Research and development is vital for the long term growth of Nestlé. It is the engine that drives innovation. It maintains and strengthens the competitiveness of the Company and its brands. It ensures that Nestlé products are consistently relevant to consumers in line with their changing needs.

Scope and Scale
There are 15 Nestlé facilities dedicated to R & D activities around the world a presence unmatched in the food industry. One is specifically dedicated to water. Year after year, Nestlé invest some CHF 800 million in R & D.

Ecodesign
Environmental Protection is built into products and processes right from the start. Main criteria include: Environmentally-sound production techniques and sourcing criteria for agricultural raw materials, supported by Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Nestlé programme, processing methods that minimize water and energy consumption, as well as waste generation, as shown in the Nestlé Environment Performance indicators Key Figures. Equally as important is packaging design that reduces total waste and enables environmentally sound disposal options. Nestlé also researches innovative ways to recover by-products and generate renewable energy, e.g. from coffee grounds.

Nestlé R & D Centers prepare Environmental Impact Studies and also Life Cycle Assessments which analyze the environmental impact of a product "from cradle to grave".

Read more in our Natural Refrigerants and Perrier Vittel PET case studies.