Nestlé’s 42 Pledges to Support Sustainable Development Goals

07 Mar 2017 --- Nestlé has listed its ambitions for 2020 in a detailed report containing 42 commitments which are guiding the collective efforts to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

The company says it wants to bring societal commitments to life by focusing on three areas; individuals and families, communities, and the planet. 

The long-term ambitions: to help 50 million children to lead healthier lives; help to improve 30 million livelihoods in communities directly connected to our business activities; and strive for zero environmental impact in our operations.

For instance, Nestlé has already pledged to cut the sugar it adds to products by 5% by 2020, which means that in Europe alone, approximately 1,8000 tons of sugar will be removed.

The report also goes through some key achievements that illustrate the progress Nestlé has already made. Under the nutrition, health and wellness banner, they include renovating 8,856 products for nutrition and health considerations and delivering 207 billion micronutrient-fortified servings of foods and beverages. 

In terms of rural development, Nestlé has distributed 129 million coffee plantlets (cumulative since 2010) to farmers, against a target of 200 million by 2020, and trained 36,3000 farmers through capacity building programs. 

It has also reduced water withdrawal per ton of product by 25% since 2010 and saved 3.7 million m3 of water through 516 water-saving projects. And, reduced emissions per ton of product by 39% (cumulative since 2006) and achieved zero waste for disposal at 182 sites (39% of total).

The report 'Nestlé in society: Creating Shared Value and meeting our commitments 2016’ details all commitments which helped Nestlé top the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index.