When you’re in the grocery store, you shouldn’t have to work hard to choose sustainable options. Sustainability is top of mind for many of you: in a recent survey, 96% of U.S. consumers said they try to live sustainably at least some of the time. At Nestlé, we believe that good food goes beyond tasting great, and that the brands you love can share that love back with the planet. Our brands want to make it easy for you to make climate conscious choices.
From improving water usage to reducing our carbon footprint, our mission is to leave the world better than we found it. That goal may sound ambitious, but we’re confident in the ingenuity of our teams and the power of our brands to accomplish them.
Carnation, Nescafé, Sweet Earth, and Gerber are just a few of our brands that are working hard to be part of the climate solution and drive real change. Here’s a taste of the efforts happening behind the scenes of some of your favorite (or future favorite) Nestlé brands.
Carnation: Restoring Water & Charting a Path to Net Zero
When you think about conserving water, you probably don’t think about the hidden potential of evaporated milk. Fortunately, our Carnation team thinks about evaporated milk every day. In our Modesto, California production facility they found a way to make the process of preparing cans of Carnation not just water neutral, but “water positive.” What that means is that the facility produces more water than it uses during the production process, and then returns that water to the local community.
The regeneration of local watersheds in Modesto is just one part of Carnation’s work in sustainability. Earlier this year, as part of Nestlé’s $10 million investment in the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative, Carnation supplier Trinkler Dairy Farm became the first partner farm of U.S. Dairy’s Dairy Scale for Good pilot. The farm will pilot new technologies and sustainable farming practices to demonstrate the economic viability of achieving net zero carbon emissions within the next five years.
Nescafé: Rejuvenating Coffee Crops
If there’s one thing that brings us all together, it’s our love of a good cup of coffee. Nescafé has always believed that coffee should be as helpful to the planet as it is for getting your day started. As one of Nestlé’s largest brands, Nescafé has a big part to play in helping us build a more sustainable future, starting with coffee farms. Since 2010, Nescafé has delivered more than 900,000 farmer training sessions on good agricultural practices that improve the quality and sustainability of coffee, as well as optimize productivity and costs for coffee farming communities.
To help rejuvenate crops, between 2010–2020 Nescafé distributed 235 million coffee plantlets to farmers that supply us. These plantlets are easier-to-grow, climate resilient and will help coffee farming communities thrive.
Nescafé is also committed to reducing carbon emissions, having reduced emissions by 46% since 2010, which is meaningful step towards Nestlé’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Sweet Earth: Unlocking the Power of Plant-Based Foods
Sweet Earth began as a small family-founded company with innovation and sustainability at the core of its mission — because innovation isn’t just about providing new and exciting plant-based options, it’s also about how those new options are provided. As part of the Nestlé family, the brand is leading and inspiring plant-based innovation across our U.S. portfolio.
This idea has driven Sweet Earth to make proactive choices to protect the planet. This work includes sourcing ingredients responsibly, constantly looking for ways to reduce the use of energy and water in their facilities, and by recently committing to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.
Sweet Earth is so enthusiastic about sustainability, they built an ever-changing Eco Clock so you can check in on their progress.
Gerber: Preserving the Planet for the Next Generation
The team at Gerber understands the how important it is to care for a new generation, and how focused parents are on making choices that will build a better world for their children. The brand believes in climate forward nutrition, and that’s why Gerber has invested in pioneering Research Farms, carbon-capturing cover crops, and reduced tillage to help nourish and protect farmland over the long term.
Gerber has also committed to planting 1 million trees in the U.S. by the end of 2021. Trees are sustainability power houses: they retain carbon in the soil, purify air and encourage biodiversity.
Speaking of carbon — Gerber’s U.S. Organic portfolio and Natural pouches and glass jars are on track to be carbon neutral in 2022, and by 2025 its full baby food portfolio will follow.
At Nestlé, we understand that you want to make decisions that are climate conscious. We want to make those decisions easier for you, by doing the work to make the brands you already love share that love back with the planet. This work extends beyond these four brands. We’re constantly evolving across our entire portfolio, collaborating with farmers and innovating fresh ideas to build a more sustainable future.
This ongoing commitment is how we’ll achieve our mission to unlock the power of food to enhance life today, and for generations to come.
