Nestlé is welcoming the adoption of the United Nations post-2015 development agenda by highlighting the role it will play in supporting goals such as achieving food security, promoting sustainable agriculture and ensuring sustainable management of water.
The company will attend this week’s UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015 in New York, where member states are expected to adopt the agenda, which comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets to be met by 2030, and will replace the Millennium Development Goals.
Nestlé played an active role in discussing how business can support the SDGs, as part of the UN’s broadest ever consultation exercise. The goals will guide actions taken by governments, industry, NGOs and other stakeholders to promote sustainable global development.
Nestlé is also participating in the UN Private Sector Forum organised by the UN Global Compact, where industry leaders will discuss the business case for the goals and how companies can take action. The company provided input on the UN Global Compass, a guide for companies on how they can report progress against the SDGs, which will be launched during this session.
Creating Shared Value, whereby actions to create shareholder value must also create value for society, is Nestlé’s way of doing business, and we have made 42 public commitments that outline the actions we are taking to tackle many of the global challenges that the SDGs are designed to address.
For example, Nestlé is contributing to achieving the SDG goal of ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting more sustainable agriculture. We’ve pledged to introduce micronutrient fortified foods, roll out our Rural Development Framework to understand farmers’ needs, implement sustainable sourcing and preserve natural capital.
The company has also made commitments that will help support SDGs on water stewardship, sustainable consumption and production and the need for action on climate change.
However, the SDGs address long-term global challenges that no one actor can address alone, and we are committed to dialogue, engagement and partnerships with all stakeholders to further the post-2015 development agenda.