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Our salient human rights issues
We are determined to address our salient human rights issues wherever they arise.
Defined in 2014 and 2015, our 11 salient human rights issues are those issues that stand out because of their significant potential negative impact (or ‘salience’) through our activities or business relationships.
This concept of salience begins from the perspective of risk to people, not the business, while recognizing that where risks to people’s human rights are greatest, there is strong convergence with risk to the business.
Our 11 salient human rights issues
Access to grievance mechanisms
We have robust systems in place to ensure we can address compliance breaches and give people who work for us, as well as external stakeholders, the ability to report grievances. The challenge remains in setting up effective grievance mechanisms in remote areas, where access to technology is limited and the culture of reporting noncompliances absent.
Access to water and sanitation
Clean water for food, sanitation and hygiene is a basic human right, and we’re dedicated to ensuring people have access to it. Three in 10 people lack access to safely managed drinking water services and six in 10 lack access to safely managed sanitation facilities.
Child labor
Leveraging our supply chain partners and collaborating with other key stakeholders, we’re dedicated to addressing child labor in our supply chains. Approximately 152 million children are victims of child labor worldwide, and half of those are engaged in hazardous work.
Data protection and privacy
Upholding ethical principles in our business and throughout our value chain is fundamental to how we operate and underpins consumer trust and our license to operate. The right to privacy is embedded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and this applies to personal data too.
Forced labor
Labor rights are at the core of many of our salient issues, and we’re implementing wide-ranging programs to ensure good conditions for workers in our supply chain. In 2016, 24.9 million people were trapped in forced labor around the world (ILO). Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labor.
Freedom of association and collective bargaining
The freedom to join trade unions and bargain collectively is at the core of workers’ rights. We aim to support all our employees in being members of unions, while promoting freedom of association in our supply chain.
Land acquisition
Because we work with farming communities around the world, land rights is an ever-present issue. We’re dedicated to remaining vigilant against any invasion of rights and upholding people’s rights to land and resources. Read about an example of our work in this area within our palm oil supply chain.
Living wage
Everyone is entitled to fair work, and a living wage is an essential component of this. A living wage is what an individual needs to earn to live a decent life and to participate fully in society.
Safety and health
Our approach toward employees’ health is holistic, including physical and mental health dimensions and addressing both work- and non-work-related aspects of health. There are 2.78 million work-related deaths per year, and poor health and safety costs about 3.94% of global GDP (ILO).
Workers’ accommodation and access to basic services
We are dedicated to securing good conditions for workers throughout our supply chain. Many of those around the world who are in work are forced to deal with poor accommodation and a lack of basic services. Read about an example of our work within our sugar supply chain.
Working time
We’re dedicated to guaranteeing labor rights for all people who work with or for us, directly or indirectly. Working time is a key element of this. Excessive working hours can be detrimental to the health of individuals and families.
Our approach
We have developed an action plan for each of these issues – except for Land Acquisition, in which we work on individual cases, such as in palm oil – which allows us to systematically identify, resolve and eliminate human rights abuses where we find them. Reflecting the unique challenges of each issue, these action plans allow us to focus our work and achieve results in steady, measurable ways.
Within Nestlé, our salient issues are always monitored and under regular discussion. We also work with our partners – organizations like the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Fair Labor Association and The Forest Trust – to continually review the situation in our supply chains. This enables us to review our action plans and ensure that they are as effective as they can be.
We are also vigilant to new or emerging issues, and these are captured through the boards and committees that are dedicated to monitoring our human rights work.
We are committed to remedying adverse impacts on individuals, workers and communities that we cause or to which we contribute. In addition to our own internal and external grievance mechanisms (Integrity Reporting System and Tell Us), we collaborate with business partners as well as local NGOs and authorities to improve access to remedy in our upstream supply chain, including the development of third-party non-judicial mechanisms such as worker helplines.
Human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) and CARE audits allow us to gain a deeper knowledge of the issues, and how we can address them. We are also aware of the limitations of audits and are determined to strengthen the action plans that we have in place.
Human rights in our supply chains
Most of our salient issues occur in our agricultural supply chains. We have developed a range of tools to address these issues, with traceability, transparency and action plans going hand in hand. In May 2017, we published our Labor Rights Roadmap (pdf, 606Kb), based on the HRIAs and CARE audits that we conducted. This showed that each of our raw material supply chains faces its own challenges, with some human rights issues being prominent in particular countries.
Below we have mapped which salient issues are most relevant to each of our raw materials. This enables us to be transparent about the challenges we face, and prioritize how and where we act.
Salient issues in our coffee supply chain include land acquisition, making sure workers receive a living wage, and ensuring they have adequate accommodation and access to basic services. We’re committed to continuously improving our green coffee supply chain, and helping coffee growers deal with the challenges they face sustainably through programs like the Nescafé Plan and the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program.
- Our Responsible Sourcing Standard makes explicit provisions for protecting land rights and preventing disputes over land acquisition
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. A living wage is a key element of this
- We are dedicated to securing good living conditions for workers throughout our supply chain
Read more about our commitment to continuously improve our green coffee supply chain.
Salient issues within our cocoa supply chain include combating child labor, ensuring cocoa-growing communities have access to water, sanitation and hygiene, protecting communities against land acquisition, and ensuring a living wage for workers throughout our value chain.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain
- Our commitment: Raise awareness on water conservation and improve access to water and sanitation across our value chain
- Our Responsible Sourcing Standard makes explicit provisions for protecting land rights and preventing disputes over land acquisition
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. A living wage is a key element of this
Read more about our cocoa supply chain and our commitment to roll out the Nestlé Cocoa Plan with cocoa farmers.
Salient issues in our dairy supply chain include ensuring the safety and health of workers, and making sure they have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
- Our commitment: Advocate for healthy workplaces and healthier employees
- Our commitment: Raise awareness on water conservation and improve access to water and sanitation across our value chain
Read more about our dairy supply chain.
Salient issues in our palm oil supply chain include tackling the challenge of forced labor, protecting workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, and ensuring the safety and health of workers.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain
- Our Responsible Sourcing Standard makes explicit provisions for protecting land rights and preventing disputes over land acquisition
- We support employees in being members of unions, and promote freedom of association across our supply chain
- Our commitment: Advocate for healthy workplaces and healthier employees
Read more about our palm oil supply chain.
Salient issues in our pulp and paper supply chain include ensuring workers across our value chain receive a living wage, helping to make sure they have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, and protecting communities against land acquisition.
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. A living wage is a key element of this
- Our commitment: Raise awareness on water conservation and improve access to water and sanitation across our value chain
- Our Responsible Sourcing Standard makes explicit provisions for protecting land rights and preventing disputes over land acquisition
Read more about our pulp and paper supply chain.
Salient issues in our soya supply chain include protecting workers’ safety and health in the workplace, making sure they have adequate accommodation and access to basic services, and ensuring workers across our value chain receive a living wage.
- Our Responsible Sourcing Standard makes explicit provisions for protecting land rights and preventing disputes over land acquisition
- Our commitment: Advocate for healthy workplaces and healthier employees
- We are dedicated to securing good living conditions for workers throughout our supply chain
Read more about our soya supply chain.
Salient issues in our sugar supply chain include combating the challenge of forced labor, helping to ensure fair and reasonable working time for workers in our value chain, and protecting workers’ safety and health in the workplace.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. Working time is a key element of this
- We are dedicated to securing good living conditions for workers throughout our supply chain
Read more about our sugar supply chain.
Salient issues within our cereals and grains supply chain include helping ensure workers have adequate accommodation and access to basic services, and making sure workers have a living wage.
- We are dedicated to securing good living conditions for workers throughout our supply chain
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. A living wage is a key element of this
Read more about our cereals and grains supply chain.
Salient issues within our hazelnuts supply chain include combating child labor, helping ensure workers have adequate accommodation and access to basic services, and making sure workers have a living wage.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain
- We are dedicated to securing good living conditions for workers throughout our supply chain
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. A living wage is a key element of this
Read more about our hazelnuts supply chain.
Salient issues within our vanilla supply chain include combating child labor, helping ensure workers have adequate accommodation and access to basic services, and making sure workers have a living wage.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain.
- We are dedicated to securing good living conditions for workers throughout our supply chain. A living wage is a key element of this
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly
Read more about our vanilla supply chain.
Salient issues in our meat, poultry and eggs supply chain include protecting workers’ safety and health in the workplace, and ensuring workers across our value chain receive a living wage.
- Our commitment: Advocate for healthy workplaces and healthier employees
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. Working time and a living wage are a key element of this
Read more about our meat, poultry and eggs supply chain.
Salient issues in our fish and seafood supply chain include combating the challenge of forced labor, helping to ensure fair and reasonable working time for workers in our value chain, and protecting workers’ safety and health in the workplace.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. Working time is a key element of this
- We are dedicated to securing good living conditions for workers throughout our supply chain
Read more about our fish and seafood supply chain.
Salient issues in our vegetables supply chain include protecting the safety and health of workers, making sure workers receive a living wage, and ensuring they have adequate accommodation and access to basic services.
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly
- Our commitment: Advocate for healthy workplaces and healthier employees
Read more about our vegetable supply chain.
Salient issues in our spices supply chain include child labor, access to a living wage for farmers and protecting the safety and health of workers.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain
- We’re implementing plans to ensure fair employment for all who work for us, directly or indirectly. A living wage is a key element of this
- Our commitment: Advocate for healthy workplaces and healthier employees
Read more about our spices supply chain.
We are still in an early stage of responsible sourcing for coconut. We have identified several key challenges, including vulnerable livelihoods of smallholder landowners due to low yields, low income, lack of market information and extreme weather events. There is also a lack of access to basic services such as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and schooling, and a risk of unsafe working conditions.
- Our commitment: Improve workers’ livelihoods and protect children in our agricultural supply chain
- Our commitment: Raise awareness on water conservation and improve access to water and sanitation across our value chain
Read more about our coconut supply chain.
