Nestlé has released its 2020 Creating Shared Value (CSV) and Sustainability report, with this year’s report representing the completion of the majority of Nestlé’s public commitments.
According to the company, these commitments align with and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on promoting healthier lives for adults and children, improving livelihoods in the communities where Nestlé is present and protecting and restoring the environment.
The report also explains how Nestlé plans to close the small gaps on the few commitments that remain.
“We are proud of what we have achieved so far, but now is the time to accelerate our efforts,” the company’s global head of public affairs Rob Cameron said.
“Nestlé will work to create a resilient future for our planet and the communities where we operate.”
The report is also said to demonstrate how Nestlé is using food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come.
Nestlé’s most notable achievements include the following:
- Over 4 900 nutritious food and beverage products for mothers-to-be, new mothers, infants and children, such as plant-based alternatives, have been launched since 2016, with 80 million children having benefitted from nutrition education over the same period
- Greenhouse gas emissions within its own operations (scope 1 and 2) have been reduced by 37 per cent since 2010
- 90 per cent of its main forest-risk commodities, like palm oil, pulp and paper, soya, meat and sugar, have been assessed as ‘deforestation-free’, as of December 2020
- 127 550 children have been protected against the risk of child labor through support such as income generating activities, bridging classes, school kits and school renovation and building since 2012
Although Nestlé has closed a chapter on its 2020 commitments, the company has announced new commitments for the future.
It has, for example, committed to making 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. It also plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the whole of its operations by 2050.
In December 2020, Nestlé published its detailed net zero roadmap with tangible, time-bound targets to reduce emissions, within and beyond its operations.
It said achieving this will require radical action across the whole value chain from working with 500,000 farmers and 150,000 suppliers to support them in implementing regenerative agricultural practices.
Nestlé is also switching to renewable energy in factories and offices and looking for new innovative packaging solutions for its products.
“Since its foundation, Nestlé has strived to create value both for its shareholders and for society. The conclusion of its 2020 commitments is another step in this ongoing journey which Nestlé will accelerate. New commitments will be announced later this year,” it said.
