Environmental sustainability : Nestle cuts energy and water use by over 45%

Nestlé India is committed to environmentally sustainable business practices at all stages of production making the right choices to protect the future. Following a series of Environmental Performance Indicators to monitor efforts in sustainability during the last 15 years for every tonne of production, the company has successfully reduced the usage of energy by around 47%, water usage by around 55%, the generation of greenhouse gasses by around 57% and the generation of waste water by around 61%.

Re-iterating the commitment towards environment sustainability, Mr. Sanjay Khajuria, Senior Vice President - Corporate Affairs, Nestlé India, states, “We consistently emphasise the sustainable use of natural and non-renewable resources as we follow the Nestlé Environmental Management System. Our efforts cut across the entire value chain and we actively engage with farmers, suppliers, employees and consumers to help increase awareness about environment sustainability.” Mr. Khajuria added, “We emphasise on focussed measures for conservation and in 2015, Nestlé India completed 54 energy reduction projects and 40 water reduction projects across factories, successfully.”

Nestlé India has been working with farmer communities to ensure sustainable production in the long term. It is committed to helping farmers adapt to climate change impacts and has been constantly engaged with over 100,000 milk farmers in the milk district of Moga and over 2,000 coffee farmers through the NESCAFÉ Plan in Coorg. A dedicated supplier development team works through the Nestlé – Farmer – Supplier model to create sustainable local sourcing. The non-negotiable minimum standards of sourcing ensures that the supplier community follows sustainable environmental standards.

While manufacturing, the focus has been on improving operational efficiencies per tonne of production while maximizing production volumes. The aim has been to do more with fewer resources, using the most efficient technologies and processes, to optimise energy and water consumption, reduce waste to zero and full recovery of unavoidable by-products.

To demonstrate commitment towards reduction in environmental footprint in packaging, Nestlé India follows specific guidelines on Packaging and Design and also educates consumers about sustainable consumption. During 2015, the company used 35% of recycled material in packaging and reduced 800 tonnes of packaging material through packaging optimization. It is moving towards product labelling which includes identification of the type of material so as to determine recyclability, anti-litter and recycle logo on products to remind consumers to dispose in a safe and environmental friendly way. The ‘Beyond the Label’, QR (Quick Response) codes on select products provide sustainable consumption tips and guidance on recycling.