The EKOCENTER: A Case Study in Coca-Cola, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Bluewashing

Abstract

In 2013 The Coca-Cola Company announced their latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) project: the EKOCENTER. Envisioned for communities lacking access to safe drinking water, the EKOCENTER kiosks contain vaccine storage, wireless communication technology, clean drinking water, and Coca-Cola products under the premise of "social enterprise."� In light of the global water crisis, a textual and visual analysis of the CSR press release materials produced by The Coca-Cola Company in addition to media coverage highlights the ways in which Coca-Cola utilizes public concern about the environment and public health in order to safeguard their position as the world's largest beverage distributer. The EKOCENTER's discourse exemplifies "bluewashing"� rhetoric that contests negative perceptions of Coca-Cola. Furthermore, the EKOCENTER discourse glosses over the contradiction between Coca-Cola's reliance on water access for their business model and Earth's limited fresh water supply. The EKOCENTER embodies a precarious deferment of water stewardship and governance to transnational corporations.