The company clarified that its commitments align with, and support, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and focus on "promoting healthier lives for adults and children, improving livelihoods in the communities where Nestlé is present and protecting and restoring the environment’’.
The report also explained how Nestlé plans to close the ‘small gaps’ on the few commitments that remain.
"We are proud of what we have achieved so far, but now is the time to accelerate our efforts," said Rob Cameron, Global Head of Public Affairs. Nestlé will work to create a resilient future for our planet and the communities where we operate."
Implement responsible sourcing
In 2020, Nestlé launched its Net Zero Roadmap detailing how it will reach its net zero commitment.
It said one of the key pillars of the strategy is to work with farmers to increase the use of regenerative agricultural practices.
“We are leveraging the work we have already done to develop skilled agripreneurs and future-fit farmers across priority raw materials like dairy, coffee and cocoa,” Nestle said. “Our goal is to help the half a million farmers from whom we directly and indirectly purchase ingredients to adopt sustainable practices and enhance their livelihoods.”
In the report, Nestlé said that through the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, it will also participate in additional programmes to tackle the deforestation associated with cocoa farming in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
Nestlé Cocoa Plan
As part of the company’s voluntary sustainability programme, it said it is committed to sourcing its cocoa 100% by 2025.
There has been criticism that companies such as Nestlé are not doing enough to eradicate child labour, particularly from its supply chain in West Africa, as highlighted by the recent NORC report, funded by the US Department of Labor.
The Swiss food and beverage supplier, along with other multi-national companies, is also involved in a fresh federal class action lawsuit in the United States over child labour allegations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Nestlé has said through its Cocoa Plan it plans to address social and environmental issues and create a responsible cocoa supply chain.
“Our original 2020 commitment was updated in 2019, to source all the cocoa for Nestlé confectionery through the Plan for 2025. However, while we have retained the 2025 deadline, our commitment now applies to all the cocoa we purchase.”
Transparent model
Nestlé said it plans to transform its cocoa supply chains beyond its own supply chain and work in tackling child labour through a transparent model that other companies can use.
To protect children in cocoa-growing communities it said it has scaled up its Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) work and published two landmark child labour reports that are industry-leading in terms of their transparency and data reporting.
“Today, we are monitoring over 86 000 children. As a result of our efforts, nearly one-third of all children were no longer in child labour in 2020,” it claimed.
Partnerships with the World Cocoa Foundation and the International Cocoa Initiative have been beneficial to share learnings and scale efforts, it said.
Its latest report is verified by Bureau Veritas UK Limited, a widely recognised provider of testing, inspection and certification.
- Read Nestle’s full 2020 Creating Shared Value and Sustainability Report here.