Children in Cunle village, Ribaue, Mozambique playing on a water fountain that guarantees abundant and safe drinking water for approximately 900 people. This was a joint project with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Nestlé’s Corporate Business Principles guide our behaviour in relation to all relevant stakeholders. They reflect the basic ideas of fairness, honesty and respect for people and the environment in all our business actions. Their ongoing evolution has seen the inclusion of the 10 UN Global Compact (UNGC) Principles on human rights, labour, the environment and corruption in 2002. Examples that illustrate our compliance with, and support for, these Principles are contained in our Creating Shared Value report. Nestlé's further support for the UNGC was demonstrated in July 2007 through its patron sponsorship of the UN Global Compact Leaders' Summit in Geneva.
Here are just a few examples of our actions in 2007 that meet our commitments as a UNGC signatory.
| UN Global Compact Principles |
Some examples of Nestlé actions |
| Human Rights Principles |
Expansion of participation in International Cocoa Initiative and Nestlé-specific cocoa projects in West Africa |
| Labour Principles |
CARE independent audit programme covers areas of human resources, occupational health & safety and environment |
| Environment-related Principles |
Reduced water consumption and influencing supply chain to adopt good water management practices; higher energy efficiency and lower GHG emissions; optimized packaging volumes and sustainable packaging; founding signatory, UNGC CEO Water Mandate |
| Corruption-related Principle |
Establishment of Nestlé Code of Business Conduct |
Nestlé supports the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - see below - which we regard as highly important objectives that, through partnerships which respond to local needs and harness local knowledge and capabilities, can result in positive, sustainable change.
The UN Millennium Development Goals
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Primary education for all
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership for development
Nestlé's creation of shared value for itself and society brings specific contributions to the UN Millennium Development Goals. Many examples in our Creating Shared Value report and website demonstrate how our long-term growth strategy helps alleviate extreme poverty and hunger (goal 1) through initiatives like our Popularly Positioned Products (PPP) strategy; our capacity-building programmes in milk districts and through coffee initiatives like Nespresso AAA and 4C. Similarly, there are many examples of how we contribute to environmental sustainability (goal 7), such as reducing water consumption, packaging materials or our carbon footprint, while the environmental aspects of our agricultural engagements such as managing water in agriculture, 4C coffee and Nespresso AAA also contribute to this goal.
Beyond the impacts outlined above, we support more than 120 projects and initiatives around the world that relate specifically to the eight Millennium Development Goals. These are outlined in our dedicated Nestlé in the Community 
website, where you can search through the hundreds of projects.
Read more about Nestlé's participation, and role as founding signatory of the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, at the Global Compact Business Leaders' Summit in Geneva, 6 July, 2007.