As World Earth Day draws near, Nestlé India reiterated its commitment to the planet by accelerating its sustainability journey through various commitments across climate change, packaging, sourcing, and water. Nestlé India has reduced the usage of energy by around 43%, water usage by around 52%, generation of wastewater by around 67% and specific direct GHG emissions by 57% for every ton of production over the last 15 years.
Recognising the need for sustainable operations across the value chain, Nestlé India has partnered and engaged with 7000 dairy farmers across the dairy value stream for reducing enteric fermentation and energy, improving feed management and manure management. The focus is on training farmers in good agricultural practices, helping them produce safe, high-quality raw materials, and develop resilient and sustainable farms.
In addition to dairy farmers, Nestlé India has also been working closely with spice and coffee farmers, enabling them to source sustainably. The association with coffee farmers under the NESCAFÉ plan has resulted in an impactful contribution in reducing water usage at farms by 23% while increasing yield by up to 18%. Similarly, the MAGGI Spice plan has ensured that the spices sourced are free from harmful pesticides, additives, and climate change effects.
Commenting on these initiatives, Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestlé India said, ‘’Sustainable use of natural and non-renewable resources has always been a part of our commitment to nurturing and preserving the environment. Sustainability has also been a key growth driver across the value chain. Responsible sourcing of materials are essential to ensuring a sustainable future. There are continuous efforts to improve operational efficiencies, minimizing consumption of natural resources and reducing water, energy and CO2 emissions while maximizing production volumes.’’
In addition to working towards a sustainably resilient supply chain, Nestlé India has also been plastic neutral across all its brands, strengthening its commitment towards 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025. There has also been an increasing focus on sustainable logistics for addressing key climate challenges including the use of railways for transportation of goods to reduce carbon footprint and initiation of inland waterways among others.
