Adaptation & Mitigation Strategies by Nestle

Nestle, the Swiss multinational food and beverage company, has been a pioneer in adopting
sustainability practices across its operations. As part of its long-term sustainability strategy, Nestle
has identified adaptation and mitigation as two key areas of focus. The company has implemented a
number of initiatives aimed at reducing its environmental impact and building resilience against
climate change.

Adaptation Strategies:

Adaptation refers to the actions taken to minimize the adverse effects of climate change on businesses
and communities. Nestle has adopted several strategies to build resilience and adapt to the changing
climate.

Water Stewardship:
Water is a key resource for Nestle, as it is a critical ingredient in many of its products. However,
water scarcity and quality issues are increasingly becoming a challenge for the company. To address
this, Nestle has implemented a comprehensive water stewardship program, which includes the
following measures:

Setting water reduction targets: Nestle has set ambitious targets to reduce its water consumption
across its operations. As part of this, the company has adopted innovative technologies to optimize
water use and reduce wastage.
Engaging with stakeholders: Nestle engages with local communities, NGOs, and governments to
understand local water challenges and develop solutions that benefit both the company and the
community.
Protecting water sources: Nestle has implemented measures to protect water sources and ensure their
long-term sustainability. For instance, the company has implemented a water replenishment program,
which aims to return water to the environment in a way that is sustainable and benefits local
communities.
Climate-smart agriculture:
Nestle works with farmers across the world to source high-quality raw materials for its products.
However, climate change is making it increasingly difficult for farmers to grow crops and sustain
their livelihoods. To address this, Nestle has implemented climate-smart agriculture practices, which
include the following measures:

Promoting sustainable farming practices: Nestle works with farmers to promote sustainable
agriculture practices, such as soil conservation, crop diversification, and integrated pest management.
These practices help to reduce the environmental impact of farming and improve the resilience of
farmers to climate change.
Developing climate-resilient crops: Nestle is investing in the development of climate-resilient crops
that can withstand the challenges posed by climate change, such as drought, floods, and extreme
temperatures.
Providing training and support: Nestle provides training and support to farmers to help them adopt
sustainable and climate-resilient farming practices. The company also works with local governments
and NGOs to create an enabling environment for sustainable agriculture.
Mitigation Strategies:

Mitigation refers to the actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and slow down the
rate of climate change. Nestle has implemented several initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and
mitigate the impact of its operations on the environment.

Renewable energy:
Nestle is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy
sources. The company has set a target to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by
2025. To achieve this, Nestle has implemented the following measures:

Investing in renewable energy: Nestle is investing in renewable energy projects across the world,
including wind, solar, and hydropower. The company is also working with its suppliers to encourage
them to switch to renewable energy sources.
Improving energy efficiency: Nestle has implemented energy efficiency measures across its
operations to reduce its energy consumption and GHG emissions. This includes measures such as
installing energy-efficient equipment, optimizing processes, and reducing waste.
Sustainable packaging:
Packaging is an essential part of Nestle's operations, as it helps to protect its products and ensure their
safety and quality. However, packaging also has a significant environmental impact, particularly in
terms of GHG emissions and waste.

ROAD TO NET ZERO ROADMAP

Only 5% of our total greenhouse gases (GHGs) come from our own operations. In contrast, 95%
come from our supply chain, from activities like farming or shipping. That's why we're transforming
our manufacturing and packaging activities and working throughout our supply chain to help achieve
absolute reductions.
Switching to source 50% of our ingredients from regenerative agriculture by 2030 will help us do so,
as will investing in sustainable logistics, packaging and manufacturing activities. 
As a company with a large land ‘footprint’, we are committed to making a significant contribution to
decarbonization through natural climate solutions projects in our supply chain.
 As a company with a large land ‘footprint’, we are committed to making a significant contribution to
decarbonization through natural climate solutions projects in our supply chain. We have already
begun this process, initiating projects that will sequester millions of tonnes of CO2e over their
lifetimes through our Global Reforestation Program.
Our corporate net zero program does not use offsetting outside our value chain to deliver emissions
removals. However, in some circumstances our consumer facing brands can purchase credits to
compensate for additional emissions relating to their life cycle. Brand teams may purchase high-
quality carbon credits that help fund natural climate solutions and other activities outside of Nestlé's
value chain – including tree planting, forest protection and, in some cases, social programs for rural
communities.
PLASTIC POLLUTION
Supporting a future where no Nestlé plastic packaging ends up in landfill or the ocean.
4.5 billion plastic straws annually eliminated as of 2021
50 % proportion of recycled PET in our bottles by 2025
Collecting as much plastic as we sell
Nestlé teams around the world are working to recover and recycle as much plastic as we use in our
packaging, on a 'one tonne in, one tonne out' principle known as 'plastic neutrality'. In August 2022,
Nestlé Philippines celebrated its second full year of plastic neutrality, preventing the plastic collected
from reaching landfills or the ocean.
Substituting hard-to-recycle materials with paper
Nestlé has introduced recyclable paper packaging for products including Maggi bouillon cubes,
Nesquik, KitKat, Nescafé and others, often replacing multi-material wrappings that are hard to
separate or recycle. At the same time, we have switched to paper straws for Nesquik, Nescau, Milo
and Nescafé.

PACKAGING STRATEGY
- 35 % of plastic packaging by weight at the end of 2021, as a result of product portfolio shifts and
packaging redesigns
> 95 % of our plastic packaging will be designed for recycling systems by 2025, and we are
committed to achieving 100%
Our strategy is structured around five pillars:
1 Reducing our use of plastic packaging material

2 Scaling reusable and refillable systems

3 Redesigning our packaging material
4 Supporting infrastructure that helps to make recycling easier
5 Driving new behaviors
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
Our net zero roadmap shows that nearly two-thirds of our greenhouse gas emissions come from
agriculture, so addressing these emissions is one of our main focus areas. One of the most important
things we are doing is introducing the concept of regenerative agriculture – an initiative with
incredible potential for helping address climate change and supporting communities and natural
resources.
We're working hard to support farmers through the transition to a regenerative food system, by:

Protecting and promoting human rights

Providing state-of-the-art science and technical assistance
Offering investment support
Paying premiums for regenerative agriculture goods Our strategy begins with pilot studies at farms to
validate new technologies and nature-based solutions. As pilots prove successful, we expand into
reference farms of agripreneurs, or entrepreneurial farmers, in different countries and regions, as soils
and climate requirements will differ. From reference farms we try to scale the approach to the larger
agripreneur community, helping to further advance and improve their business models.
The main pillars of regenerative agriculture
Biodiversity
We aim to increase plant and animal biodiversity above and below the ground. As one example, we
aim to help restore critical ecosystems by planting 200 million trees by 2030 in the farms and
landscapes we source from, such as shade and fruit trees in cocoa-growing areas. The aim is to
contribute to improved soil nutrient cycles as well as farmer livelihoods and climate change resilience.
Soil
We are helping to scale-up farming practices that help protect soil health and increase soil organic
matter by launching regenerative agriculture initiatives through our Farmer Connect program, which
works closely with up to 500 000 farmers and 150 000 suppliers as well as local communities.
Water
We aim to reduce chemical farm inputs and optimize organic fertilization, biological pest control and
irrigation techniques.
Protecting the quality of natural waters and stewarding water resources is essential to regeneration.
We recognize the need to play our part in helping to protect, restore and renew water sources: in
Nestlé Waters, our bottled-water business; throughout our agricultural supply chain and production
operations; and in the communities where Nestlé has an impact.
Dairy
We aim to integrate livestock and optimize grazing in farming systems when feasible.
Regenerative agriculture is also at the heart of our efforts to turn dairy into a net zero industry. Our
work includes using silvopasture – where trees are introduced into areas used for livestock grazing –
alongside mixed farming of livestock and crops, cover crops to protect soil and improved manure
management.

WATER
2.3 million m3 water use reduction in our factories
98 million m3 total water withdrawals from all areas in 2021
39.03 million m3 total water consumption in 2021
100 % of our factories monitoring water withdrawals
2.39 million water use reduction in factories in 2021 (m3)
500000 farmers Guided on water use and water management practices expected through the Nestlé
Responsible Sourcing Standard
Before the water we use in our operations is reused or discharged back into rivers, lakes and the sea,
we ensure it is safety treated. Our digital compliance assessment and monitoring tool ensures our
factories meet the exacting standards of our Nestlé Environmental Requirements (NER) for water
quality.
The AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship) Standard is the first global water stewardship standard for
measuring responsible water stewardship across social, environmental and economic criteria. We aim
to certify all our Nestlé Waters sites to the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) by 2025.
In addition, we conduct an annual assessment of current water risk at sourcing locations for key
agricultural commodities including cereals, coffee, dairy and sugar, using a combined water stress
index that combines results for entire sourcing areas from four publicly available tools: WRI
Aqueduct, WWF Water Risk Filter, Pfister Water Stress Index and the Water Depletion dataset by
EarthStat.
Local needs require tailored solutions. Our approach to water management has always been highly
targeted, with detailed action plans to help address key issues. 
We are working on projects in several areas, particularly those where water is lacking. We are helping
farmers implement better water management practices to save water in their day-to-day work, using
technology, knowledge sharing and other educational means.

SUSTAINABLE SOURCING
Over a decade ago, we launched a global coffee sustainability initiative called the Nescafé Plan. We
have now defined our sustainability ambition for the next decade. Through the Nescafé Plan 2030, we
are accelerating our action to support a more inclusive and sustainable future for the coffee sector,
using our heritage, scale and reach to help uplift lives and livelihoods from farm to cup. Regenerative
agriculture sits at the heart of the Plan. We will work with farmers to help them adopt regenerative
agriculture practices that will help reduce carbon emissions and help improve farms' productivity,
with the aim of improving farmers' incomes
Nestlé has made the commitment for 100% of its coffee to be produced sustainably by 2025.
Our main sources of meat, poultry and eggs are in North America (the U.S.) and Europe (France,
Germany and Spain). Our Responsible Sourcing Standard sets out basic, non-negotiable standards, as
well as important and urgent sustainability practices that we ask our suppliers and the farmers
involved in our supply chain to adhere to at all times.
We verify compliance with these practices through farm assessments. We also understand that some
actions at farm level require time or industry transformation. Updating animal welfare practices may
require time or financial investments in infrastructural changes on farms, such as switching from
cages to cage-free production systems.
In partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, Nestlé is enabling the adoption of
practices that improve the productivity of pasturelands, sequester carbon, and restore wildlife habitat.
The partnership will engage ranchers on an individual basis to identify and subsidize the solutions that
make the best sense for their particular lands, including prescribed grazing, invasive weed
management, restoration and management agreements.