As the mother of two critical young adults in the middle of an ever-growing climate crisis, I am highly motivated to advance our sustainability agenda, to work for measurable outcomes for people and planet.
Leading our efforts here, means I have the privilege of seeing our on-the-ground efforts first-hand. My calendar can include farm visits to study regenerative agriculture across sectors, trips to operations incorporating renewable energy, brand meetings to discuss packaging innovation or how to best engage consumers, and always, always, evaluating our progress toward ambitious targets. It's a journey, but we're relentless. And I couldn't be prouder of the people behind our progress.
What role can we play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)?
The food sector accounts for around a third of all GHG emissions, which means we have a vital role to play in limiting the impacts of climate change.
Our path:
Last year, we reduced Nestle's greenhouse gas emissions by more than 13% compared to our baseline. We are working to reduce our emissions by 20% by 2025 and achieve net zero by 2050.
How do we get there?
Tapping every opportunity. We work with implementation partners, including the Earthworm Foundation, and undertake initiatives intended to support forest conservation and the restoration of degraded ecosystems in our supply chain and sourcing landscapes.
Then, we work directly with dairy farmers for the best way to reduce emissions end to end, from feed to manure.
Another example is a creative approach to recipe reformulation. When possible, we redesign product recipes to maintain the quality and taste of our products while reducing emissions. Last year, we reduced nearly one million metric tons of CO2e this way.
- In Nigeria, we launched a nutritious Nido instant powder that combines milk with locally sourced soy. It meets consumers' demand for a source of proteins, fibers, calcium, and iron, while also having a lower carbon footprint.
Why does regenerative agriculture matter?
Across farms on all continents, I have seen the power of regenerative agriculture practices firsthand. It can improve soil health, capture carbon, enhance biodiversity, and, above all, improve the resilience of farming communities.
Our path:
15% of our key ingredients are sourced from farmers adopting regenerative agricultural practices, more than double the portion last year!
How are we collaborating on localized regenerative agriculture projects?
- In the UK, our Nestlé Purina PetCare team and other businesses joined with a group of forward-thinking wheat farmers called the "High Suffolk Farm Cluster" to put the landscape at the center of their operations. The aim: improve the resilience of wheat in the face of climate change, protect biodiversity, regenerate the land, and secure high-quality food.
- Meanwhile, our coffee teams are progressing on the Nescafé Plan 2030 (pdf, 100Kb), which has reached 277 000 farmers in 27 origins. Coffee growers were trained on regenerative agriculture principles, and over 21 million coffee plantlets were distributed last year to support renovation of their coffee farms.
What is the future of packaging?
We are guided by a vision where packaging does not end up in landfills or as litter. Reducing waste, managing recovered packaging materials, and increasing recyclability and circularity are musts.
Our path:
We're working toward a goal of reducing our use of virgin plastic by one-third by 2025. So far, we're using nearly 15% less than in 2018. As of 2023, over 86% of our packaging is recyclable, reusable, or compostable.
Which brands are leading packaging innovation?
Many that I'm excited about! A few examples include:
- Nescafé - In Latin America, we redesigned our single-serve stick packs for coffee, improving the coffee weight-to-packaging-surface-area ratio. This change has reduced the plastic used for the product by 44 tonnes. In China, our teams lightened the bottles for our ready-to-drink coffee. That simple change saves over 1 700 metric tonnes of plastics annually.
- Nesquik - A collaboration with Circolution in Germany has led to over 60 grocery stores offering Nesquik in reusable stainless-steel packaging. Best part?
How do you scale up renewable electricity?
While attending COP28, I had the opportunity to visit our Dubai factory where 15 000 solar panels help power beloved brands like Nescafé and Maggi. Both the COP28 conversations and this unforgettable on-the-ground experience solidified my conviction that renewable energy is essential, both for our industry and the communities we serve.
Our path:
In 2023, over 91% of the electricity we source at our manufacturing facilities is already from renewables.
Where does our progress come from?
A great contributor to last year's progress in renewable energy sourcing came from Texas, USA. A 600-hectare solar project, owned by Enel North America, will add 208 MW of solar electricity to the US grid. We will purchase 100% of the renewable electricity generated for 15 years. That solar power will reduce carbon emissions by about 126 000 tonnes each year in facilities where beloved brands like DiGiorno pizza, Stouffer's Nesquik, Purina Pro Plan pet food and Tidy Cats cat litter are made.
Final thoughts
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to future-proofing our food systems. Investing in innovations, supporting local communities, and supporting future farmers can support food-system resilience.
Compostable
A material is considered compostable (whether suitable for home or industrial composting) when, through microbial activity, its biodegradable components break down to form compost as well as naturally occurring gases and water under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
Net zero
In 2019, we announced our ambition to reach net zero GHG emissions by 2050 at the latest. In 2026, we updated our timebound plan, the Nestlé Roots of Net Zero (pdf, 14Mb), which underpins our Group's climate and nature strategy and acts as our transition plan aligned with a 1.5°C pathway as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We will balance any remaining emissions through high-quality nature-based solutions, such as agroforestry, silvopasture and the restoration of forests and peatland. Read more about net zero.
In line with the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform, Nestlé defines regenerative agriculture as an approach to farming which aims to conserve and restore natural resources, primarily soil, as well as water and biodiversity, while capturing carbon in soils and plant biomass, and to support farmers' livelihoods. Examples of regenerative agriculture practices include reduced tillage and agroforestry. More information is available in our Nestlé Agriculture Framework (pdf, 19Mb). Read more about regenerative agriculture.
Virgin plastic
Plastic that has not been previously used or subjected to processing other than for its original production. It includes fossil and bio-based plastics.
Recyclable
As defined in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation definitions, a packaging or packaging component is recyclable if it is successfully post-consumer collected, sorted and recycled with a recycling rate of 30% in multiple regions, collectively representing more than 400 million inhabitants.
Circularity
Reflecting the circular economy principles defined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, circularity is about designing out waste and pollution, keeping materials in use at their highest value and regenerating nature.
