KO US Equity☆

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

In February 2012, the parties filed and argued a number of cross-motions for summary judgment related to the issues of the enforceability of the settlement agreement and the exhaustion of policies underlying those of the Chartis insurers. The court granted defendants’ motions for summary judgment that the 2011 Settlement Agreement and 2010 Term Sheet were not binding contracts, but denied their similar motions related to plaintiffs’ claims for promissory and/or equitable estoppel. On or about May 15, 2012, the parties entered into a mutually agreeable settlement/stipulation resolving two major issues: exhaustion of underlying coverage and control of defense. On or about January 10, 2013, the parties reached a settlement of the estoppel claims and all of the remaining coverage issues, with the exception of one disputed issue relating to the scope of the Chartis insurers’ defense obligations in two policy years. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the Company and Aqua-Chem on that one open issue and entered a final appealable judgment to that effect following the parties’ settlement. On January 23, 2013, the Chartis insurers filed a notice of appeal of the trial court’s summary judgment ruling. On October 29, 2013, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment in favor of the Company and Aqua-Chem. On November 27, 2013, the Chartis insurers filed a petition for review in the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and on December 11, 2013, the Company filed its opposition to that petition. On April 16, 2014, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin denied the Chartis insurers’ petition for review.

The Georgia Case remains subject to the stay agreed to in 2004.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Dispute

On September 17, 2015, the Company received a Statutory Notice of Deficiency (“Notice”) from the IRS seeking approximately $3.3 billion of additional federal income tax for years 2007 through 2009. In the Notice, the IRS stated its intent to reallocate over $9 billion of income to the U.S. parent company from certain of its foreign affiliates that the U.S. parent company licensed to manufacture, distribute, sell, market and promote its products in certain non-U.S. markets.

The Notice concerned the Company’s transfer pricing between its U.S. parent company and certain of its foreign affiliates. IRS rules governing transfer pricing require arm’s-length pricing of transactions between related parties such as the Company’s U.S. parent and its foreign affiliates.

To resolve the same transfer pricing issue for the tax years 1987 through 1995, the Company and the IRS had agreed in 1996 on an arm’s-length methodology for determining the amount of U.S. taxable income that the U.S. parent company would report as

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compensation from its foreign licensees. The Company and the IRS memorialized this accord in a closing agreement resolving that dispute (“Closing Agreement”). The Closing Agreement provided that, absent a change in material facts or circumstances or relevant federal tax law, in calculating the Company’s income taxes going forward, the Company would not be assessed penalties by the IRS for using the agreed-upon tax calculation methodology that the Company and the IRS agreed would be used for the 1987 through 1995 tax years.

The IRS audited and confirmed the Company’s compliance with the agreed-upon Closing Agreement methodology in five successive audit cycles for tax years 1996 through 2006.

The September 17, 2015 Notice from the IRS retroactively rejected the previously agreed-upon methodology for the 2007 through 2009 tax years in favor of an entirely different methodology, without prior notice to the Company. Using the new tax calculation methodology, the IRS reallocated over $9 billion of income to the U.S. parent company from its foreign licensees for tax years 2007 through 2009. Consistent with the Closing Agreement, the IRS did not assert penalties, and it has yet to do so.

The IRS designated the Company’s matter for litigation on October 15, 2015. Litigation designation is an IRS determination that forecloses to a company any and all alternative means for resolution of a tax dispute. As a result of the IRS’ designation of the Company’s matter for litigation, the Company was forced to either accept the IRS’ newly imposed tax assessment and pay the full amount of the asserted tax or litigate the matter in the federal courts. The matter remains subject to the IRS’ litigation designation, preventing the Company from any attempt to settle or otherwise mutually resolve the matter with the IRS.

The Company consequently initiated litigation by filing a petition in the Tax Court in December 2015, challenging the tax adjustments enumerated in the Notice.

Prior to trial, the IRS increased its transfer pricing adjustment by $385 million, resulting in an additional tax adjustment of $135 million. The Company obtained a summary judgment in its favor on a different matter related to Mexican foreign tax credits, which thereafter effectively reduced the IRS’ potential tax adjustment by approximately $138 million.

The trial was held in the Tax Court from March through May 2018, and final post-trial briefs were filed and exchanged in April 2019.

On November 18, 2020, the Tax Court issued the Opinion in which it predominantly sided with the IRS but agreed with the Company that dividends previously paid by the foreign licensees to the U.S. parent company in reliance upon the Closing Agreement should continue to be allowed to offset royalties, including those that would become payable to the Company in accordance with the Opinion. The Tax Court reserved ruling on the effect of Brazilian legal restrictions on the payment of royalties by the Company’s licensee in Brazil until after the Tax Court issues its opinion in the separate case of 3M Co. & Subs. v. Commissioner, T.C. Docket No. 5816-13 (filed March 11, 2013). Once the Tax Court issues its opinion in 3M Co. & Subs. v. Commissioner, the Company expects the Tax Court thereafter to render another opinion, and ultimately a final decision, in the Company’s case.

The Company believes that the IRS and the Tax Court misinterpreted and misapplied the applicable regulations in reallocating income earned by the Company’s foreign licensees to increase the Company’s U.S. tax. Moreover, the Company believes that the retroactive imposition of such tax liability using a calculation methodology different from that previously agreed upon by the IRS and the Company, and audited by the IRS for over a decade, is unconstitutional. The Company intends to assert its claims on appeal and vigorously defend its position.

In determining the amount of tax reserve to be recorded as of December 31, 2020, the Company completed the required two-step evaluation process prescribed by Accounting Standards Codification 740, Accounting for Income Taxes. In doing so, we consulted with outside advisors, and we reviewed and considered relevant laws, rules, and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Opinion and relevant caselaw. We also considered our intention to vigorously defend our positions and assert our various well-founded legal claims via every available avenue of appeal. We concluded, based on the technical and legal merits of the Company’s tax positions, that it is more likely than not the Company’s tax positions will ultimately be sustained on appeal. In addition, we considered a number of alternative transfer pricing methodologies, including the methodology asserted by the IRS and affirmed in the Opinion (“Tax Court Methodology”), that could be applied by the courts upon final resolution of the litigation. Based on the required probability analysis, we determined the methodologies we believe the federal courts could ultimately order to be used in calculating the Company’s tax. As a result of this analysis, we recorded a tax reserve of $438 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 related to the application of the resulting methodologies as well as the different tax treatment applicable to dividends originally paid to the U.S. parent company by its foreign licensees, in reliance upon the Closing Agreement, that would be recharacterized as royalties in accordance with the Opinion and the Company’s analysis.

The Company’s conclusion that it is more likely than not the Company’s tax positions will ultimately be sustained on appeal is unchanged as of December 31, 2021. However, we updated our calculation of the methodologies we believe the federal courts could ultimately order to be used in calculating the Company’s tax. As a result of the application of the required probability

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analysis to these updated calculations and the accrual of interest through the current reporting period, we updated our tax reserve as of December 31, 2021 to $400 million.

While the Company strongly disagrees with the IRS’ positions and the portions of the Opinion affirming such positions, it is possible that some portion or all of the adjustment proposed by the IRS and sustained by the Tax Court could ultimately be upheld. In that event, the Company would likely be subject to significant additional liabilities for tax years 2007 through 2009, and potentially also for subsequent years, which could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

The Company calculated the potential impact of applying the Tax Court Methodology to reallocate income from foreign licensees potentially covered within the scope of the Opinion, assuming such methodology were to be ultimately upheld by the courts, and the IRS were to decide to apply that methodology to subsequent years, with consent of the federal courts. This impact would include taxes and interest accrued through December 31, 2021 for the 2007 through 2009 litigated tax years and for subsequent tax years from 2010 through 2021. The calculations incorporated the estimated impact of correlative adjustments to the previously accrued transition tax payable under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Company estimates that the potential aggregate incremental tax and interest liability could be approximately $13 billion as of December 31, 2021. Additional income tax and interest would continue to accrue until the time any such potential liability, or portion thereof, were to be paid. We currently project the continued application of the Tax Court Methodology in future years, assuming similar facts and circumstances as of December 31, 2021, would result in an incremental annual tax liability that would increase the Company’s effective tax rate by approximately 3.5 percent.

The Company does not know when the Tax Court will issue its opinion regarding the effect of Brazilian legal restrictions on the payment of royalties by the Company’s licensee in Brazil for the 2007 through 2009 tax years. After the Tax Court issues its opinion on the Company’s Brazilian licensee, the Company and the IRS will be provided time to agree on the tax impact, if any, of both opinions, after which the Tax Court would render a final decision in the case. The Company will have 90 days thereafter to file a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and pay the tax liability and interest related to the 2007 through 2009 tax years. The Company currently estimates that the payment to be made at that time related to the 2007 through 2009 tax years, which is included in the above estimate of the potential aggregate incremental tax and interest liability, would be approximately $4.9 billion (including interest accrued through December 31, 2021), plus any additional interest accrued through the time of payment. Some or all of this amount would be refunded if the Company were to prevail on appeal.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

ITEM X. INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following are the executive officers of our Company as of February 22, 2022:

Name Age Position

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All executive officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. There is no family relationship between any of the Directors or executive officers of the Company.

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Part II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The principal United States market in which the Company’s common stock is listed and traded is the New York Stock Exchange and the corresponding trading symbol is “KO.”

While we have historically paid dividends to holders of our common stock on a quarterly basis, the declaration and payment of future dividends will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to, our earnings, financial condition, business development needs and regulatory considerations, and are at the discretion of our Board of Directors.

As of February 18, 2022, there were 191,391 shareowner accounts of record. This figure does not include a substantially greater number of “street name” holders or beneficial holders of our common stock, whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.

The information under the subheading “Equity Compensation Plan Information” under the principal heading “Compensation” in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareowners (“Company’s 2022 Proxy Statement”), to be filed with the SEC, is incorporated herein by reference.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, no equity securities of the Company were sold by the Company that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The following table presents information with respect to purchases of common stock of the Company made during the three months ended December 31, 2021 by the Company or any “affiliated purchaser” of the Company as defined in Rule 10b-18(a)(3) under the Exchange Act:

1The total number of shares purchased includes: (i) shares purchased, if any, pursuant to the 2012 Plan described in footnote 2 below and (ii) shares surrendered to the Company to pay the exercise price and/or to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with so-called stock swap exercises of employee stock options and/or the vesting of restricted stock issued to employees.

2On October 18, 2012, the Company publicly announced that our Board of Directors had authorized a plan (“2012 Plan”) for the Company to purchase up to 500 million shares of our common stock. This column discloses the number of shares purchased pursuant to the 2012 Plan during the indicated time periods (including shares purchased pursuant to the terms of preset trading plans meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act).

3On February 21, 2019, the Company publicly announced that our Board of Directors had authorized a new plan (“2019 Plan”) for the Company to purchase up to 150 million shares of our common stock following the completion of the 2012 Plan. This column discloses the number of shares available for purchase under the 2012 Plan and the number of shares authorized for purchase under the 2019 Plan.

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Performance Graph

Comparison of Five-Year Cumulative Total Shareowner Return Among

The Coca-Cola Company, the Peer Group Index and the S&P 500 Index

Total Shareowner Return

Stock Price Plus Reinvested Dividends

The total shareowner return is based on a $100 investment on December 31, 2016 and assumes that dividends were reinvested on the day of issuance.

The Peer Group Index is a self-constructed peer group of companies that are included in the Dow Jones Food & Beverage Index and the Dow Jones Tobacco Index, from which the Company has been excluded.

The Peer Group Index consists of the following companies: Altria Group, Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Company, Beyond Meat, Inc., The Boston Beer Company, Inc., Brown-Forman Corporation, Bunge Limited, Campbell Soup Company, ConAgra Brands, Inc., Constellation Brands, Inc., Darling Ingredients Inc., Flowers Foods, Inc., Freshpet Inc., General Mills, Inc., The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Herbalife Nutrition Ltd., The Hershey Company, Hormel Foods Corporation, Ingredion Incorporated, Kellogg Company, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., The Kraft Heinz Company, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc., Lancaster Colony Corporation, McCormick & Company, Incorporated, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Mondelēz International, Inc., Monster Beverage Corporation, National Beverage Corp., PepsiCo, Inc., Performance Food Group Company, Philip Morris International Inc., Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, Post Holdings, Inc., Seaboard Corporation, The J.M. Smucker Company, Tyson Foods, Inc. and US Foods Holding Corp.

Companies included in the Dow Jones Food & Beverage Index and the Dow Jones Tobacco Index change periodically. In 2021, the Dow Jones Food & Beverage Index and the Peer Group Index included Freshpet Inc., which was not included in the indices in 2020. Additionally, in 2021 these indices do not include Jefferies Financial Group Inc. and TreeHouse Foods, Inc., which were included in the indices in 2020.

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ITEM 6. INTENTIONALLY OMITTED

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to help the reader understand The Coca-Cola Company, our operations and our present business environment. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto contained in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this report. MD&A includes the following sections:

•Our Business — a general description of our business and its challenges and risks.

•Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates — a discussion of accounting policies that require critical judgments and estimates.

•Operations Review — an analysis of our consolidated results of operations for 2021 and 2020 and year-to-year comparisons between 2021 and 2020. An analysis of our consolidated results of operations for 2020 and 2019 and year-to-year comparisons between 2020 and 2019 can be found in MD&A in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

•Liquidity, Capital Resources and Financial Position — an analysis of cash flows, contractual obligations, foreign exchange, and the impact of inflation and changing prices.

Our Business

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 the Company’s consolidated bottling and distribution operations. Beverages bearing trademarks owned by or licensed to us 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.

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

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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. 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.

The following table sets forth the percentage of total net operating revenues attributable to concentrate operations and finished product operations:

Concentrate operations 56 % 56 %

Finished product operations 44 44

The following table sets forth the percentage of total worldwide unit case volume attributable to concentrate operations and finished product operations:

Concentrate operations 83 % 82 %

Finished product operations 17 18

We operate in the highly competitive commercial beverage industry. We face strong competition from numerous other general and specialty beverage companies. We, along with other beverage companies, are affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the cost to manufacture and distribute products, consumer spending, economic conditions, availability and quality of water, consumer preferences, inflation, political climates, local and national laws and regulations, foreign currency fluctuations, fuel prices, weather patterns and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout 2021, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related actions by governments around the world to attempt to contain the spread of the virus continued to impact our business globally. In particular, the number of people contracting COVID-19 and the preventive measures taken to contain COVID-19, including the spread of new variants, negatively impacted our unit case volume and increased our costs to manufacture and distribute our products. Our price, product and geographic mix was also negatively impacted, primarily due to unfavorable channel and product mix as consumer demand shifted to more at-home consumption versus away-from-home consumption. However, the timing and number of people receiving vaccinations, the governmental actions to reopen certain economies around the world, and the substance and pace of the economic recovery favorably impacted our business when compared to 2020. While uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic remain, and factors such as the state of the supply chain, labor shortages and the inflationary environment are likely to impact the pace of the economic recovery, we expect to continue to see improvements in our business as we continue to learn and adapt to the ever-changing environment.

The Company’s priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic and related business disruptions are ensuring the health and safety of our employees; supporting and making a difference in the communities we serve; keeping our brands in supply; maintaining the quality and safety of our products; and serving our customers across all channels as they adapt to the shifting demands of consumers during the pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, business continuity and adapting to the needs of our customers have been critical. We have developed systemwide knowledge-sharing routines and processes, which include the management of any supply chain challenges. As of the date of this filing, while we have experienced some temporary supply chain disruptions, there has been no material impact, and we do not foresee a material impact, on our and our bottling partners’ ability to manufacture or distribute our products.

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Despite the pandemic, we are not losing sight of long-term opportunities for our business. The pandemic helped us realize we could be much bolder in our efforts to change. We identified the following key objectives to navigate the pandemic and position us to capture growth: winning more consumers; gaining market share; maintaining strong system economics; strengthening stakeholder impact; and equipping the organization to win. In order to deliver against these objectives, we focused on the following priorities: unlocking the potential of our portfolio of strong global, regional and scaled local brands; developing a robust innovation pipeline focusing on scalable initiatives; increasing consumer-centric marketing effectiveness and efficiency; winning in the marketplace with aligned data-driven revenue growth management and execution capabilities; and further embedding ESG goals into our operations. In August 2020, the Company announced strategic steps to transform our organizational structure to better enable us to capture growth in the fast-changing marketplace. The Company has transformed into a networked global organization designed to combine the power of scale with the deep knowledge required to win locally. Refer to Note 18 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about our strategic realignment initiatives.

Challenges and Risks

Being global provides unique opportunities for our Company. Challenges and risks accompany those opportunities. Our management has identified certain challenges and risks that demand the attention of our Company and the commercial beverage industry. Of these, five key challenges and risks are discussed below.

Obesity

The rates of obesity affecting communities, cultures and countries worldwide continue to be too high. There is growing concern among consumers, public health professionals and government agencies about the health problems associated with obesity. This concern represents a significant challenge to our industry. We understand and recognize that obesity is a complex public health challenge and are committed to being a part of the solution.

We recognize the uniqueness of consumers’ lifestyles and dietary choices. Therefore, we continue to:

•offer reduced-, low- and no-calorie beverage options;

•provide transparent nutrition information, featuring calories on the front of most of our packages;

•provide our beverages in a range of packaging sizes; and

•market responsibly, including no advertising targeted to children under 12.

The heritage of our Company is to lead, and innovation is critical for leadership. As such, we are resolute in continuing to innovate and are committed to partnering to find winning solutions in the area of noncaloric sweeteners. This includes working to reduce sugar and calories in many of our beverages. We want to be a helpful and credible partner in the fight against obesity. Across the Coca-Cola system, we are mobilizing our assets in marketing and in community outreach to increase awareness and spur action.

Evolving Consumer Product Preferences

We are impacted by shifting consumer demographics and needs, on-the-go lifestyles and consumers who are empowered with more information than ever. As a consequence of these changes, many consumers want more beverage choices, personalization, a focus on sustainability and recyclability, and transparency related to our products and packaging. We are committed to meeting their needs and to generating growth through our evolving portfolio of beverage brands and products (including numerous low- and no-calorie products), selectively expanding into other profitable categories of the commercial beverage industry, innovative and sustainable packaging, and ingredient education efforts. We are also committed to continuing to expand the variety of choices we provide to consumers and to providing options that reflect consumer concerns about impacts to the planet.

Evolving Competitive Landscape and Competing in the Digital Marketplace

Our Company faces strong competition from well-established global companies as well as numerous regional and local companies. Additionally, the rapidly evolving digital landscape and growth of e-commerce in many markets has led to dramatic shifts in consumer shopping habits and patterns. Consumers are rapidly embracing shopping via mobile device applications, e-commerce retailers and e-commerce websites or platforms, which presents new challenges to maintain the competitiveness and relevancy of our brands. As a result, we must continuously strengthen our capabilities in marketing and innovation in order to compete in a digital environment and maintain our brand loyalty and market share. In addition, we are increasing our investments in e-commerce to support retail and meal delivery services, offering more package sizes that are fit-for-purpose for online sales, and shifting more consumer and trade promotions to digital.

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Product Safety and Quality

We strive to meet the highest standards in both product safety and product quality. We are aware that some consumers have concerns and negative viewpoints regarding certain ingredients used in our products. The Coca-Cola system works every day to share safe and refreshing beverages with consumers around the world. We have rigorous product and ingredient safety and quality standards designed to ensure safety and quality in each of our products, and we drive innovation that provides new beverage options to satisfy consumers’ evolving needs and preferences.

We work to ensure consistent safety and quality through strong governance and compliance with applicable regulations and standards. We stay current with new regulations, industry best practices and marketplace conditions, and we engage with standard-setting and industry organizations. Additionally, we manufacture and distribute our products according to strict policies, requirements and specifications set forth in an integrated quality management program that continually measures all operations within the Coca-Cola system against the same stringent standards. Our quality management program also identifies and mitigates risks and drives improvement. In our quality laboratories, we stringently measure the quality attributes of ingredients as well as samples of finished products collected from the marketplace.

We perform due diligence to ensure that product and ingredient safety and quality standards are maintained in the more than 200 countries and territories where our products are sold. We regularly assess the relevance of our requirements and standards and continually work to improve and refine them across our entire supply chain.

Environmental and Social Matters

As investors and stakeholders increasingly focus on ESG issues, our Company and companies across all industries are facing challenges and risks related to, among other things, environmental stewardship; social responsibility; diversity, equity and inclusion; and workplace rights. Where these challenges and risks relate to our business, we acknowledge that we have a role to play in developing and implementing solutions related to these important challenges. We have established specific ESG goals related to water quality and scarcity; packaging materials used for our products; reduction of added sugar in our beverages; reduction of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions; sustainable agriculture; diversity, equity and inclusion; and human and workplace rights. Our ability to achieve our ESG goals is dependent on many factors, including, but not limited to, our actions along with the actions of various stakeholders, such as our bottling partners, suppliers, governments, nongovernmental organizations, communities, and other third parties, all of which are outside of our control.

See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in Part I of this report for additional information about risks and uncertainties facing our Company.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We believe our most critical accounting policies and estimates relate to the following:

•Principles of Consolidation

•Recoverability of Current and Noncurrent Assets

•Pension Plan Valuations

•Revenue Recognition

•Income Taxes

Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of critical accounting policies and estimates with the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. While our estimates and assumptions are based on our knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future, actual results may ultimately differ from these estimates and assumptions. For a discussion of the Company’s significant accounting policies, refer to Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Principles of Consolidation

Our Company consolidates all entities that we control by ownership of a majority voting interest. Additionally, there are situations in which consolidation is required even though the usual condition of consolidation (ownership of a majority voting interest) does not apply. Generally, this occurs when an entity holds an interest in another business enterprise that was achieved through arrangements that do not involve voting interests, which results in a disproportionate relationship between such entity’s voting interests in, and its exposure to the economic risks and potential rewards of, the other business enterprise. This disproportionate relationship results in what is known as a variable interest, and the entity in which another entity holds a

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variable interest is referred to as a “VIE.” An enterprise must consolidate a VIE if it is determined to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The primary beneficiary has both (1) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and (2) the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

Our Company holds interests in certain VIEs, primarily bottling operations, for which we were not determined to be the primary beneficiary. Our variable interests in these VIEs primarily relate to equity investments, profit guarantees or subordinated financial support. Refer to Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Although these financial arrangements resulted in our holding variable interests in these entities, they did not empower us to direct the activities of the VIEs that most significantly impact the VIEs’ economic performance. Creditors of our VIEs do not have recourse against the general credit of the Company, regardless of whether the VIEs are accounted for as consolidated entities.

We use the equity method to account for investments in companies if our investment provides us with the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee. Our consolidated net income includes our Company’s proportionate share of the net income or loss of these companies. Our judgment regarding the level of influence over each equity method investee includes considering key factors such as our ownership interest, representation on the board of directors, participation in policy-making decisions and material intercompany transactions.

We eliminate from our financial results all significant intercompany transactions, including the intercompany transactions with consolidated VIEs and the intercompany portion of transactions with equity method investees.

Recoverability of Current and Noncurrent Assets

Our Company faces many uncertainties and risks related to various economic, political and regulatory environments in the countries in which we operate, particularly in developing and emerging markets. Refer to the heading “Our Business — Challenges and Risks” above and “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in Part I of this report. As a result, management must make numerous assumptions, which involve a significant amount of judgment, when performing recoverability and impairment tests of current and noncurrent assets in various regions around the world.

We perform recoverability and impairment tests of current and noncurrent assets in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For certain assets, recoverability and/or impairment tests are required only when conditions exist that indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. For other assets, impairment tests are required at least annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an asset may be impaired.

The performance of recoverability and impairment tests of current and noncurrent assets involves critical accounting estimates. These estimates require significant management judgment, include inherent uncertainties and are often interdependent; therefore, they do not change in isolation. Factors that management must estimate include, among others, the economic lives of the assets, sales volume, pricing, royalty rates, cost of raw materials, delivery costs, the impact of any supply chain disruptions, inflation, long-term growth rates, cost of capital, marketing spending, foreign currency exchange rates, tax rates, capital spending, proceeds from the sale of assets and customers’ financial condition. These factors are even more difficult to estimate as a result of uncertainties associated with the scope, severity and duration of the global COVID-19 pandemic and any resurgences of the pandemic, including, but not limited to, the number of people contracting the virus; the impact of shelter-in-place and social distancing requirements; the impact of governmental actions across the globe to contain the virus; vaccine availability, rates of vaccination and effectiveness of vaccines against existing and new variants of the virus; governmental or other vaccine mandates and any associated business and supply chain disruptions; and the substance and pace of the economic recovery. The estimates we use when performing recoverability tests of assets are consistent with those we use in our internal planning. When performing impairment tests, we estimate the fair values of the assets using management’s best assumptions, which we believe are consistent with those a market participant would use. The variability of these factors depends on a number of conditions, including uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus our accounting estimates may change from period to period. While uncertainties still exist, we expect to see continued improvements in our business as vaccines become more widely available, as vaccination rates increase, and as consumers return to many of their previous work routines as well as socializing and traveling. The Company has certain intangible and other long-lived assets that are more dependent on cash flows generated in the away-from-home channels and/or that generate cash flows in geographic areas that are more heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are therefore more susceptible to impairment. In addition, intangible and other long-lived assets we acquired in recent transactions are naturally more susceptible to impairment, because they are recorded at fair value based on recent operating plans and macroeconomic conditions at the time of acquisition. If we had used other assumptions and estimates when tests of these assets were performed, impairment charges could have resulted. Furthermore, if management uses different assumptions in future periods, or if different conditions exist in future periods, impairment charges could result. The total future impairment charges we may be required to record could be material. Refer to Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recent acquisitions. Refer to Note 16 of Notes to Consolidated Financial

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Statements for the discussion of impairment charges. Refer to the heading “Operations Review” below for additional information related to our present business environment.

As of December 31, 2021, the carrying value of our investment in Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings Inc. (“CCBJHI”) exceeded its fair value by $87 million, or 18 percent. Based on the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than our carrying value and our intent and ability to retain the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in market value, management determined that the decline in fair value was temporary in nature. Therefore, we did not record an impairment charge related to the investment.

Our equity method investees also perform such recoverability and impairment tests. If an impairment charge is recorded by one of our equity method investees, the Company records its proportionate share of such charge as a reduction of equity income (loss) — net in our consolidated statement of income. However, the actual amount we record with respect to our proportionate share of such charge may be impacted by items such as basis differences, deferred taxes and deferred gains.

Investments in Equity and Debt Securities

We measure all equity investments that do not result in consolidation and are not accounted for under the equity method at fair value with the change in fair value included in net income. We use quoted market prices to determine the fair value of equity securities with readily determinable fair values. For equity securities without readily determinable fair values, we have elected the measurement alternative under which we measure these investments at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. Management assesses each of these investments on an individual basis.

Our investments in debt securities are carried at either amortized cost or fair value. The cost basis is determined by the specific identification method. Investments in debt securities that the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity are carried at amortized cost and classified as held-to-maturity. Investments in debt securities that are not classified as held-to-maturity are carried at fair value and classified as either trading or available-for-sale. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on trading debt securities as well as realized gains and losses on available-for-sale debt securities are included in net income. Unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, on available-for-sale debt securities are included in our consolidated balance sheet as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), except for the changes in fair values attributable to the currency risk being hedged, if applicable, which are included in net income.

Equity securities with readily determinable fair values that are not accounted for under the equity method and debt securities classified as trading are not assessed for impairment, since they are carried at fair value with the change in fair value included in net income. Equity method investments, equity securities without readily determinable fair values and debt securities classified as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity are reviewed each reporting period to determine whether a significant event or change in circumstances has occurred that may have an adverse effect on the fair value of each investment. When such events or changes occur, we evaluate the fair value compared to our cost basis in the investment. We also perform this evaluation every reporting period for each investment for which our cost basis has exceeded the fair value. The fair values of most of our Company’s investments in publicly traded companies are often readily available based on quoted market prices. For investments in nonpublicly traded companies, management’s assessment of fair value is based on valuation methodologies including discounted cash flows, estimates of sales proceeds and appraisals, as appropriate. We consider the assumptions that we believe a market participant would use in evaluating estimated future cash flows when employing the discounted cash flow or estimates of sales proceeds valuation methodologies. The ability to accurately predict future cash flows, especially in emerging and developing markets, may impact the determination of fair value. In the event the fair value of an investment declines below our cost basis, management is required to determine if the decline in fair value is other than temporary. If management determines the decline is other than temporary, an impairment charge is recorded. Management’s assessment as to the nature of a decline in fair value is based on, among other things, the length of time and the extent to which the market value has been less than our cost basis; the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer; and our intent and ability to retain the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in market value.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Certain events or changes in circumstances may indicate that the recoverability of the carrying amount or remaining useful life of property, plant and equipment should be assessed, including, among others, the manner or length of time in which the Company intends to use the asset, a significant decrease in market value, a significant change in the business climate in a particular market, or a current period operating or cash flow loss combined with historical losses and/or projected future losses. When such events or changes in circumstances are present and a recoverability test is performed, we estimate the future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset or asset group and its eventual disposition. These estimated future cash flows are consistent with those we use in our internal planning. If the sum of the expected future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) is less than the carrying amount, we recognize an impairment charge. The impairment charge

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recognized is the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value. We use a variety of methodologies to determine the fair value of property, plant and equipment, including appraisals and discounted cash flow models. These appraisals and models include assumptions we believe are consistent with those a market participant would use.

Goodwill, Trademarks and Other Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are classified into three categories: (1) intangible assets with definite lives subject to amortization; (2) intangible assets with indefinite lives not subject to amortization; and (3) goodwill. For intangible assets with definite lives, recoverability tests must be performed if conditions exist that indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. For intangible assets with indefinite lives and goodwill, impairment tests must be performed at least annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an asset may be impaired.

The performance of recoverability and impairment tests of intangible assets involves critical accounting estimates. These estimates require significant management judgment, include inherent uncertainties and are often interdependent; therefore, they do not change in isolation. Factors that management must estimate include, among others, the economic lives of the assets, sales volume, pricing, royalty rates, cost of raw materials, delivery costs, the impact of any supply chain disruptions, inflation, long-term growth rates, cost of capital, marketing spending, foreign currency exchange rates, tax rates, capital spending, proceeds from the sale of assets and customers’ financial condition. These factors are even more difficult to predict when global financial markets are highly volatile. The estimates we use when performing recoverability tests of intangible assets are consistent with those we use in our internal planning. When performing impairment tests, we estimate the fair values of the assets using management’s best assumptions, which we believe are consistent with those a market participant would use. The estimates and assumptions used in these tests are evaluated and updated as appropriate. The variability of these factors depends on a number of conditions, including uncertainty about future events, and thus our accounting estimates may change from period to period. If other assumptions and estimates had been used when these tests were performed, impairment charges could have resulted. As mentioned above, these factors do not change in isolation and, therefore, we do not believe it is practicable or meaningful to present the impact of changing a single factor. Furthermore, if management uses different assumptions in future periods or if different conditions exist in future periods, impairment charges could result. Refer to the heading “Operations Review” below for additional information related to our present business environment.

Intangible assets acquired in recent transactions are naturally more susceptible to impairment, because they are recorded at fair value based on recent operating plans and macroeconomic conditions present at the time of acquisition. Consequently, if operating results and/or macroeconomic conditions deteriorate shortly after an acquisition, it could result in the impairment of the acquired assets. A deterioration of macroeconomic conditions may not only negatively impact the estimated operating cash flows used in our cash flow models but may also negatively impact other assumptions used in our analyses, including, but not limited to, the estimated cost of capital and/or discount rates. Additionally, we are required to ensure that the assumptions used to determine fair value in our analyses are consistent with the assumptions that we believe a market participant would use. As a result, the cost of capital and/or discount rates used in our analyses may increase or decrease based on market conditions and trends, regardless of whether our Company’s actual cost of capital has changed. Therefore, if the cost of capital and/or discount rates change, our Company may recognize an impairment of an intangible asset in spite of realizing actual cash flows that are approximately equal to, or greater than, our previously forecasted amounts.

We perform impairment tests of goodwill at our reporting unit level, which is generally one level below our operating segments. Our operating segments are primarily based on geographic responsibility, which is consistent with the way management runs our business. Our geographic operating segments are generally subdivided into smaller geographic regions. These geographic regions are our reporting units. Our Global Ventures operating segment includes the results of our Costa, innocent and doğadan businesses as well as fees earned pursuant to distribution coordination agreements between the Company and Monster, each of which is its own reporting unit. The Bottling Investments operating segment includes all of our consolidated bottling operations, regardless of geographic location. Generally, each consolidated bottling operation within our Bottling Investments operating segment is its own reporting unit. Goodwill is assigned to the reporting unit or units that benefit from the synergies arising from each business combination.

In order to test for goodwill impairment, the Company compares the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, goodwill is written down for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. However, the impairment charge recognized cannot exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. We typically use discounted cash flow models to determine the fair value of a reporting unit. The assumptions used in these models are consistent with those we believe a market participant would use. The Company has the option to perform a qualitative assessment of goodwill rather than completing the impairment test. The Company must assess whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If the Company concludes that this is the case, it must perform the impairment testing discussed above. Otherwise, the Company does not need to perform any further assessment.

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When events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of definite-lived intangible assets may not be recoverable, management performs a recoverability test of the carrying value by preparing estimates of sales volume and the resulting gross profit and cash flows. These estimated future cash flows are consistent with those we use in our internal planning. If the sum of the expected future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) is less than the carrying amount of the asset or asset group, we recognize an impairment charge. The impairment charge recognized is the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value. We use a variety of methodologies to determine the fair value of these assets, including discounted cash flow models. These models include assumptions we believe are consistent with those a market participant would use.