Media

Starting today, on America Recycles Day, Nespresso, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) encourage New Yorkers to recycle their Nespresso coffee capsules and other lightweight aluminum items through the City’s curbside program. New Yorkers can now recycle all small aluminum products in the same recycling bin as they do plastic, glass, and other materials. This initiative makes it possible for even more of these articles to take on a second life and eventually transform into new products, such as automotive parts and soda cans.

Earlier in 2019, Nespresso committed USD1.2 million to improve the recovery of small aluminum and better allow for the curbside recycling of its coffee capsules in New York City. In most cities, the size and light weight of such items, including foil and house keys, require that they be divided from other mixed metals using special equipment. With this program, SMR invested in new technology to better sort and capture these articles, increasing the efficacy of the City’s recycling system.

"We make our capsules from aluminum because it’s a fully recyclable metal and it is an excellent material for preserving the quality of our coffee," said Guillaume Le Cunff, President and CEO of Nespresso USA. "We are constantly innovating to make recycling easier for Nespresso customers and to contribute new solutions to all recycling challenges, and we’re excited to help improve recovery in New York City and lessen the amount of all kinds of aluminum in our landfills today."

This collaboration with DSNY and SMR supports New York City’s Zero Waste initiative. It has the potential to reduce the 43,000 tons of aluminum foil and other mixed metals that currently end up in local landfills each year.

This week in Buenos Aires, young entrepreneurs from Latin America are seeing if their projects can make a difference and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ten finalist teams in the 'Comprometidos' Challenge are participating in a week of acceleration in Buenos Aires. They will receive expert mentoring from Nestlé, training, and the opportunity to exchange with other Latin American young people with whom they share the enthusiasm to change the world.

Nestlé is partnering with Ashoka, the world’s leading network of social entrepreneurs, as well as Socialab and UNESCO, to organize the 'Comprometidos' Challenge. Teams of young people were invited to find solutions to sustainable packaging, education, digital transformation and agripreneurship. More than 700 projects were submitted.

Since 2013, the Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative is a Nestlé commitment aimed at contributing to the preparation and training of the next generations. The Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative - 'Comprometidos' Challenge supports the Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative and its global ambition to help 10 million young people around the world have access to economic opportunities by 2030.

For more, visit the Nestlé Argentina website (in Spanish)

Nestlé today joined a coalition of major palm oil producers and buyers to support and fund the development of a new, publicly available radar-based forest monitoring system known as Radar Alerts for Detecting Deforestation (RADD).

Since the end of 2018, Nestlé has been monitoring 100% of its global palm oil supply chains using Starling, a monitoring system using optical and radar satellites. This allows the company to manage risks and perform field intervention strategies to drive changes.

Today’s move is a step further to realize Nestlé’s no deforestation commitment by contributing to industry transformation through publicly accessible monitoring system. “No longer can anyone claim to be unaware of the deforestation risks around their supply chains,” said Benjamin Ware, Global Head of Responsible Sourcing, Nestlé.

Developed by Wageningen University and Satelligence, and facilitated by World Resources Institute, RADD is the first radar-based monitoring system of this scale that will make deforestation alerts publicly available. Alerts will be made available on Global Forest Watch and Global Forest Watch Pro.

“We take an integrated approach in addressing the risks of deforestation, combining tools like certification, supply chain mapping, on-the-ground verification and satellite monitoring,” said Benjamin. “We are pleased to support the development of forest monitoring system like RADD as it will bring accountability and transparency across the industry.”

The open nature of the system will enable companies - plus governments, civil society organizations and concerned stakeholders - to monitor forests using the same information source and standards.

Nestlé is committed to having deforestation-free products. As of April 2019, 77% of the key agricultural commodities Nestlé buys, including palm oil, were verified deforestation-free. That figure will surpass 90% by the end of 2020. Nestlé will continue to work with smallholder farmers and large suppliers alike to be close to 100% deforestation-free within the next three years.

Read the full press release.

Nestlé has today inaugurated its first Gerber NutriPuffs cereal snacks plant in Shuangcheng District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China.

With an investment of around RMB 100 million (approx. CHF 14 million), the launch is an important milestone for Gerber in China.

The factory will produce organic and regular Gerber NutriPuffs, with a total of eight flavors. They will come in cans and flexible packaging that are 100% recyclable, in line with Nestlé's commitment to make all its packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025.

Gerber has a range of baby foods already available in China including infant cereal, fruit and vegetable puree, and baby snacks. Currently, Gerber is the No. 1 brand of infant cereal in China market.

For more, please read the press release (pdf, 100Kb)

Today, Nestlé and its regional partners have announced the launch of the ‘Regional Alliance for YOUth’ in sub-Saharan Africa. This joint effort is part of the company’s business-driven movement ‘Alliance for YOUth’ with a focus on creating and implementing employability programs, mentorship and training designed to equip young people with essential workplace skills.

This launch comes at a time when young people face significant challenges. Today’s youth is the largest the world has ever seen. According to the United Nations, young people aged 15-24 account for one out of every six people globally, with 20% of the total youth population living in Africa alone. This demographic trend goes along with increased unemployment rate among youth. In sub-Saharan Africa, it reached nearly 30% in 2016, as a report by the International Labour Organization shows. Without a concerted action, it is expected that nearly 50% of youth in the region will be unemployed by 2025.

The 'Regional Alliance for YOUth’ was formally introduced in Côte d’Ivoire today. It will also be launched in Angola and South Africa on October 31^st and November 4^th respectively. The initial ‘Alliance for YOUth’ was founded by Nestlé in Europe in 2014 and ever since rolled out over several geographical regions.

Read the full press release (pdf, 400Kb)

Gerber, the early childhood nutrition leader in the U.S., has partnered with international recycling company TerraCycle to help give hard-to-recycle baby food packaging a new life. The program is free of charge for consumers and rolled out on a national scale.

Parents simply sign up on the Gerber Recycling Program page and mail in packaging that is not municipally recyclable using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.

The partnership is rooted in Gerber and TerraCycle’s shared values around eliminating waste and supports the recovery of hard-to-recycle baby food packaging nationwide. It is one of many steps toward Nestlé’s goal to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Read the full press release

According to the International Labor Organization, one out of five young people in Latin America cannot find employment. Reason enough for Nestlé and 58 partner companies to reaffirm their 'Mercosur Youth Employability Agreement' to young people from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. On the occasion of the second Mercosur Youth Summit in São Paulo, Brazil, the coalition committed to providing 45,000 professional development opportunities by the end of 2020 – 5,000 more than initially envisaged in the ‘Mercosur Youth Employability Agreement’ signed last year in Montevideo.

"We continuously invest in the next generation of talents in order to provide them with the skillset that will be required for the jobs of the future", Laurent Freixe, Nestlé CEO for the Americas, said. "We want young people to become successful innovators, entrepreneurs and creators regardless of their field or level of expertise."

Under Nestlé’s leadership, the 'Mercosur Youth Employability Agreement' was launched in 2018 during the first Mercosur Youth Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay, bringing together companies from the private sector, the International Youth Organization for Ibero-America (OIJ) and the governments of the four Mercosur countries to promote youth employability and entrepreneurship.

Read the full press release (pdf, 300Kb)

Nestlé Australia has just announced the introduction of the Harvest Gourmet Incredible Burger, expanding Nestlé’s global presence in the meat-free market.

The launch follows the introduction of the Garden Gourmet Incredible Burger in Europe, and the Sweet Earth Awesome Burger in the United States.

Harvest Gourmet already offers people in Australia a wide range of vegetarian and vegan dishes, from meat alternatives to veggie-centric foods.

For more information, read the press release by Nestlé Australia.

The Nestlé Board of Directors has decided to integrate the Nestlé Waters business into the Group’s three geographical Zones, effective January 1, 2020. A dedicated Strategic Business Unit (SBU) will be created and report to Patrice Bula, member of the Executive Board and Head of Strategic Business Units, Marketing & Sales. The new Waters SBU will ensure strategic alignment globally and manage core global functions.

Nestlé also announces changes to its Executive Board:

Maurizio Patarnello, Deputy Executive Vice President and Head of Nestlé Waters, will leave the Nestlé Executive Board on December 31, 2019. He will continue to advise Nestlé Waters in order to ensure a smooth transition to the new organizational structure. Maurizio has a genuine passion for Nestlé Waters' iconic brands and has overseen the launch of innovative products that meet new consumer trends. The Board of Directors and the Executive Board express their sincere gratitude and appreciation to Maurizio for his leadership at Nestlé Waters.

The Nestlé Board of Directors has appointed Sanjay Bahadur, currently Head of Acquisitions and Business Development, to the Executive Board as Deputy Executive Vice President, effective January 1, 2020. Sanjay will head the newly created Group Strategy and Business Development function, which will support Nestlé in identifying internal and external strategic growth opportunities. The new function will also manage external partnerships and licensing agreements for the Nestlé Group and oversee the company’s corporate venture capital activities. Sanjay joined Nestlé in June 1982. He has extensive market experience having worked in India, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Turkey and China. He was CFO for the Greater China Region prior to assuming his role as Head of Acquisitions and Business Development.

Read the full press release

Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO:"We are pleased with our nine-month results and have made further progress towards our 2020 financial goals. We continue to see good momentum in our largest market, the United States and very strong growth for Purina PetCare globally. Nestlé’s growth was supported by investment behind our brands, rapid innovation and disciplined execution. During the third quarter, the roll-out of Starbucks products continued, now reaching 34 countries. Our portfolio transformation is fully on track, as shown by the timely completion of the Nestlé Skin Health disposal. With prudent investments and a disciplined approach to acquisitions our value creation model is generating profitable growth and attractive cash returns for our shareholders."

Read the full press release

Follow the Investor call webcast hosted by Mark Schneider, Nestlé Chief Executive Officer, and François-Xavier Roger, Nestlé Chief Financial Officer live at 14:00 CEST.

Nestlé and one of its employees have today been recognized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) for advancing gender balance in the workplace.

This underscores the work Nestlé has been doing to empower women across its value chain and provide equal opportunities for everyone at the company. Earlier this year, Nestlé laid out an action plan to increase the number of women in senior executive positions globally.

The 2019 Leading Women Awards also showcased outstanding business leadership of women who are working to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Ghazal Nemati, Supplier & Agriculture Development Manager at Nestlé, was named amongst the women leaders who are advancing sustainability in their company.

Commenting at the 2019 Leading Women Awards ceremony in Lisbon, Magdi Batato, Executive Vice President, Head of Operations at Nestlé, said: "It is a pleasure to see that our efforts to empower women across the value chain are recognized by WBCSD. At Nestlé, we made diversity and inclusion one of our top priorities, and this award gives us positive momentum to do even more. We hope that our initiatives on the ground will inspire others to improve the livelihoods of women around the world. We will continue to work hard to support both men and women to further advance diversity and inclusion at Nestlé."

Gender balance is a key component of Nestlé’s approach to diversity and inclusion. It is an integral part of the company’s culture and is one of the ways Nestlé brings its purpose and values to life.

Peter Bakker, President and CEO of WBCSD said : "Nestlé’s ambitious goal to empower women in its supply chain, as well as its efforts in advancing gender balance in the company, are an outstanding contribution towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 5, focused on gender equality, and having a positive impact at scale."

Read the full WBCSD press release (pdf, 360Kb)

To mark the start of European Vocational Skills Week, Nestlé and the Europe-wide partners of 'Alliance for YOUth' have announced that, over the past three years, they have offered more than 215,000 jobs, apprenticeships and traineeships.

Marco Settembri, Nestlé's CEO for Zone Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA) said: "I am proud of the results we have accomplished with the ‘Alliance for YOUth’. We will continue to promote this as a path to excellence for young people."

Nestlé collaborates with its 'Alliance for YOUth' partners on innovative projects to promote apprenticeships and youth employability – as the one announced today. Nestlé will launch a pilot project with Microsoft on the digital skills certification of its apprentices. The first cycle of the pilot will involve more than 60 apprentices from Nestlé factories in France: Upon completion of a digital skills workshop over a three-month period, they will receive a certification by Microsoft.

'Alliance for YOUth', a business-driven initiative with 340 member companies in Europe, is set to meet its commitment to provide 230,000 job and training opportunities to young people across EMENA by 2020.

Read the full press release (pdf, 500Kb)

Nestlé announced today that it has developed vegan alternatives to cheese and bacon, designed to complement its existing plant-based burger patties. This makes it the first food and beverage company to develop and produce all three essential elements for a no-compromise plant-based ‘bacon cheeseburger’.

This complete burger solution will first be offered to professional clients such as restaurant and foodservice operators. Nestlé’s plant-based burger patties are already available to food professionals, with the full package including the vegan alternatives to cheese and bacon following in 2020.

Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider said, “More and more consumers are looking for delicious, nutritious and sustainable plant-based options when they dine out. We have now raised the bar by developing a ‘PB triple play’ of ingredients for an all-time classic: the bacon cheeseburger. We’re continuing to make good on our promise to offer consumers food that is right for them and right for the planet.”

Read more

Nestlé today announced the closing of the sale of Nestlé Skin Health to a consortium led by EQT and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for a value of CHF 10.2 billion.

This follows the completion of customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

Read the press release

Nestlé is introducing paper straws for its packaged drinks in Indonesia and Malaysia, replacing plastic straws. This is another step forward in Nestlé's ambition to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025.

In Indonesia, the Nescafé ready-to-drink varieties Lively Yuzu and Cool Coconut will feature paper straws from the fourth quarter of this year. Starting in December, Nestlé Malaysia will pilot paper straws for its Milo UHT 125ml drink packs. These changes alone will avoid the use of a total of 70 million plastic straws across the two countries in a year’s time.

Following these pilot initiatives, paper straws will be used for other ready-to-drink products in the region.

The two market innovations are part of Nestlé’s broader vision and action plan to achieve a waste-free future. Amongst other measures, Nestlé announced in January that it would eliminate all plastic straws from its products. The company has already started introducing paper straws on products in Brazil and the Dominican Republic.

Read the full press releases from Nestlé Indonesia and Nestlé Malaysia

Nestlé Health Science (NHSc) announced today an investment in Before Brands, specialists in early childhood allergy prevention. With its significant minority stake, NHSc has acquired the exclusive licensing rights to Before Brands' products outside the United States and also has an option to purchase all remaining equity in Before Brands in the future.

Before Brands is the inventor of the SpoonfulOne^TM line, the most advanced childhood nutritional products available to reduce food allergy development risk with 16 key allergens – more than 90% of foods associated with global food allergies and more than any other brand on the market. The core technology is based on research and intellectual property licensed from Stanford University, training the child’s immune system through consistent feeding over months to years.

"This investment enhances our growing business with a new dimension: allergy prevention," said Greg Behar, CEO of Nestlé Health Science. "The prevalence of food allergies among children is increasing, however, studies have shown that consistently exposing children at a very early age to a potential food allergen can reduce the development of an allergy to that food by up to 80 percent. It would be very difficult for parents to achieve this kind of consistent immune-system training to 16 different allergens on their own; SpoonfulOne^TM is a convenient and natural solution that fits with the Nestlé Health Science mission of healthier lives through nutrition."

"With Nestlé Health Science, we have secured the ideal partner so that we may advance our mission to help families around the world benefit from SpoonfulOne’s advanced protein science and the new recommendations that advocate proactive, long-term feeding strategies to reduce food allergy development risk," said Ashley Dombkowski, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Before Brands. "Their expertise and global footprint will allow us to accelerate education, commercialization, and distribution activities globally."

Read the full press release