"New reports under the State Department’s Burma reporting requirements underline the importance of thorough due diligence", 3 July 2015

Coca Cola’s third report under the US Reporting Requirements for Burma confirms them...as far ahead of their US and international peers in disclosure of the human rights and business integrity challenges they face in Myanmar. It provides useful advice based on experience, and should be read closely not just by their international food and beverage peers in Myanmar such as Heineken, Carlsberg, Pepsi, Nestlé and Unilever, but by any company doing business there including local companies...[S]ince the last report, Coke is making progress on a number of the issues raised in their human rights due diligence and audits. These include improvements in gender equality in their workforce (around 99% of which is from Myanmar), and bearing down on excessive overtime, including in the long journeys across country by their lorry drivers, where overtime has health and safety impacts. It is also good to see that Coke Myanmar now has functioning trade union relationships in both their plants. This should help demonstrate the value of healthy employer-employee relations and social dialogue, particular to Myanmar businesses who are still distrustful of trade unions and lack knowledge about new Myanmar legal requirements...[refers to Telenor, Ball, Gap, H&M]