Water treatment plant, Agbara, Nigeria. Nestlé invests in water treatment plants in developing countries even when there is no legislation because maintaining good water quality in the areas surrounding our plants has direct benefits for our business. This plant has served as a model for another treatment plant in Tema, Ghana.

We are committed to being a leader in environmental performance. The Nestlé Policy on the Environment was first published in 1991 and has ensured that preserving natural resources and minimising waste have become an integral part of the day-to-day activities in all Nestlé operations worldwide. The environmental performance indicators again show continuous improvement.  Verification of performance data and factual information was undertaken by Bureau Veritas and details can be found in their independent assurance statement. 

Water - our top priority
This priority is highlighted together with detailed information in the new Creating Shared Value report as well as in last year's dedicated Nestlé Water Management report. Over the past few years the consumption of water in Nestlé manufacturing operations has decreased significantly while our production has grown. We aim to reduce the amount of water used per kilo of food, and beverage, we produce and to ensure that the water we discharge is clean and managed responsibly within the environment. We aim to promote and share water conservation methods with farmers and the local community. These objectives remain in line with the Nestlé Commitments on Water.  For more information visit our  water section.

The sustainable product life cycle 
Nestlé's initiatives aim to improve the environmental performance of our products along their entire life cycle. These include sourcing sustainable raw materials, reducing energy consumption and minimising air emissions by moving to different fuel types. Nestlé invests an average of CHF 40 million a year to reduce its air emissions. Another significant step in the value chain is transport. Nestlé have initiated a pilot with Schenker, an international logistics company, to evaluate the effect of different types of transport, distances driven and fuel type used. Through internal research and development at Nestlé there have also been significant advances in the environmental impact of refrigerants and packaging. Without compromising product quality there was a reduction of 315 000 tonnes of packaging material between 1991 and 2006.
And nearing the end of the product life cycle is the management of by-products and waste. There have been significant reductions in the quantity of by-products produced and by focusing on recycling Nestlé is increase its waste eco-efficiency. Please visit our topics and case studies for further information on all these subjects.

Nestlé recognized as “Best in Class”
Several outstanding achievements have been recognised through official awards in 2006, including the Environmental 'Tableau d'Honneur' for a new refrigeration plant at our factory in Lisieux (France) that replaced ozone depleting HCFC refrigerants; "The Environmental Guardian Award" in Manila (Philippines) for their water conservation programme; “Thailand and ASEAN Energy Award” in Chachoengsao (Thailand) for using coffee grounds as a renewable energy source to produce steam; “New South Wales Energy and Water Green Globe Awards” in Blayney (Australia) for their energy smart business programme and the "Most Environment Friendly Industry of the Year Award" in Agbara (Nigeria) for its sustainable use of water resources through its wastewater treatment plant, the first of its kind in the Agbara industrial area. As recognition of the continuous improvement of our environmental performance, Nestlé has been again selected in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes 2007, with an increasing score. Besides, Innovest increased its rating on "Nestlé's environment, social and governance (ESG) performance" to AAA, its highest possible score, making Nestlé the number 1 company in the Food sector.

Certification of all Nestlé factories
2006 marked the tenth anniversary of the Nestlé Environmental Management System (NEMS) which has served as a solid basis for continuously improving our environmental performance. We have further reinforced our leadership position by seeking independent certification of all our factories to the internationally recognised standards.

• Maintaining continuous improvements in our environmental performance;
• Encouraging our business partners to apply environmental management systems based on the ISO 14001 international standard in their own operations;
• Communicating reliable environmental information to consumers in a meaningful and straightforward way.