain variations, the bottler’s agreements generally authorize the bottlers to prepare, package, distribute and sell Company Trademark Beverages in authorized containers in (but, subject to applicable local law, generally only in) an identified territory. The bottler is obligated to purchase its entire requirement of concentrates or syrups for the designated Company Trademark Beverages from the Company or Company-authorized suppliers. We typically agree to refrain from selling or distributing, or from authorizing third parties to sell or distribute, the designated Company Trademark Beverages throughout the identified territory in the particular authorized containers. However, we typically reserve for ourselves or our designee the right (1) to prepare and package such Company Trademark Beverages in such containers in the territory for sale outside the territory; (2) to prepare, package, distribute and sell such Company Trademark Beverages in the territory in any other manner or form (territorial restrictions on bottlers vary in some cases in accordance with local law); and (3) to handle certain key accounts (accounts that cover multiple territories).

While under most of our bottler’s agreements we generally have complete flexibility to determine the price and other terms of sale of the concentrates and syrups we sell to our bottlers, as a practical matter, our Company’s ability to exercise its contractual flexibility to determine the price and other terms of sale of concentrates and syrups is subject, both outside and within the United States, to competitive market conditions. However, in an effort to allow our Company and our bottling partners to grow together through shared value, aligned financial objectives and the flexibility necessary to meet consumers’ always changing needs and tastes, we have implemented an incidence-based concentrate pricing model in most markets. Under this model, the concentrate price we charge is impacted by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, bottler pricing, the channels in which the finished products produced from the concentrates are sold, and package mix.

As further discussed below, our bottler’s agreements for territories outside the United States differ in some respects from our bottler’s agreements for territories within the United States.

Bottler’s Agreements Outside the United States

Bottler’s agreements between us and our authorized bottlers outside the United States generally are of stated duration, subject in some cases to possible extensions or renewals. Generally, these bottler’s agreements are subject to termination by the Company following the occurrence of certain designated events, including defined events of default and certain changes in ownership or control of the bottlers. Most of the bottler’s agreements in force between us and bottlers outside the United States authorize the bottlers to manufacture and distribute fountain syrups, usually on a nonexclusive basis.

In certain parts of the world outside the United States, we have not granted comprehensive beverage production and distribution rights to the bottlers. In such instances, we have authorized certain bottlers to (1) prepare and package Company Trademark Beverages for sale to other bottlers or (2) purchase Company Trademark Beverages from other bottlers for sale and distribution throughout their respective designated territories, often on a nonexclusive basis.

Bottler’s Agreements Within the United States

In the United States, most bottlers operate under a contract to which we generally refer as a “Comprehensive Beverage Agreement” (“CBA”) that is of stated duration, subject in most cases to renewal rights of bottlers and in some cases to renewal rights of the Company. A small number of bottlers continue to operate under legacy bottler’s agreements with no stated expiration date for Trademark Coca-Cola Beverages and other cola-flavored Company Trademark Beverages. In all instances, the bottler’s agreements in the United States are subject to termination by the Company for nonperformance or upon the occurrence of certain defined events of default that may vary from contract to contract.

Certain U.S. bottlers have been granted certain additional exclusive territory rights for the distribution, promotion, marketing and sale of Company-owned and licensed beverage brands (as defined by the CBAs). We refer to these bottlers as “expanding participating bottlers” or “EPBs.” EPBs operate under CBAs (“EPB CBAs”) under which the Company generally retained the rights to produce the applicable beverage products for territories not covered by specific manufacturing agreements, and such bottlers purchase from the Company (or from Company-authorized manufacturing bottlers) substantially all of the finished beverage products needed in order to service the customers in these territories. Each EPB CBA has a term of 10 years and is renewable, in most cases by the bottler, and in some cases by the Company, indefinitely for successive additional terms of 10 years each and includes additional requirements that provide for, among other things, a binding national governance model, mandatory incidence pricing and certain core performance requirements. The Company has also entered into manufacturing agreements that authorize certain EPBs that have executed EPB CBAs to manufacture certain beverage products for their own account and for supply to other bottlers.

In addition, certain U.S. bottlers that were not granted additional exclusive territory rights, which we refer to as “participating bottlers,” converted their legacy bottler’s agreements to CBAs, to which we refer as “participating bottler CBAs,” each of which has a term of 10 years, is renewable by the bottler indefinitely for successive additional terms of 10 years each, and is substantially similar in most material respects to the EPB CBAs, including with respect to requirements for a binding national governance model and mandatory incidence pricing, but includes core performance requirements that vary in certain respects from those in the EPB CBAs.

Those bottlers that have not signed CBAs continue to operate under legacy bottler’s agreements that include pricing formulas that generally provide for a baseline price for Trademark Coca-Cola Beverages and other cola-flavored Company Trademark Beverages. This baseline price may be adjusted periodically by the Company, up to a maximum indexed ceiling price, and is adjusted quarterly based upon changes in certain sugar or sweetener prices, as applicable. The U.S. unit case volume prepared, packaged, sold and distributed under these legacy bottler’s agreements is not material.

Under the terms of the bottler’s agreements, bottlers in the United States generally are not authorized to manufacture fountain syrups. Rather, the Company manufactures and sells fountain syrups to authorized fountain wholesalers (including certain authorized bottlers) and some fountain retailers. These wholesalers in turn sell the syrups, or deliver them on our behalf, to restaurants and other retailers.

Promotional and Marketing Programs

In addition to conducting our own independent advertising and marketing activities, we may provide promotional and marketing support and/or funds to our bottlers. In most cases, we do this on a discretionary basis under the terms of commitment letters or agreements, even though we are not obligated to do so under the terms of the bottler’s agreements between our Company and the bottlers. Also, on a discretionary basis in most cases, our Company may develop and introduce new products, packages and equipment to assist the bottlers. Likewise, in many instances, we provide promotional and marketing support and/or funds and/or dispensing equipment and repair services to fountain and bottle/can retailers, typically pursuant to marketing agreements. The aggregate amount provided by our Company to bottlers, resellers and other customers of our Company’s products, principally for participation in promotional and marketing programs, was $4.7 billion in 2021.

Investments in Bottling Operations

Most of our branded beverage products are prepared, packaged, distributed and sold by independent bottling partners. However, from time to time we acquire or take control of a bottling operation, often in underperforming markets where we believe we can use our resources and expertise to improve performance. Owning a bottling operation enables us to compensate for limited local resources; help focus the bottler’s sales and marketing programs; assist in the development of the bottler’s business and information systems; and establish an appropriate capital structure for the bottler. In line with our long-term bottling strategy, we may periodically consider options for divesting or reducing our ownership interest in a consolidated bottling operation, typically by selling all or a portion of our interest in the bottling operation to an independent bottler to improve Coca-Cola system efficiency. When we sell a consolidated bottling operation to an independent bottling partner in which we have an equity method investment, our Company continues to participate in the bottler’s results of operations through our share of the equity method investee’s earnings or losses.

In addition, from time to time we make equity investments representing noncontrolling interests in selected bottling operations with the intention of maximizing the strength and efficiency of the Coca-Cola system’s production, marketing, sales and distribution capabilities around the world by providing expertise and resources to strengthen those businesses. These investments are intended to result in increases in unit case volume, net revenues and profits at the bottler level, which in turn generate increased sales for our Company’s concentrate operations. When our equity investment provides us with the ability to exercise significant influence over the investee bottler’s operating and financial policies, we account for the investment under the equity method.

Seasonality

Sales of our ready-to-drink beverages are somewhat seasonal, with the second and third calendar quarters accounting for the highest sales volumes. The volume of sales in the beverage business may be affected by weather conditions.

Competition

The commercial beverage industry is highly competitive and consists of numerous companies, ranging from small or emerging to very large and well established. These include companies that, like our Company, compete globally in multiple geographic areas, as well as businesses that are primarily regional or local in operation. Competitive products include numerous nonalcoholic sparkling soft drinks; water products, including flavored and enhanced waters; juices, juice drinks and nectars; dilutables (including syrups and powders); coffees; teas; energy drinks; sports drinks; milk and other dairy-based drinks; plant-based beverages; functional beverages, including vitamin-based products and relaxation beverages; and various other nonalcoholic beverages. These competitive products are sold to consumers in both ready-to-drink and non-ready-to-drink form. The Company has directly entered the alcohol beverage segment in numerous markets outside the United States. In the United States, the Company has authorized alcohol-licensed third parties to use certain of our brands on alcohol beverages. Competitive products include all flavored alcohol beverages of varying alcohol bases. In many of the countries in which we do business, PepsiCo, Inc. is a primary competitor. Other significant competitors include, but are not limited to, Nestlé S.A., Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., Danone S.A., Suntory Beverage & Food Limited, Unilever, AB InBev, Kirin Holdings, Heineken N.V., Diageo and Red Bull GmbH. We also compete against numerous regional and local companies and, increasingly, against smaller companies that are developing microbrands and selling them directly to consumers through e-commerce retailers and other e-commerce platforms. In addition, in some markets, we compete against retailers that have developed their own store or private-label beverage brands.

Competitive factors impacting our business include, but are not limited to, pricing, advertising, sales promotion programs, in-store displays and point-of-sale marketing, digital marketing, product and ingredient innovation, increased efficiency in production techniques, the introduction of new packaging as well as new vending and dispensing equipment, contracting with marketing assets (theaters, sports arenas, universities, etc.), and brand and trademark development and protection.

Our competitive strengths include leading brands with high levels of consumer recognition and loyalty; a worldwide network of bottlers and distributors of Company products; sophisticated marketing capabilities; and a talented group of dedicated employees. Our competitive challenges include strong competitors in all geographic regions; in many countries, a concentrated retail sector with powerful buyers able to freely choose among Company products, products of competitive beverage suppliers and individual retailers’ own store or private-label beverage brands; new industry entrants; and dramatic shifts in consumer shopping methods and patterns due to a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Raw Materials

Water is a main ingredient in substantially all of our products. While historically we have not experienced significant water supply difficulties, water is a limited natural resource in many parts of the world, and our Company recognizes water availability, quality and sustainability, for both our operations and also the communities where we operate, as one of the key challenges facing our business.

In addition to water, the principal raw materials used in our business are nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners. In the United States, the principal nutritive sweetener is high fructose corn syrup (“HFCS”), which is nutritionally equivalent to sugar. HFCS is available from numerous domestic sources and has historically been subject to fluctuations in its market price. The principal nutritive sweetener used by our business outside the United States is sucrose, i.e., table sugar, which is also available from numerous sources and has historically been subject to fluctuations in its market price. Our Company generally has not experienced any difficulties in obtaining its requirements for nutritive sweeteners. In the United States, we purchase HFCS to meet our and our bottlers’ requirements with the assistance of Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company LLC (“CCBSS”). CCBSS is a limited liability company that is owned by authorized Coca-Cola bottlers doing business in the United States. Among other things, CCBSS provides procurement services to our North American operations and to our U.S. bottling partners for the purchase of various goods and services, including HFCS.

The principal non-nutritive sweeteners we use in our business are aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, saccharin, cyclamate and steviol glycosides. Generally, these raw materials are readily available from numerous sources. We purchase sucralose, which we consider a critical raw material, from suppliers in the United States and China. Our Company generally has not experienced major difficulties in obtaining its requirements for non-nutritive sweeteners.

Juice and juice concentrate from various fruits, particularly orange juice and orange juice concentrate, are the principal raw materials for our juice and juice drink products. We source our orange juice and orange juice concentrate primarily from Florida and the Southern Hemisphere (particularly Brazil). We work closely with Cutrale Citrus Juices U.S.A., Inc., our primary supplier of orange juice from Florida and Brazil, to ensure an adequate supply of orange juice and orange juice concentrate that meets our Company’s standards. However, the citrus industry is impacted by greening disease and the variability of weather conditions that can impact the quality and supply of orange juice and orange juice concentrate. In particular, freezing weather or hurricanes in central Florida may result in shortages and higher prices for orange juice and orange juice concentrate throughout the industry. In addition, greening disease is reducing the number of citrus trees and increasing grower costs and prices.

We generate most of our coffee revenues through Costa. Costa purchases Rainforest Alliance Certified green coffee through multiple suppliers. While most of Costa’s coffee is sourced as readily available bulked commercial grade from Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia, many of Costa’s suppliers have vertically integrated supply chains with direct access to yields from cooperatives and producer groups.

Our consolidated bottling operations and our non-bottling finished product operations also purchase various other raw materials including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”) resin, preforms and bottles; glass and aluminum bottles; aluminum and steel cans; plastic closures; aseptic fiber packaging; labels; cartons; cases; postmix packaging; and beverage gases, including carbon dioxide and liquid nitrogen. We generally purchase these raw materials from multiple suppliers and historically have not experienced significant shortages.

Patents, Copyrights, Trade Secrets and Trademarks

Our Company owns numerous patents, copyrights and trade secrets and other know-how and technology, which we collectively refer to in this report as “technology.” This technology generally relates to beverage products and the processes for their production; packages and packaging materials; design and operation of processes and equipment useful for our business; and certain software. Some of the technology is licensed to suppliers and other parties. Trade secrets are an important aspect of our technology, and our sparkling beverage and other beverage formulas are among the important trade secrets of our Company.

We own numerous trademarks that are very important to our business. Depending upon the jurisdiction, trademarks are valid as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained. Pursuant to our bottler’s agreements, we authorize our bottlers to use applicable Company trademarks in connection with their preparation, packaging, distribution and sale of Company products. In addition, we grant licenses to third parties from time to time to use certain of our trademarks in conjunction with certain merchandise and food products.

Governmental Regulation

Our Company is required to comply, and it is our policy to comply, with all applicable laws in the numerous countries throughout the world in which we do business. In many jurisdictions, our operations may come under special scrutiny by competition law authorities due to our competitive position in those jurisdictions.

In the United States, the safety, production, transportation, distribution, advertising, labeling and sale of our Company’s products and their ingredients are subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Federal Trade Commission Act; the Lanham Act; state consumer protection laws; competition laws; federal, state and local workplace health and safety laws; various federal, state and local environmental protection laws; privacy and personal data protection laws; and various other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. Outside the United States, our business is subject to numerous similar statutes and regulations, as well as other legal and regulatory requirements.

Under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (“Proposition 65”) of the state of California, if the state has determined that a substance causes cancer or harms human reproduction or development, a warning must be provided for any product sold in the state that exposes consumers to that substance, unless the conditions of an exemption (described below) can be met. The state maintains lists of these substances and periodically adds other substances to these lists. The detection of even a trace amount of a listed substance can subject an affected product to the requirement of a warning label. However, Proposition 65 does not require a warning if the manufacturer of a product can demonstrate that the use of that product exposes consumers to a daily quantity of a listed substance that is:

•below a “safe harbor” threshold that may be established;

•naturally occurring;

•the result of necessary cooking; or

•subject to another applicable exemption.

One or more substances that are currently on the Proposition 65 lists, or that may be added in the future, can be detected in certain Company products at low levels that are safe. With respect to substances that have not yet been listed under Proposition 65, the Company takes the position that listing is not scientifically justified. With respect to substances that are already listed, the Company takes the position that the presence of each such substance in Company products is subject to an applicable exemption from the warning requirement or that the product is otherwise in compliance with Proposition 65. However, the state of California and other parties have in the past taken a contrary position and may do so in the future.

Bottlers of our beverage products presently offer, among other beverage containers, nonrefillable recyclable containers in the United States and various other markets around the world. Some of these bottlers also offer and use refillable containers, which are also recyclable. Legal requirements apply in various jurisdictions in the United States and overseas requiring that deposits or certain ecotaxes or fees be charged in connection with the sale, marketing and use of certain beverage containers. The precise requirements imposed by these measures vary. Other types of statutes and regulations relating to beverage container deposits, recycling, ecotaxes and/or product stewardship also apply in various jurisdictions in the United States and overseas. We anticipate that additional such legal requirements may be proposed or enacted in the future at federal, state and local levels, both in the United States and elsewhere around the world.

All of our Company’s facilities and other operations in the United States and elsewhere around the world are subject to various environmental protection statutes and regulations, including those relating to the use of water resources and the discharge of wastewater. Our policy is to comply with all such legal requirements. Compliance with these provisions has not had, and we do not expect such compliance will have, any material adverse effect on our Company’s capital expenditures, net income or competitive position.

We are also subject to various federal, state and international laws and regulations related to privacy and data protection, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) as well as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), which became effective on January 1, 2020, and its extension, the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which will take effect on January 1, 2023. The interpretation and application of data privacy, cross-border data transfers and data protection laws and regulations are often uncertain and are evolving in the United States and internationally, such as in the European Union, China and other jurisdictions. We monitor pending and proposed legislation and regulatory initiatives to ascertain their relevance to and potential impact on our business and develop strategies to address regulatory trends and developments, including any required changes to our privacy and data protection compliance programs and policies. Globally, we see a growing trend toward data protection laws and regulations increasing in complexity and number, and we anticipate that our obligations will expand commensurately.

Human Capital Management

Our people and culture agendas are critical business priorities. Our Board of Directors, through the Talent and Compensation Committee, provides oversight of the Company’s policies and strategies relating to talent, leadership and culture, including diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the Company’s compensation philosophy and programs. The Talent and Compensation Committee also evaluates and approves the Company’s compensation plans, policies and programs applicable to our senior executives. In addition, the Committee on Directors and Corporate Governance of the Board of Directors oversees succession planning and talent development for our senior executives.

Employees

We believe people are our most important asset, and we strive to attract and retain high-performing talent. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our Company had approximately 79,000 and 80,300 employees, respectively, of which approximately 9,400 and 9,300, respectively, were located in the United States. Our Company, through its divisions and subsidiaries, is a party to numerous collective bargaining agreements. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 700 employees in North America were

covered by collective bargaining agreements. These agreements typically have terms of three to five years. We currently anticipate that we will be able to successfully renegotiate such agreements when they expire.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that mirrors the markets we serve is a strategic business priority and critical to the Company’s success. We take a comprehensive view of diversity, equity and inclusion across different races, ethnicities, tribes, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, generations, abilities, and expressions of gender and sexual identity.

As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately 8,400 employees located in the United States, excluding the employees of the Global Ventures operating segment, fairlife, LLC and BA Sports Nutrition, LLC. Of these employees, 39 percent and 46 percent were female and people of color, respectively.

We are focused on social justice issues, including racial and gender equity, both in the United States and around the world. In 2021, we announced our 2030 aspirations to be 50 percent led by women globally, and in the United States, to reflect the U.S. Census racial and ethnic representation at all job grade levels. Each of our operating units outside the United States has developed locally relevant diversity, equity and inclusion aspirations. Diversity and inclusion metrics, which highlight progress and help drive accountability, are shared with our senior leaders on a quarterly basis. Our Global Women’s Leadership Council, composed of eight executives, focuses on accelerating the development and promotion of women into roles of increasing responsibility and influence.

We conduct annual pay equity analyses, with regard to gender globally and race/ethnicity in the United States, to help ensure our base pay structures are fair and to identify and address potential issues or disparities. We make adjustments to base pay, where appropriate. Also, as permitted by local law, during the annual rewards cycle, we perform an adverse impact analysis on base pay, annual incentives and long-term incentives to help ensure fairness.

We support many employee-led inclusion networks, which are an integral part of our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. Our inclusion networks are regionally structured in order to meet relevant local needs, and they provide employees with the opportunity to engage with colleagues globally based on common interests or backgrounds.

Compensation and Benefits

Through comprehensive and competitive compensation and benefits, ongoing employee learning and development, and a focus on health and well-being, we strive to support our employees in all aspects of their lives. Our compensation programs are designed to reinforce our growth agenda and our talent strategy as well as to drive a strong connection between the contributions of our employees and their pay.

We believe the structure of our compensation packages provides the appropriate incentives to attract, retain and motivate our employees. We provide base pay that is competitive and that aligns with employee positions, skill levels, experience and geographic location. In addition to base pay, we seek to reward employees with annual incentive awards, recognition programs, and equity awards for employees at certain job levels.

We also offer competitive employee benefits packages, which vary by country and region. These employee benefits packages may include: 401(k) plan, pension plan, core and supplemental life insurance, financial courses and advisors, employee assistance programs, tuition assistance, commuter assistance, adoption assistance, medical and dental insurance, vision insurance, health savings accounts, health reimbursement and flexible spending accounts, well-being rewards programs, vacation pay, holiday pay, and parental and adoption leave.

Culture and Engagement

As our employees work together to achieve our purpose to “Refresh the World and Make a Difference,” they collectively build and reinforce our culture. Our culture is rooted in our growth mindset, which expects each employee, leader and function to be curious, empowered, inclusive and agile. We use a variety of practices to measure and support progress against these growth behaviors and to ensure that our employees are engaged and fulfilled at work. For example, our Performance Enablement and Culture & Engagement Pulse platforms provide regular opportunities for employees across the organization to provide feedback on how their leaders, teammates and work experiences support the growth behaviors. Data from questionnaires are anonymized and plotted against historical results to inform teams and functions on areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. We also encourage regular, live communication across the organization and host quarterly global town halls with our senior leadership that include employee question-and-answer sessions. In addition, function-level town halls are held on a regular basis.

Leadership, Training and Development

We focus on investing in inspirational leadership, learning opportunities and capabilities to equip our global workforce with the skills they need while improving engagement and retention. We provide a range of formal and informal learning programs, which are designed to help our employees continuously grow and strengthen their skills throughout their careers. We offer a

variety of programs that contribute to our leadership, training and development goals, including: Coca-Cola University, a robust catalog of digital content, including courseware from Harvard, eCornell, and LinkedIn Learning; Opportunity Marketplace, a people-centered technology solution that helps connect project opportunities to interested employees who have the capacity, skills and interest in short-term experiences and assignments; and comprehensive enterprise-wide coaching and mentoring programs that support leadership and employee development.

Available Information

The Company maintains a website at the following address: www.coca-colacompany.com. The information on the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference in this report. We make available on or through our website certain reports and amendments to those reports that we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”). These include our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. We make this information available on our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the information with, or furnish it to, the SEC. In addition, we routinely post on the “Investors” page of our website news releases, announcements and other statements about our business and results of operations, some of which may contain information that may be deemed material to investors. Therefore, we encourage investors to monitor the “Investors” page of our website and review the information we post on that page.

The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at the following address: http://www.sec.gov.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the following factors, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in future periods. The risks described below are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations in future periods.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR OPERATIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic and related ongoing impacts may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the related actions by governments around the world to attempt to contain the spread of the virus have negatively impacted, and could continue to negatively impact, our business globally. Our recovery has been asynchronous and the full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including, among others, new information which may emerge concerning the pandemic, vaccine adoption rates (including boosters) and the effectiveness of vaccines in limiting or stopping the spread of COVID-19, either over the long term or against new, emerging variants of COVID-19, and any related actions by governments.

The extent and nature of government actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic varied throughout 2020 and 2021 based upon the then-current extent and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic within the respective markets. At times we experienced a decrease in sales of certain of our products in markets around the world, including consumer demand shifting to more at-home consumption versus away-from-home consumption. While in 2021 we have experienced improved trends in away-from-home channels and improved margins, if COVID-19 infection rates increase, the pandemic intensifies or expands geographically, or continued efforts to curb the pandemic are ineffective, the negative impacts of the pandemic on our sales could be more prolonged and may become more severe than we are currently experiencing. In addition, continuing economic and political uncertainties, such as increased unemployment, decreases in disposable income, declines in consumer confidence, or economic slowdowns or recessions in any of our major markets, may slow down or prevent the recovery of the demand for our products or may erode such demand.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted and could continue to disrupt our global supply chain. We and our bottling partners have experienced temporary disruptions in certain of our operations; delays in delivery of concentrates, ingredients, packaging and equipment; temporary plant closures; production slowdowns; and difficulty or delays in sourcing key ingredients and beverage containers. We and our bottling partners may face similar disruptions in the future, which may increase supply chain and packaging costs, or may result in an inability to secure key ingredients and inputs, which could cause delays in delivering our products to our customers and consumers. Although we are unable to predict the impact on our ability to source materials in the future, we expect supply chain pressures to continue into 2022.

In addition to the above risks, the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate other risks related to our business, including risks related to changes in the retail landscape or the loss of key retail or foodservice customers; fluctuations in input costs, inflation rates, and foreign currency exchange rates; and the ability of third-party service providers and business partners to fulfill their

respective commitments and responsibilities to us in a timely manner and in accordance with the agreed-upon terms. The continuing evolution of the pandemic may also present risks not currently known to us.

Increased competition could hurt our business.

We operate in the highly competitive commercial beverage industry. For additional information regarding the competitive environment in which we operate, including the names of certain of our significant competitors, refer to the heading “Competition” set forth in Part I, “Item 1. Business” of this report. Our ability to maintain or gain share of sales in the global market or in local markets may be limited as a result of actions by competitors. Competitive pressures may cause the Company and our bottling partners to reduce prices we charge customers or may restrict our and our bottlers’ ability to increase prices, as may be necessary in response to commodity and other cost increases. Such pressures may also increase marketing costs along with in-store placement and slotting fees. In addition, the rapid growth of e‐commerce may create additional consumer price deflation by, among other things, facilitating comparison shopping, and could potentially threaten the value of some of our legacy route-to-market strategies and thus negatively affect revenues. If we do not continuously strengthen our capabilities in marketing and innovation to maintain consumer interest, brand loyalty and market share while we selectively expand into other profitable categories in the commercial beverage industry, our business could be negatively affected.

If we are not successful in our innovation activities, our financial results may be negatively affected.

Achieving our business growth objectives depends in part on our ability to evolve and improve our existing beverage products through innovation and to successfully develop, introduce and market new beverage products. The success of our innovation activities depends on our ability to correctly anticipate customer and consumer acceptance and trends; obtain, maintain and enforce necessary intellectual property protections; and avoid infringing on the intellectual property rights of others. If we are not successful in our innovation activities, we may not be able to achieve our growth objectives, which may have a negative impact on our financial results.

Changes in the retail landscape or the loss of key retail or foodservice customers could adversely affect our financial results.

Our industry is being affected by the trend toward consolidation in, and the blurring of the lines between, retail channels, particularly in Europe and the United States. Larger retailers may seek lower prices from us and our bottling partners, may demand increased marketing or promotional expenditures, and may be more likely to use their distribution networks to introduce and develop private-label brands, any of which could negatively affect the Coca-Cola system’s profitability. In addition, in developed markets discounters and value stores are growing at a rapid pace, while in emerging and developing markets modern trade is growing at a faster pace than traditional trade outlets. Our industry is also being affected by the rapid growth in sales through e-commerce retailers, e-commerce websites, mobile commerce applications and subscription services, which may result in a shift away from physical retail operations to digital channels. As we and our bottling partners build e-commerce capabilities, we may not be able to develop and maintain successful relationships with existing and new e-commerce retailers without experiencing a deterioration of our relationships with key customers operating physical retail channels. If we are unable to successfully adapt to the rapidly changing retail landscape, including the rapid growth in digital commerce, our share of sales, volume growth and overall financial results could be negatively affected. In addition, our success depends in part on our ability to maintain good relationships with key retail and foodservice customers. The loss of one or more of our key retail or foodservice customers could have an adverse effect on our financial performance.

If we are unable to expand our operations in emerging and developing markets, our growth rate could be negatively affected.

Our success depends in part on our ability to grow our business in emerging and developing markets, which in turn depends on economic and political conditions in those markets and on our ability to work with local bottlers to make necessary infrastructure enhancements to production facilities, distribution networks, sales equipment and technology. Additionally, we rely on local availability of talented management and employees to establish and manage our operations in these markets. Scarcity of, or heavy competition for, talented employee resources could impede our abilities in such markets. Moreover, the supply of our products in emerging and developing markets must match consumer demand for those products. Due to product price, limited purchasing power and cultural differences, our products may not be accepted in any particular emerging or developing market.

If we do not successfully manage the possible negative consequences of our productivity initiatives, our business operations could be adversely affected.

We believe that improved productivity is essential to achieving our long-term growth objectives and, therefore, a leading priority of our Company is to design and implement the most effective and efficient business model possible. Consequently, we continuously search for productivity opportunities in our business. Some of the actions we may take from time to time in pursuing these opportunities may become a distraction for our managers and employees and may disrupt our ongoing business operations; cause deterioration in employee morale which may make it more difficult for us to retain or attract qualified managers and employees; disrupt or weaken the internal control structures of the affected business operations; and give rise to

negative publicity which could affect our corporate reputation. If we are unable to successfully manage the possible negative consequences of our productivity initiatives, our business operations could be adversely affected.

If we are unable to attract or retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce, our business could be negatively affected.

The success of our business depends on our Company’s and the Coca-Cola system’s ability to attract, hire, develop, motivate and retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce as well as on our success in nurturing a culture that supports our growth and aligns employees around the Company’s purpose and work that matters most. Competition and compensation expectations for existing and prospective personnel have increased. In addition, the broader labor market is experiencing a shortage of qualified workers which has further increased the competition we face for qualified employees. We may not be able to successfully compete for, attract or retain the highly skilled and diverse workforce that we want and that our future business needs may require, such as employees with e-commerce, social media and digital marketing and advertising skills, and/or digital and analytics capabilities. Changes in immigration laws and policies could also make it more difficult for us to recruit or relocate highly skilled technical, professional and management personnel to meet our business needs. In addition, the unexpected loss of experienced and highly skilled employees due to an increase in aggressive recruiting for best-in-class talent could deplete our institutional knowledge base and erode our competitiveness. Failure to attract, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled and diverse talent; to meet our goals related to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, including increasing the number of underrepresented employees in the United States to develop and implement an adequate succession plan for our management team; to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion; or to design and successfully implement flexible work models that meet the expectations of employees and prospective employees could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success.

Increases in the cost, disruption of supply or shortages of energy or fuel could affect our profitability.

Our consolidated bottling operations operate a large fleet of trucks and other motor vehicles to distribute and deliver

beverage products to customers. In addition, we use a significant amount of electricity, natural gas and other energy sources to operate our production plants and the bottling plants and distribution facilities operated by our consolidated bottling operations. An increase in the price, disruption of supply or shortage of fuel and other energy sources in countries where we have production plants, or in markets where our consolidated bottling operations operate, which may be caused by increasing demand, by events such as natural disasters, power outages and extreme weather, or by government regulations, taxes, policies or programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change, could increase our operating costs and negatively impact our profitability. Our independent bottling partners also operate large fleets of trucks and other motor vehicles to distribute and deliver beverage products to their own customers and use a significant amount of electricity, natural gas and other energy sources to operate their own bottling plants and distribution facilities. An increase in the price, disruption of supply or shortage of fuel and other energy sources in any of the major markets in which our independent bottling partners operate could increase the affected independent bottling partners’ operating costs and thus could indirectly negatively impact our results of operations.

Increases in the cost, disruption of supply or shortages of ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials, aluminum cans and other containers could harm our business.

We and our bottling partners use various ingredients in our business, including HFCS, sucrose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, saccharin, cyclamate, steviol glycosides, ascorbic acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid, caffeine and caramel color; other raw materials such as coffee, orange and other fruit juice and juice concentrates; packaging materials such as PET, bio-based PET and recycled PET for bottles; and aluminum cans and other containers. For additional information regarding ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials and containers we use in our business, refer to the heading “Raw Materials” set forth in Part I, “Item 1. Business” of this report. The prices of these ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials, aluminum cans and other containers fluctuate depending on market conditions, governmental actions, climate change and other factors beyond our control, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Substantial increases in the prices of our or our bottling partners’ ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials, aluminum cans and other containers, to the extent they cannot be recouped through increases in the prices of finished beverage products, could increase our and our bottling partners’ operating costs and reduce our profitability. Increases in the prices of our finished products resulting from a higher cost of ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials, aluminum cans and other containers could affect affordability in some markets and reduce our or our bottling partners’ sales. In addition, some of our ingredients, such as aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin, as well as some packaging containers, such as aluminum cans, are available from a limited number of suppliers, and certain other ingredients are only available from one source. Furthermore, some of our suppliers are located in countries experiencing political or other risks. We and our bottling partners may not be able to maintain favorable arrangements and relationships with these suppliers, and our contingency plans may not be effective in preventing disruptions that may arise from shortages of any ingredients that are available from a limited number of suppliers or from only one source.

Adverse weather conditions may affect the supply of other agricultural commodities from which key ingredients for our products are derived. For example, drought conditions in certain parts of the United States or in other major corn-producing

areas of the world may negatively affect the supply of corn, which in turn may result in shortages of and higher prices for HFCS. The citrus industry is impacted by the variability of weather conditions and by greening disease, which affect the supply and quality of orange juice and orange juice concentrate, which are important raw materials for our business. In particular, freezing weather or hurricanes in central Florida may result in shortages and higher prices for orange juice and orange juice concentrate throughout the industry. In addition, greening disease is reducing the number of citrus trees and increasing grower costs and prices.

An increase in the cost, a sustained interruption in the supply, or a shortage of some of these ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials, aluminum cans and other containers that may be caused by changes in or the enactment of new laws and regulations; a deterioration of our or our bottling partners’ relationships with suppliers; supplier quality and reliability issues; trade disruptions; changes in supply chain; and increases in tariffs; or events such as natural disasters, widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), power outages, labor strikes, political uncertainties or governmental instability, or the like could negatively impact our net operating revenues and profits.

We may not be able to increase prices to fully offset inflationary pressures on various costs, such as our costs for materials and labor, which may adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.

In connection with our manufacturing and bottling operations, we are dependent upon, among other things, raw materials, packaging materials, plant labor and transportation providers. In 2021 and the early part of 2022, the costs of raw materials, packaging materials, labor, energy, fuel, transportation and other inputs necessary for the production and distribution of our products have rapidly increased. In addition, many of these items are subject to price fluctuations from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, geopolitical developments, demand for raw materials, weather, growing and harvesting conditions, climate change, energy costs, currency fluctuations, supplier capacities, governmental actions, import and export requirements (including tariffs), and other factors beyond our control. We expect the inflationary pressures on input and other costs to continue to impact our business in 2022.

Our attempts to offset these cost pressures, such as through price increases of some of our products, may not be successful. Higher product prices may result in reductions in sales volume. Consumers may be less willing to pay a price differential for our branded products and may increasingly purchase lower-priced offerings, or may forgo some purchases altogether. To the extent that price increases are not sufficient to offset higher costs adequately or in a timely manner, and/or if they result in significant decreases in sales volume, our financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected. Furthermore, we may not be able to offset cost increases through productivity initiatives or through our commodity hedging activity.

If we do not successfully integrate and manage our acquired businesses, brands or bottling operations, our financial results could suffer.

We routinely evaluate opportunities to acquire businesses or brands to expand our beverage portfolio and capabilities. Additionally, from time to time, we have acquired or taken control of bottling operations, often in underperforming markets where we believe we can use our resources and expertise to improve performance. We may incur unforeseen liabilities and obligations in connection with acquiring businesses, brands or bottling operations. The expected benefits of business or brand acquisitions, including cost and growth synergies associated with such acquisitions, may take longer to realize than expected or may not be realized at all. Moreover, we may encounter challenges to successfully integrating the operations, technologies, services, products and systems of any acquired businesses in an effective, timely and cost-efficient manner. We may also encounter unexpected difficulties, costs or delays in restructuring and integrating acquired businesses, brands or bottling operations into our Company’s operating and internal control structures, including extending our Company’s internal control over financial reporting to newly acquired businesses, which may increase the risk of failure to prevent misstatements in their financial records and in our consolidated financial statements. In addition, our quality management program, which is designed to ensure product quality and safety, may not be sufficiently robust to effectively manage the expanded range of product offerings introduced through newly acquired businesses or brands, which may increase our costs or subject us to negative publicity. Also, we may not be able to successfully manage the additional complexities involved with overseeing various supply chain models as we expand our product offerings. Our financial performance is impacted by how well we can integrate and manage acquired businesses, brands and bottling operations, and we may not be able to achieve our strategic and financial objectives for acquired businesses, brands or bottling operations. If we incur unforeseen liabilities or costs in connection with acquiring or integrating businesses, brands or bottling operations, experience internal control or product quality failures, or are unable to achieve our strategic and financial objectives for acquired businesses, brands or bottling operations, our consolidated results could be negatively affected.

If our third-party service providers and business partners do not satisfactorily fulfill their commitments and responsibilities, our financial results could suffer.

In the conduct of our business, we rely on relationships with third parties, including cloud data storage and other information technology service providers, suppliers, distributors, contractors, joint venture partners and other external business partners, for certain functions or for services in support of key portions of our operations. These third-party service providers and business

partners are subject to similar risks as we are relating to cybersecurity, privacy violations, business interruption, and systems and employee failures, and are subject to legal, regulatory and market risks of their own. Our third-party service providers and business partners may not fulfill their respective commitments and responsibilities in a timely manner and in accordance with the agreed-upon terms. In addition, while we have procedures in place for selecting and managing our relationships with third-party service providers and other business partners, we do not have control over their business operations or governance and compliance systems, practices and procedures, which increases our financial, legal, reputational and operational risk. If we are unable to effectively manage our third-party relationships, or for any reason our third-party service providers or business partners fail to satisfactorily fulfill their commitments and responsibilities, our financial results could suffer.

If we are unable to renew collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms, or if we or our bottling partners experience strikes, work stoppages or labor unrest, our business could suffer.

Many of our employees at our key manufacturing locations and bottling plants are covered by collective bargaining agreements. While we generally have been able to renegotiate collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms when they expire and regard our relations with employees and their representatives as generally satisfactory, negotiations may nevertheless be challenging, as the Company must have competitive cost structures in each market while meeting the compensation and benefits needs of our employees. If we are unable to renew collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms, our labor costs could increase, which could affect our profit margins. In addition, many of our bottling partners’ employees are represented by labor unions. Strikes, work stoppages or other forms of labor unrest at any of our major manufacturing facilities or at our bottling operations or our major bottlers’ plants could impair our ability to supply concentrates and syrups to our bottling partners or our bottlers’ ability to supply finished beverages to customers, which could reduce our net operating revenues and could expose us to customer claims. Furthermore, from time to time we and our bottling partners restructure manufacturing and other operations to improve productivity, which may have negative impacts on employee morale and work performance, result in escalation of grievances and adversely affect the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements. If these labor relations are not effectively managed at the local level, they could escalate in the form of corporate campaigns supported by the labor organizations and could negatively affect our Company’s overall reputation and brand image, which in turn could have a negative impact on our products’ acceptance by consumers.

RISKS RELATED TO CONSUMER DEMAND FOR OUR PRODUCTS

Obesity and other health-related concerns may reduce demand for some of our products.

There is growing concern among consumers, public health professionals and government agencies about the health problems associated with obesity. Increasing public concern about obesity; other health-related public concerns surrounding consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages; possible new or increased taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages by government entities to reduce consumption or to raise revenue; additional governmental regulations concerning the advertising, marketing, labeling, packaging or sale of our sugar-sweetened beverages; and negative publicity resulting from actual or threatened legal actions against us or other companies in our industry relating to the marketing, labeling or sale of sugar-sweetened beverages may reduce demand for, or increase the cost of, our sugar-sweetened beverages, which could adversely affect our profitability.

If we do not address evolving consumer product and shopping preferences, our business could suffer.

Consumer product preferences have evolved and continue to evolve as a result of, among other things, health, wellness and nutrition considerations, including concerns regarding caloric intake associated with sugar-sweetened beverages and the perceived undesirability of artificial ingredients; shifting consumer demographics; changes in consumer tastes and needs coupled with a rapid expansion of beverage options and delivery methods; changes in consumer lifestyles; concerns regarding location of origin or source of ingredients and raw materials and the environmental, social and sustainability impact of ingredient sources and the product manufacturing process; consumer emphasis on transparency related to ingredients we use in our products and collection and recyclability of, and amount of recycled content contained in, our packaging containers and other materials; concerns about the health and welfare of animals in our dairy supply chain; and competitive product and pricing pressures. In addition, in many of our markets, shopping patterns are being affected by the digital evolution, with consumers rapidly embracing shopping by way of mobile device applications, e-commerce retailers and e-commerce websites or platforms. If we fail to address changes in consumer product and shopping preferences, do not successfully anticipate and prepare for future changes in such preferences, or are ineffective or slow in developing and implementing appropriate digital transformation initiatives, our share of sales, revenue growth and overall financial results could be negatively affected.

Product safety and quality concerns could negatively affect our business.

Our success depends in large part on our ability to maintain consumer confidence in the safety and quality of all of our products. We have rigorous product safety and quality standards, which we expect our operations as well as our bottling partners to meet. However, despite our strong commitment to product safety and quality, we or our bottling partners periodically have not met, and may not always meet, these standards, particularly as we expand our product offerings through innovation or acquisitions into beverage categories, such as value-added dairy and plant-based beverages, that are beyond our

traditional range of beverage products. If we or our bottling partners fail to comply with applicable product safety and quality standards, or if our beverage products taken to the market are or become contaminated or adulterated by any means, we may be required to conduct costly product recalls and may become subject to product liability claims and negative publicity, which could cause our business to suffer.

Public debate and concern about perceived negative health consequences of certain ingredients, such as non-nutritive sweeteners and biotechnology-derived substances, and of other substances present in our beverage products or packaging materials, may reduce demand for our beverage products.

Public debate and concern about perceived negative health consequences of certain ingredients in our beverage products, such as synthetic colors, non-nutritive sweeteners and biotechnology-derived substances; substances that are present in our beverage products naturally or that occur as a result of the manufacturing process, such as 4-methylimidazole (“4-MEI”), a chemical compound that is formed during the manufacturing of certain types of caramel coloring used in cola-flavored beverages; or substances used in packaging materials, such as bisphenol A (“BPA”), an odorless, tasteless food-grade chemical commonly used in the food and beverage industries as a component in the coating of the interior of cans, may affect consumers’ preferences and cause them to shift away from some of our beverage products. In addition, increasing public concern about actual or perceived health consequences of the presence of such ingredients or substances in our beverage products or in packaging materials, whether or not justified, could result in additional governmental regulations concerning the advertising, marketing, labeling, packaging or sale of our beverages; possible new or increased taxes on our beverages by government entities; and negative publicity, or actual or threatened legal actions against us or other companies in our industry, all of which could damage the reputation of, and may reduce demand for, our beverage products.

If we are not successful in our efforts to digitize the Coca-Cola system, our financial results could be negatively affected.

The digital evolution is affecting how we interact with consumers, customers, suppliers, bottlers and other business partners and stakeholders. We believe that our future success will depend in part on our ability to adapt to and thrive in the digital environment. Therefore, one of our top priorities is to digitize the Coca-Cola system by, among other things, creating more relevant and more personalized experiences wherever our system interacts with consumers, whether in a digital environment or through digital devices in an otherwise physical environment; finding ways to create more powerful digital tools and capabilities for the Coca-Cola system’s retail customers to enable them to grow their businesses; and digitizing operations through the use of data, artificial intelligence, automation, robotics and digital devices to increase efficiency and productivity. If we are not successful in our efforts to digitize the Coca-Cola system, our ability to increase sales and reduce costs may be negatively affected and the cost and expenses we have incurred or may incur in connection with our digitization initiatives may adversely impact our financial performance.

If negative publicity, whether or not warranted, concerning product safety or quality, workplace and human rights, obesity or other issues damages our brand image, corporate reputation and social license to operate, our business may suffer.

Our success depends in large part on our ability to maintain the brand image of our existing products, build up the brand image for new products and brand extensions, and maintain our corporate reputation and social license to operate. However, our continuing investment in advertising and marketing and our strong commitment to product safety and quality and human rights have not always had, and may not in the future always have, the desired impact on our products’ brand image and on consumer preferences. Product safety or quality issues, actual or perceived, or allegations of product contamination, even when false or unfounded, could tarnish the image of the affected brands and may cause consumers to choose other products. In some emerging markets, the production and sale of counterfeit or “spurious” products, which we and our bottling partners may not be able to fully combat, may damage the image and reputation of our products. In addition, from time to time, we and our executives have engaged, and may in the future engage, in public policy endeavors that are either directly related to our products and packaging or to our business operations and the general economic climate affecting the Company. These engagements in public policy debates have been, and could in the future be, the subject of backlash from advocacy groups or others that have a differing point of view and could result in adverse media and consumer reaction, including product boycotts. Similarly, our sponsorship relationships have subjected us in the past, and could subject us in the future, to negative publicity as a result of actual or alleged misconduct by individuals, hosts or entities associated with organizations we sponsor or support financially or through in-kind contributions. Likewise, campaigns by activists connecting us, or our bottling system or supply chain, with workplace and human rights issues, whether actual or perceived, could adversely impact our corporate image and reputation. Additionally, negative postings or comments on social media or networking websites about the Company or one of its brands, even if inaccurate or malicious, have in the past, and could in the future, generate adverse publicity that could damage the reputation of our brands or the Company. Furthermore, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, endorsed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, outline how businesses should implement the corporate responsibility to respect human rights principles included in the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework on human rights. Allegations, even if untrue, that we are not respecting one or more of the 30 human rights found in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights; actual or perceived failure by our suppliers or other business partners to comply with applicable workplace and labor laws, including child labor laws, or their actual or perceived abuse or misuse of migrant

workers; and adverse publicity surrounding obesity and health concerns related to our products, water usage, environmental impact, labor relations or the like could negatively affect our Company’s overall reputation and brand image, which in turn could have a negative impact on our products’ acceptance by consumers. In addition, if we fail to protect our employees’ and our supply chain employees’ human rights, or inadvertently discriminate against any group of employees or hiring prospects, our ability to hire and retain the best talent will be diminished, which could have an adverse impact on our overall business.

Unfavorable general economic and political conditions could negatively impact our financial results.

Many of the jurisdictions in which our products are sold have experienced and could continue to experience unfavorable general economic conditions, such as a recession or economic slowdown, which could negatively affect the affordability of, and consumer demand for, our beverages. Under difficult economic conditions, consumers may seek to reduce discretionary spending by forgoing purchases of our products or by shifting away from our beverages to lower-priced products offered by other companies, including private-label brands, which could reduce our profitability and could negatively affect our overall financial performance.

Other financial uncertainties in our major markets and unstable political conditions in certain markets, including civil unrest and governmental changes, could undermine global consumer confidence and reduce consumers’ purchasing power, thereby reducing demand for our products. Product boycotts resulting from political activism could reduce demand for our products, while restrictions on our ability to transfer earnings or capital across borders, price controls, limitations on profits, retaliatory tariffs, import authorization requirements and other restrictions on business activities which have been or may be imposed or expanded as a result of political and economic instability, deterioration of economic relations between countries or otherwise, could impact our profitability. In addition, U.S. trade sanctions against countries designated by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism and/or financial institutions accepting transactions for commerce within such countries could increase significantly, which could make it impossible for us to continue to make sales to bottlers in such countries. The imposition of retaliatory sanctions against U.S. multinational corporations by countries that are or may become subject to U.S. trade sanctions, or the delisting of our branded products by retailers in various countries in reaction to U.S. trade sanctions or other governmental action or policy, could also negatively affect our business.

If we are unable to successfully manage new product launches, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.

Due to the highly competitive nature of the commercial beverage industry, the Company continually introduces new products and evolves existing products to stimulate consumer demand. For instance, the Company has directly entered the ready-to-drink alcohol beverages segment in numerous markets outside the United States, and in the United States, the Company has authorized alcohol-licensed third parties to use certain of its brands on ready-to-drink alcohol beverages. The success of new and evolved products depends on a number of factors, including timely and successful development and consumer acceptance. Such endeavors may also involve significant risks and uncertainties, including greater execution risks, higher costs, distraction of management from current operations, inadequate return on investments, increased competitive pressures, exposure to additional regulations and reliance on the performance of third parties. If we become subject to additional government regulations, including alcohol regulations related to licensing, trade and pricing practices, labeling, advertising, promotion and marketing practices, and relationships with distributors, we may become exposed to the risk of increased compliance costs and disruption to our core business.

RISKS RELATED TO THE COCA-COLA SYSTEM

We rely on our bottling partners for a significant portion of our business. If we are unable to maintain good relationships with our bottling partners, our business could suffer.

We generate a significant portion of our net operating revenues by selling concentrates and syrups to independent bottling partners. As independent companies, our bottling partners, some of which are publicly traded companies, make their own business decisions that may not always align with our interests. In addition, some of our bottling partners have the right to manufacture or distribute their own products or certain products of other beverage companies. If we are unable to maintain operating and strategic alignment or agree on appropriate pricing and marketing and advertising support, or if our bottling partners are not satisfied with our brand innovation and development efforts, they may take actions that, while maximizing their own short-term profits, may be detrimental to our Company or our brands, or they may devote more of their resources to business opportunities or products other than those of the Company. Such actions could, in the long term, have an adverse effect on our profitability.

If our bottling partners’ financial condition deteriorates, our business and financial results could be affected.

In the vast majority of our markets, our products are sold and distributed by independent bottling partners, and we therefore derive a significant portion of our net operating revenues from sales of concentrates and syrups to independent bottling partners. Accordingly, the success of our business depends in part on our bottling partners’ financial strength and profitability. While under our agreements with our bottling partners we generally have the right to unilaterally change the prices we charge for our

concentrates and syrups, our ability to do so may be materially limited by our bottling partners’ financial condition and their ability to pass price increases along to their customers. In addition, we have investments in certain of our bottling partners, which we account for under the equity method, and our operating results include our proportionate share of such bottling partners’ income or loss. Our bottling partners’ financial condition is affected in large part by conditions and events that are beyond our and their control, including competitive and general market conditions; the availability of capital and other financing resources on reasonable terms; loss of major customers; changes in or additional regulations; or disruptions of bottling operations that may be caused by strikes, work stoppages, labor unrest, natural disasters or other catastrophic events. A deterioration of the financial condition or results of operations of one or more of our major bottling partners could adversely affect our net operating revenues from sales of concentrates and syrups; and, if such deterioration involves one or more of our equity method investee bottling partners, it could also result in a decrease in our equity income and/or impairments of our equity method investments.

We may from time to time engage in refranchising activities or divestitures of certain brands or businesses, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

As part of our strategic initiative to focus on our core business of building brands and leading our system of bottling partners, we continue to seek opportunities to refranchise our consolidated bottling operations. Our refranchising activities require significant attention and effort on the part of, and therefore may be a distraction for, senior management. If we are unable to complete future refranchising transactions on terms and conditions favorable to us, or if our refranchising partners are not efficient or not aligned with our long-term vision for the Coca-Cola system, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected. Additionally, we have divested and may in the future divest certain brands or businesses. These divestitures may adversely impact our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition if we are unable to offset impacts from the loss of revenue associated with the divested brands or businesses, or if we are otherwise unable to achieve the anticipated benefits or cost savings from such divestitures.

RISKS RELATED TO REGULATORY AND LEGAL MATTERS

Increases in income tax rates, changes in income tax laws, regulations or unfavorable resolutions of tax matters could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.

We are subject to income tax in the United States and numerous other jurisdictions in which we generate profits. Our overall effective income tax rate is a function of applicable local tax rates in the jurisdictions in which we operate, tax treaties between such jurisdictions, and the geographic mix of our income before income taxes, which is itself impacted by currency movements. Consequently, the isolated or combined effects of unfavorable movements in tax rates, geographic mix or foreign exchange rates could reduce our net income. Tax laws and regulations, including rates of taxation, are subject to revision by individual taxing jurisdictions which may result from multilateral agreements. Many jurisdictions have enacted legislation and adopted policies resulting from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (“OECD”) anti-Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project. The OECD is currently coordinating a project on behalf of the G20 and other participating countries which would grant additional taxing rights over profits earned by multinational enterprises to the countries in which their products are sold and services rendered. A second pillar would establish a global per-country minimum tax of 15 percent. It is possible that the adoption of these or other proposals could have a material impact on our net income and cash flows. Significant judgment is required in determining our annual income tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits and any related disputes could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions, estimates and accruals. The results of audits or related disputes could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements for the period or periods for which the applicable final determinations are made and for periods for which the statute of limitations is open.

For instance, the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) is seeking to increase our U.S. taxable income for tax years 2007 through 2009 by an amount that creates a potential additional U.S. federal income tax liability of approximately $3.3 billion for that period, plus interest. The Company firmly believes that the IRS’ claims are without merit and is pursuing, and will continue to pursue, all available administrative and judicial remedies necessary to vigorously defend its position. On November 18, 2020, the U.S. Tax Court (“Tax Court”) issued an opinion (“Opinion”) predominantly siding with the IRS. Although the Company disagrees with the unfavorable portions of the Opinion and intends to vigorously defend its position, considering all avenues of appeal, there is no assurance that the courts will ultimately rule in the Company’s favor. It is therefore possible that all or some of the unfavorable portions of the Opinion could ultimately be upheld. In that event, the Company would be subject to significant additional liabilities for the years at issue and potentially also for the subsequent years if the unfavorable portions of the Opinion were to be applied to the foreign licensees covered within the scope of the Opinion. Moreover, the IRS could successfully appeal the portions of the Opinion that are favorable to the Company and/or assert new claims for additional tax relating to the subsequent years by broadening the scope to cover additional foreign licensees. These adjustments could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Any such adjustments related to years prior to 2018, either in the litigation period or thereafter, may also have an impact on the

transition tax payable as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Reform Act”). For additional information regarding the tax litigation, refer to the heading “Legal Proceedings” set forth in Part I, “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” of this report.

Increased or new indirect taxes could negatively affect our business.

Our business operations are subject to numerous duties or taxes that are not based on income, sometimes referred to as “indirect taxes,” including import duties, tariffs, excise taxes, sales or value-added taxes, taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, packaging taxes, property taxes and payroll taxes, in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate. In addition, in the past, the U.S. Congress considered imposing a federal excise tax on beverages sweetened with sugar, HFCS or other nutritive sweeteners and may consider similar proposals in the future. As federal, state and local governments in the United States and throughout the world experience significant budget deficits, some lawmakers have singled out beverages among a plethora of revenue-raising items and have imposed or increased, or proposed to impose or increase, sales or similar taxes on beverages, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages. Increases in or the imposition of new indirect taxes on our business operations or products would increase the cost of products or, to the extent levied directly on consumers, make our products less affordable, which may negatively impact our net operating revenues and profitability.

Changes in laws and regulations relating to beverage containers and packaging could increase our costs and reduce demand for our products.

We and our bottlers offer, among other beverage containers, nonrefillable containers in the United States and in various other markets around the world. Legal requirements have been enacted in various jurisdictions requiring that deposits or certain ecotaxes or fees be charged in connection with the sale, marketing and use of certain beverage containers. Other proposals relating to beverage container deposits, recycling, recycling content, tethered bottle caps, ecotax and/or product stewardship, or even prohibitions on certain types of plastic products, packages and cups, have been introduced and/or adopted in various jurisdictions, and we anticipate that similar legislation or regulations may be proposed in the future at federal, state and local levels, both in the United States and elsewhere. Consumers’ increased concerns and changing attitudes about solid waste streams and environmental responsibility and the related publicity could result in the adoption of additional such legislation or regulations in the future. If these types of requirements are adopted and implemented on a large scale, they could affect our costs or require changes in our distribution model, which could reduce our net operating revenues and profitability.

Significant additional labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products may inhibit sales of affected products.

Various jurisdictions have adopted and may seek to adopt significant additional product labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products as a result of what they contain or allegations that they cause adverse health effects. If these types of requirements become applicable to one or more of our products under current or future environmental or health laws or regulations, they may inhibit sales of such products.

For example, under one such law in California, known as Proposition 65, if the state has determined that a substance causes cancer or harms human reproduction or development, a warning must be provided for any product sold in the state that exposes consumers to that substance, unless the exposure falls under an established safe harbor level or another exemption is applicable. For additional information regarding Proposition 65, refer to the heading “Governmental Regulation” set forth in Part I, “Item 1. Business” of this report. If we were required to add Proposition 65 warnings on the labels of one or more of our beverage products produced for sale in California, the resulting consumer reaction to the warnings and possible adverse publicity could negatively affect our sales both in California and in other markets.

Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation.

We are party to various litigation claims and legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business, including, but not limited to, those arising out of our advertising and marketing practices, product claims and labels, intellectual property and commercial disputes, tax disputes, and environmental and employment matters. We evaluate these litigation claims and legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Based on these assessments and estimates, we establish reserves and/or disclose the relevant litigation claims or legal proceedings, as appropriate. These assessments and estimates are based on the information available to management at the time and involve a significant amount of management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from our current assessments and estimates.

We conduct business in markets with high-risk legal compliance environments, which exposes us to increased legal and reputational risk.

We have bottling and other business operations in markets with high-risk legal compliance environments. Our policies and procedures require strict compliance by our employees and agents with all United States and local laws and regulations and consent orders applicable to our business operations, including those prohibiting improper payments to government officials. Nonetheless, our policies, procedures and related training programs may not always ensure full compliance by our employees

and agents with all applicable legal requirements. Improper conduct by our employees or agents could damage our reputation in the United States and internationally or lead to litigation or legal proceedings that could result in civil or criminal penalties, including substantial monetary fines as well as disgorgement of profits.

Failure to adequately protect, or disputes relating to, trademarks, formulas and other intellectual property rights could harm our business.

Our trademarks, formulas and other intellectual property rights (refer to the heading “Patents, Copyrights, Trade Secrets and Trademarks” in Part I, “Item 1. Business” of this report) are essential to the success of our business. We cannot be certain that the legal steps we are taking around the world are sufficient to protect our intellectual property rights or that, notwithstanding legal protection, others do not or will not infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property rights. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, or if changes in laws diminish or remove the current legal protections available to them, the competitiveness of our products may be eroded and our business could suffer. In addition, we could come into conflict with third parties over intellectual property rights, which could result in disruptive and expensive litigation. Any of the foregoing could harm our business.

Changes in, or failure to comply with, the laws and regulations applicable to our products or our business operations could increase our costs or reduce our net operating revenues.

Our Company is subject to various laws and regulations in the numerous countries throughout the world in which we do business, including laws and regulations relating to competition, product safety, advertising and labeling, container deposits, recycling and product stewardship, the protection of the environment, occupational health and safety, employment and labor practices, personal data protection and privacy, and data security. For additional information regarding laws and regulations applicable to our business, refer to the heading “Governmental Regulation” set forth in Part I, “Item 1. Business” of this report. Changes in applicable laws or regulations or evolving interpretations thereof, including increased or additional regulations to limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions as a result of concern over climate change; to discourage the use of plastic materials, including regulations relating to recovery and/or disposal of plastic bottles and other packaging materials due to environmental concerns; or to limit or impose additional costs on commercial water use due to local water scarcity concerns, may result in increased compliance costs, capital expenditures and other financial obligations for us and our bottling partners, which could affect our profitability, or may impede the production, distribution, marketing and sale of our products, which could affect our net operating revenues. In addition, failure to comply with various laws and regulations, such as U.S. trade sanctions, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Office of Foreign Assets Control trade sanction regulations and anti-boycott regulations, antitrust and competition laws, anti-modern slavery laws, anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, data privacy laws, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, tax laws and regulations and a variety of other applicable local, national and multinational regulations and laws could result in litigation, the assessment of damages, the imposition of penalties, suspension of production or distribution, costly changes to equipment or processes due to required corrective action, or a cessation or interruption of operations at our or our bottling partners’ facilities, as well as damage to our or our bottling partners’ image and reputation, all of which could harm our or our bottling partners’ profitability.

RISKS RELATED TO FINANCE, ACCOUNTING AND INVESTMENTS

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

We earn revenues, pay expenses, own assets and incur liabilities in countries using many currencies other than the U.S. dollar. In 2021, we used 70 functional currencies in addition to the U.S. dollar and derived $25.6 billion of net operating revenues from operations outside the United States. Because our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, we must translate revenues, income and expenses, as well as assets and liabilities, into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect during or at the end of each reporting period. Therefore, increases or decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies affect our net operating revenues, operating income and the value of balance sheet items denominated in foreign currencies. Because of the geographic diversity of our operations, weakness in some currencies may be offset by strength in others over time. We also use derivative financial instruments to further reduce our net exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. However, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against major currencies or the currencies of large developing countries, could materially affect our financial results.

If interest rates increase, our net income could be negatively affected.

We maintain levels of debt that we consider prudent based on our cash flows, interest coverage ratio and percentage of debt to capital. We use debt financing to lower our cost of capital, which increases our return on shareowners’ equity. This exposes us to adverse changes in interest rates. When and to the extent appropriate, we use derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to interest rate risks. However, our financial risk management program may not be successful in reducing the risks inherent in exposures to interest rate fluctuations. On December 31, 2021, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, the governing body responsible for regulating the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), ceased to publish certain LIBOR reference rates. However, other LIBOR reference rates, including U.S. dollar overnight, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and

12-month maturities, will continue to be published through June 2023. In preparation for the discontinuation of LIBOR, we have amended, or will amend, our LIBOR-referencing agreements to either reference the Secured Overnight Financing Rate or include mechanics for selecting an alternative rate, but it is possible that these changes may have an adverse impact on our financing costs as compared to LIBOR in the long term. Our interest expense may also be affected by our credit ratings. In assessing our credit strength, credit rating agencies consider our capital structure and financial policies as well as the consolidated balance sheet and other financial information of the Company. In addition, some credit rating agencies also consider financial information of certain of our major bottling partners. It is our expectation that the credit rating agencies will continue using this methodology. If our credit ratings were to be downgraded as a result of changes in our capital structure; our major bottling partners’ financial performance; changes in the credit rating agencies’ methodology in assessing our credit strength; the credit agencies’ perception of the impact of credit market conditions on our or our major bottling partners’ current or future financial performance and financial condition; or for any other reason, our cost of borrowing could increase. Additionally, if the credit ratings of certain bottling partners in which we have equity method investments were to be downgraded, such bottling partners’ interest expense could increase, which would reduce our equity income.

If we are unable to achieve our overall long-term growth objectives, the value of an investment in our Company could be negatively affected.

We have established and publicly announced certain long-term growth objectives. These objectives are based on, among other things, our evaluation of our growth prospects, which are generally driven by the sales potential of our many beverage products, some of which are more profitable than others, and on an assessment of the potential price and product mix. We may not be able to realize the sales potential and the price and product mix necessary to achieve our long-term growth objectives.

Default by or failure of one or more of our counterparty financial institutions could cause us to incur significant losses.

As part of our hedging activities, we enter into transactions involving derivative financial instruments, including forward contracts, commodity futures contracts, option contracts, collars and swaps, with various financial institutions. In addition, we have significant amounts of cash, cash equivalents and other investments on deposit or in accounts with banks or other financial institutions in the United States and abroad. As a result, we are exposed to the risk of default by or failure of counterparty financial institutions. The risk of counterparty default or failure may be heightened during economic downturns and periods of uncertainty in the financial markets. If one of our counterparties were to become insolvent or file for bankruptcy, our ability to recover losses incurred as a result of default or to retrieve our assets that are deposited or held in accounts with such counterparty may be limited by the counterparty’s liquidity or the applicable laws governing the insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings. In the event of default by or failure of one or more of our counterparties, we could incur significant losses, which could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We may be required to recognize impairment charges that could materially affect our financial results.

We assess our noncurrent assets, including trademarks, goodwill and other intangible assets, equity method investments and other long-lived assets, as and when required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States to determine whether they are impaired and, if they are, we record appropriate impairment charges. Our equity method investees also perform similar recoverability and impairment tests, and we record our proportionate share of impairment charges recorded by them adjusted, as appropriate, for the impact of items such as basis differences, deferred taxes and deferred gains. It is possible that we may be required to record significant impairment charges or our proportionate share of significant impairment charges recorded by equity method investees in the future and, if we do so, our net income could be materially adversely affected.

If we fail to realize a significant portion of the anticipated benefits of our strategic relationship with Monster, our financial results could be adversely affected.

We have a long-term strategic relationship in the global energy drink category with Monster. If we are unable to successfully manage our relationship with Monster, or if for any other reason we fail to realize all or a significant part of the benefits we expect from this strategic relationship and the related investment, our financial performance could be adversely affected.

RISKS RELATED TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DATA PRIVACY

If we are unable to protect our information systems against service interruption, misappropriation of data or cybersecurity incidents, our operations could be disrupted, we may suffer financial losses and our reputation may be damaged.

We rely on networks and information systems and other technology (“information systems”), including the Internet and third-party hosted services, to support a variety of business processes and activities, including procurement and supply chain, manufacturing, distribution, invoicing and collection of payments, employee processes, consumer marketing, mergers and acquisitions, and research and development. We use information systems to process financial information and results of operations for internal reporting purposes and to comply with regulatory financial reporting and legal and tax requirements. In addition, we depend on information systems for digital marketing activities and electronic communications among our locations around the world and between Company employees and our bottlers and other customers, suppliers and consumers. Because

information systems are critical to many of the Company’s operating activities, our business may be impacted by system shutdowns, service disruptions or cybersecurity incidents. These incidents may be caused by failures during routine operations such as system upgrades or by user errors, as well as network or hardware failures, malicious or disruptive software, unintentional or malicious actions of employees or contractors, cyberattacks by hackers, criminal groups or nation-state organizations (which may include social engineering, business email compromise, cyber extortion, denial of service, or attempts to exploit vulnerabilities), geopolitical events, natural disasters, failures or impairments of telecommunications networks, or other catastrophic events. In addition, such incidents could result in unauthorized or accidental disclosure of material confidential information or regulated personal data. If our information systems or third-party information systems on which we rely suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, we could experience delays in reporting our financial results, and we may lose revenue and profits as a result of our inability to timely manufacture, distribute, invoice and collect payments for concentrates or finished products. Unauthorized or accidental access to, or destruction, loss, alteration, disclosure, falsification or unavailability of, information could result in violations of data protection laws and regulations, damage to the reputation and credibility of the Company, loss of opportunities to acquire or divest of businesses or brands, and loss of ability to commercialize products developed through research and development efforts and, therefore, could have a negative impact on net operating revenues. In addition, we may suffer financial and reputational damage because of lost or misappropriated confidential information belonging to us, our current or former employees, our bottling partners, other customers or suppliers, or consumers or other data subjects, and may become exposed to legal action and increased regulatory oversight, including governmental investigations, enforcement actions and regulatory fines. The Company could also be required to spend significant financial and other resources to remedy the damage caused by a security breach or to repair or replace networks and information systems. These risks also may be present to the extent any of our bottling partners, distributors, joint venture partners or suppliers using separate information systems, not integrated with the information systems of the Company, suffers a cybersecurity incident and could result in increased costs related to involvement in investigations or notifications conducted by these third parties. These risks may also be present to the extent a business we have acquired, but which does not use our information systems, experiences a system shutdown, service disruption, or cybersecurity incident.

Like most major corporations, the Company’s information systems are a target of attacks. In addition, third-party providers of data hosting or cloud services, as well as our bottling partners, distributors, joint venture partners, suppliers or acquired businesses that use separate information systems, may experience cybersecurity incidents that may involve data we share with them. Although the incidents that we have experienced to date, as well as those reported to us by our third-party partners, have not had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, such incidents could have a material adverse effect on us in the future. In order to address risks to our information systems, we continue to make investments in personnel, technologies and training. Data protection laws and regulations around the world often require “reasonable,” “appropriate” or “adequate” technical and organizational security measures, and the interpretation and application of those laws and regulations are often uncertain and evolving; there can be no assurance that our security measures will be deemed adequate, appropriate or reasonable by a regulator or court. Moreover, even security measures that are deemed appropriate, reasonable or in accordance with applicable legal requirements may not be able to protect the information we maintain. In addition to potential fines, we could be subject to mandatory corrective action due to a cybersecurity incident, which could adversely affect our business operations and result in substantial costs for years to come. The Company maintains an information risk management program which is supervised by information technology management and reviewed by a cross-functional committee. As part of this program, reports that include analysis of emerging risks, as well as the Company’s plans and strategies to address them, are regularly presented to senior management and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. While we have purchased cybersecurity insurance, there are no assurances that the coverage would be adequate in relation to any incurred losses. Moreover, as cyberattacks increase in frequency and magnitude, we may be unable to obtain cybersecurity insurance in amounts and on terms we view as appropriate for our operations.

If we fail to comply with personal data protection and privacy laws, we could be subject to adverse publicity, government enforcement actions and/or private litigation, which could negatively affect our business and operating results.

In the ordinary course of our business, we receive, process, transmit and store information relating to identifiable individuals (“personal data”), primarily employees, former employees and consumers with whom we interact. As a result, we are subject to various U.S. federal and state and foreign laws and regulations relating to personal data. These laws have been subject to frequent changes, and new legislation in this area may be enacted in other jurisdictions at any time. These laws impose operational requirements for companies receiving or processing personal data, and many provide for significant penalties for noncompliance. Some laws and regulations also impose obligations regarding cross-border data transfers of personal data. These requirements with respect to personal data have subjected and may continue in the future to subject the Company to, among other things, additional costs and expenses and have required and may in the future require costly changes to our business practices and information security systems, policies, procedures and practices. In addition, some countries are considering or have enacted data localization laws requiring that certain data in their country be maintained, stored and/or processed in their country. Maintaining local data centers in individual countries could increase our operating costs

significantly. Our security controls over personal data, the training of employees and vendors on data privacy and data security, and the policies, procedures and practices we implemented or may implement in the future may not prevent the improper disclosure of personal data by us or the third-party service providers and vendors whose technology, systems and services we use in connection with the receipt, storage and transmission of personal data. Unauthorized access to or improper disclosure of personal data in violation of personal data protection or privacy laws could harm our reputation, cause loss of consumer confidence, subject us to regulatory enforcement actions (including penalties, fines and investigations), and result in private litigation against us, which could result in loss of revenue, increased costs, liability for monetary damages, fines and/or criminal prosecution, all of which could negatively affect our business and operating results. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, expenses to comply with privacy and data protection standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards and contractual obligations. Increased regulation of data collection, use, and retention practices, including self-regulation and industry standards, changes in existing laws and regulations, enactment of new laws and regulations, increased enforcement activity, and changes in interpretation of laws, could increase our cost of compliance and operation, limit our ability to grow our business or otherwise harm our business.

RISKS RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS

Our ability to achieve our environmental, social and governance goals are subject to risks, many of which are outside of our control, and our reputation and brands could be harmed if we fail to meet such goals.

Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny from stakeholders related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters, including practices and disclosures related to environmental stewardship; social responsibility; diversity, equity and inclusion; and workplace rights. Our ability to achieve our ESG goals and objectives and to accurately and transparently report our progress presents numerous operational, financial, legal and other risks, and are dependent on the actions of our bottling partners, suppliers and other third parties, all of which are outside of our control. If we are unable to meet our ESG goals or evolving stakeholder expectations and industry standards, or if we are perceived to have not responded appropriately to the growing concern for ESG issues, our reputation, and therefore our ability to sell products, could be negatively impacted. In addition, in recent years, investor advocacy groups and certain institutional investors have placed increasing importance on ESG matters. If, as a result of their assessment of our ESG practices, certain investors are unsatisfied with our actions or progress, they may reconsider their investment in our Company.

As the nature, scope and complexity of ESG reporting, diligence and disclosure requirements expand, we may have to undertake additional costs to control, assess and report on ESG metrics. Any failure or perceived failure, whether or not valid, to pursue or fulfill our ESG goals, targets and objectives or to satisfy various ESG reporting standards within the timelines we announce, or at all, could increase the risk of litigation.

Increasing concerns about the environmental impact of plastic bottles and other packaging materials could result in reduced demand for our beverage products and increased production and distribution costs.

There are increasing concerns among consumers, governments and other stakeholders about the damaging impact of the accumulation of plastic bottles and other packaging materials in the environment, particularly in the world’s waterways, lakes and oceans, as well as inefficient use of resources when packaging materials are not included in a circular economy. We and our bottling partners sell certain of our beverage products in plastic bottles and use other packaging materials that, while largely recyclable, may not be regularly recovered and recycled due to low economic value or lack of collection and recycling infrastructure. If we and our bottling partners do not, or are perceived not to, act responsibly to address plastic materials recoverability and recycling concerns, our corporate image and brand reputation could be damaged, which may cause some consumers to reduce or discontinue consumption of some of our beverage products. In addition, from time to time we establish and publicly announce goals and commitments to reduce the Coca-Cola system’s impact on the environment by increasing our use of recycled content in our packaging materials; increasing our use of packaging materials that are made in part of plant-based renewable materials; expanding our use of reusable packaging (including refillable or returnable glass and plastic bottles, as well as dispensed and fountain delivery models where consumers use refillable containers for our beverages); participating in programs and initiatives to reclaim or recover plastic bottles and other packaging materials that are already in the environment; and taking other actions and participating in other programs and initiatives organized or sponsored by nongovernmental organizations and other groups. If we and our bottling partners fail to achieve or improperly report on our progress toward achieving our announced environmental goals and commitments, the resulting negative publicity could adversely affect consumer preference for our products. In addition, in response to environmental concerns, governmental entities in the United States and in many other jurisdictions around the world have adopted, or are considering adopting, regulations and policies designed to mandate or encourage plastic packaging waste reduction and an increase in recycling rates and/or recycled content minimums, or, in some cases, restrict or even prohibit the use of certain plastic containers or packaging materials. These regulations and policies, whatever their scope or form, could increase the cost of our beverage products or otherwise put the Company at a competitive disadvantage. In addition, our increased focus on reducing plastic containers and other packaging materials waste may require us or our bottling partners to incur additional expenses and to increase our capital expenditures. A reduction in consumer demand for our products and/or an increase in costs and expenditures relating to production and

distribution as a result of these environmental concerns regarding plastic bottles and other packaging materials could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Water scarcity and poor quality could negatively impact the Coca-Cola system’s costs and capacity.

Water is a main ingredient in substantially all of our products, is vital to the production of the agricultural ingredients on which our business relies and is needed in our manufacturing process. It also is critical to the prosperity of the communities we serve and the ecosystems in which we operate. Water is a limited resource in many parts of the world, facing unprecedented challenges from overexploitation, increasing demand for food and other consumer and industrial products whose manufacturing processes require water, increasing pollution and emerging awareness of potential contaminants, poor management, lack of physical or financial access to water, sociopolitical tensions due to lack of public infrastructure in certain areas of the world and the effects of climate change. As the demand for water continues to increase around the world, and as water becomes scarcer and the quality of available water deteriorates, the Coca-Cola system may incur higher costs or face capacity constraints and the possibility of reputational damage, which could adversely affect our profitability.

Increased demand for food products and decreased agricultural productivity may negatively affect our business.

As part of the manufacture of our beverage products, we and our bottling partners use a number of key ingredients that are derived from agricultural commodities such as sugarcane, corn, sugar beets, citrus, coffee and tea. Increased demand for food products; decreased agricultural productivity in certain regions of the world as a result of changing weather patterns; increased agricultural regulations; and other factors have in the past, and may in the future, limit the availability and/or increase the cost of such agricultural commodities and could impact the food security of communities around the world. If we are unable to implement programs focused on economic opportunity and environmental sustainability to address these agricultural challenges and fail to make a strategic impact on food security through joint efforts with bottlers, farmers, communities, suppliers and key partners, as well as through our increased and continued investment in sustainable agriculture, our ability to source raw materials for use in our manufacturing processes and the affordability of our products and ultimately our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted.

Climate change and legal or regulatory responses thereto may have a long-term adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

There is increasing concern that a gradual increase in global average temperatures due to increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will cause significant changes in weather patterns around the globe and an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Decreased agricultural productivity in certain regions of the world as a result of changing weather patterns may limit the availability or increase the cost of key agricultural commodities, such as sugarcane, corn, sugar beets, citrus, coffee and tea, which are important sources of ingredients for our products, and could impact the food security of communities around the world. Climate change may also exacerbate water scarcity and cause a further deterioration of water quality in affected regions, which could limit water availability for the Coca-Cola system’s bottling operations. Increased frequency or duration of extreme weather conditions could also impair production capabilities, disrupt our supply chain or impact demand for our products. Increasing concern over climate change also may result in additional legal or regulatory requirements designed to reduce or mitigate the effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Increased energy or compliance costs and expenses due to increased legal or regulatory requirements may cause disruptions in, or an increase in the costs associated with, the manufacturing and distribution of our beverage products. The effects of climate change and legal or regulatory initiatives to address climate change could have a long-term adverse impact on our business and results of operations. In addition, from time to time we establish and publicly announce goals and commitments to reduce the Coca-Cola system’s carbon footprint by increasing our use of recycled packaging materials, expanding our renewable energy usage, and participating in environmental and sustainability programs and initiatives organized or sponsored by nongovernmental organizations and other groups to reduce greenhouse gas emissions industrywide. If we and our bottling partners fail to achieve or improperly report on our progress toward achieving our carbon footprint reduction goals and commitments, the resulting negative publicity could adversely affect consumer preference for our beverage products.

Adverse weather conditions could reduce the demand for our products.

The sales of our products are influenced to some extent by weather conditions in the markets in which we operate. Unusually cold or rainy weather during the summer months may have a temporary effect on the demand for our products and contribute to lower sales, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations for such periods.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our worldwide headquarters is located on a 35-acre complex in Atlanta, Georgia. The complex includes several office buildings which are used by Corporate employees and North America operating segment employees. In addition, the complex includes technical and engineering facilities along with a reception center.

We own or lease additional facilities, real estate and office space throughout the world, which we use for administrative, manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, warehousing, distribution and retail operations. These properties are generally included in the geographic operating segment in which they are located, with the exception of our Costa retail stores, which are included in the Global Ventures operating segment, and facilities related to our consolidated bottling and distribution operations, which are included in the Bottling Investments operating segment.

The following table summarizes our principal production facilities, distribution and storage facilities, and retail stores by operating segment and Corporate as of December 31, 2021:

Owned Leased Owned Leased Owned Leased Owned Leased

Europe, Middle East & Africa 5 — 2 — 7 27 — 13

Latin America 5 — — — 2 3 — —

North America 11 — 7 4 — 23 — —

Asia Pacific 7 — — — 2 1 — —

Corporate 3 — — — — 5 — —

Management believes that our Company’s facilities used for the production of our products are suitable and adequate, that they are being appropriately utilized in line with past experience, and that they have sufficient production capacity for their present intended purposes. The extent of utilization of our production facilities varies based upon seasonal demand for our products. However, management believes that additional production can be achieved at the existing facilities by adding personnel and capital equipment or, at some facilities, by adding shifts of personnel or expanding the facilities. We continuously review our anticipated requirements for facilities and, on the basis of that review, may from time to time acquire or lease additional facilities and/or dispose of existing facilities.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is involved in various legal proceedings, including the proceedings specifically discussed below. Management

believes that, except as disclosed in “U.S. Federal Income Tax Dispute”below, the total liabilities of the Company that may arise as a result of currently pending legal proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on the Company taken as a whole.

Aqua-Chem Litigation

On December 20, 2002, the Company filed a lawsuit (The Coca-Cola Company v. Aqua-Chem, Inc., Civil Action No. 2002CV631-50) in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia (“Georgia Case”), seeking a declaratory judgment that the Company has no obligation to its former subsidiary, Aqua-Chem, Inc., now known as Cleaver-Brooks, Inc. (“Aqua-Chem”), for any past, present or future liabilities or expenses in connection with any claims or lawsuits against Aqua-Chem. Subsequent to the Company’s filing but on the same day, Aqua-Chem filed a lawsuit (Aqua-Chem, Inc. v. The Coca-Cola Company, Civil Action No. 02CV012179) in the Circuit Court, Civil Division of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin (“Wisconsin Case”). In the Wisconsin Case, Aqua-Chem sought a declaratory judgment that the Company is responsible for all liabilities and expenses not covered by insurance in connection with certain of Aqua-Chem’s general and product liability claims arising from occurrences prior to the Company’s sale of Aqua-Chem in 1981, and a judgment for breach of contract in an amount exceeding $9 million for costs incurred by Aqua-Chem to date in connection with such claims. The Wisconsin Case initially was stayed, pending final resolution of the Georgia Case, and later was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice by Aqua-Chem.

The Company owned Aqua-Chem from 1970 to 1981. During that time, the Company purchased over $400 million of insurance coverage, which also insures Aqua-Chem for some of its prior and future costs for certain product liability and other claims. The Company sold Aqua-Chem to Lyonnaise American Holding, Inc., in 1981 under the terms of a stock sale agreement. The 1981 agreement, and a subsequent 1983 settlement agreement, outlined the parties’ rights and obligations concerning past and future claims and lawsuits involving Aqua-Chem. Cleaver-Brooks, a division of Aqua-Chem, manufactured boilers, some of

which contained asbestos gaskets. Aqua-Chem was first named as a defendant in asbestos lawsuits in or around 1985 and currently has approximately 15,000 active claims pending against it.

The parties agreed in 2004 to stay the Georgia Case pending the outcome of insurance coverage litigation filed by certain Aqua-Chem insurers on March 26, 2004. In the coverage action, five plaintiff insurance companies filed suit (Century Indemnity Company, et al. v. Aqua-Chem, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, et al., Case No. 04CV002852) in the Circuit Court, Civil Division of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, against the Company, Aqua-Chem and 16 insurance companies. Several of the policies that were the subject of the coverage action had been issued to the Company during the period (1970 to 1981) when the Company owned Aqua-Chem. The complaint sought a determination of the respective rights and obligations under the insurance policies issued with regard to asbestos-related claims against Aqua-Chem. The action also sought a monetary judgment reimbursing any amounts paid by the plaintiffs in excess of their obligations. Two of the insurers, one with a $15 million policy limit and one with a $25 million policy limit, asserted cross-claims against the Company, alleging that the Company and/or its insurers are responsible for Aqua-Chem’s asbestos liabilities before any obligation is triggered on the part of the cross-claimant insurers to pay for such costs under their policies.

Aqua-Chem and the Company filed and obtained a partial summary judgment determination in the coverage action that the insurers for Aqua-Chem and the Company were jointly and severally liable for coverage amounts, but reserving judgment on other defenses that might apply. During the course of the Wisconsin insurance coverage litigation, Aqua-Chem and the Company reached settlements with several of the insurers, including plaintiffs, who paid funds into escrow accounts for payment of costs arising from the asbestos claims against Aqua-Chem. On July 24, 2007, the Wisconsin trial court entered a final declaratory judgment regarding the rights and obligations of the parties under the insurance policies issued by the remaining defendant insurers, which judgment was not appealed. The judgment directs, among other things, that each insurer whose policy is triggered is jointly and severally liable for 100 percent of Aqua-Chem’s losses up to policy limits. The court’s judgment concluded the Wisconsin insurance coverage litigation.

The Company and Aqua-Chem continued to pursue and obtain coverage agreements for the asbestos-related claims against Aqua-Chem with those insurance companies that did not settle in the Wisconsin insurance coverage litigation. The Company anticipated that a final settlement with three of those insurers (“Chartis insurers”) would be finalized in May 2011, but the Chartis insurers repudiated their settlement commitments and, as a result, Aqua-Chem and the Company filed suit against them in Wisconsin state court to enforce the coverage-in-place settlement or, in the alternative, to obtain a declaratory judgment validating Aqua-Chem and the Company’s interpretation of the court’s judgment in the Wisconsin insurance coverage litigation.

KO US Equity

KO · 10-K · period ended 2021-12-31

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

KO US Equity☆

KO · 10-K · period ended 2021-12-31

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

KO US Equity