Nestlé is investing almost three billion euros in the fight against global warming. The Swiss food giant focuses on regenerative agriculture and renewable energy to be completely carbon-neutral by 2050.
Long-term success
Nestlé’s efforts are in line with UN commitment ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’, to which the company previously engaged. Over the next five years, Nestlé will invest 3.2 billion Swiss francs (2.95 billion euros) to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. “The fight against climate change cannot wait, nor can we. It is necessary for the long-term success of our company,” says Mark Schneider, Managing Director of the food group.
Nestlé’s climate plan is based on three pillars. Around 1.1 billion euros will be invested in boosting regenerative agriculture throughout the company’s supply chain. Regenerative farming practices, linked to an intensive reforestation programme, improve soil health while preserving and restoring diverse ecosystems. Nestlé plans to purchase more than 14 million tonnes of ingredients from regenerative agriculture over the next ten years, boosting demand for such products.
“With almost two-thirds of our emissions coming from agriculture, it is clear that regenerative agriculture and reforestation are at the heart of our efforts to achieve the net-zero emissions target. These efforts will reduce emissions and improve biodiversity on a large scale”, says Operational Director Magdi Batato.
Greener vehicle fleet
Apart from regenerative farming, Nestlé is fully committing to renewable energy. The multinational has about 800 branches in 187 countries and wants all of them to transition to a hundred per cent renewable electricity in the next five years. One of the measures is the ‘greening’ of the car fleet by opting for models with lower or zero emissions. In Belgium and Luxembourg, all new commercial vehicles will run on electricity or green hydrogen from 2025 onwards.
Finally, Nestlé is also working on its product portfolio. The number of plant-based food and beverage products expands continuously, and the company is also increasing the number of carbon-neutral brands. The plant-based Garden Gourmet range will be carbon-neutral by 2022. Earlier this year, the group announced that Nespresso, San Pellegrino, Perrier and Acqua Panna should also be carbon-neutral by then.
