Our road to net zero
Climate change is one of society’s greatest challenges. It is also one of the greatest risks to the future of our business. Solving it requires all of us to act with urgency.
Climate change is affecting water availability and accelerating biodiversity loss, with many communities already suffering. Solutions to the climate crisis must factor in human rights and benefit everyone by creating a more equitable, low-carbon economy.
Only 5% of our total greenhouse gases (GHGs) come from our own operations. In contrast, 95% come from our value chain, from activities like farming or shipping. That's why we're working with partners throughout our supply chain and transforming our manufacturing and packaging activities to help achieve absolute reductions in GHG emissions.
As a result of scaling up GHG reduction projects in our operations and supply chain, we have put peak carbon behind us, reducing absolute GHG emissions year-on-year even as our company continues to grow.
Net zero by 2050
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Net zero
What we are doing to reduce emissions
Carbon reductions, removals and neutrality
To achieve net zero emissions, we need to reduce emissions throughout our business and supply chains. Our progress towards sourcing 50% of our key ingredients through regenerative agriculture methods by 2030 will contribute significantly to our emissions reductions, as will investing in sustainable logistics, packaging and manufacturing activities.
Our Net Zero Roadmap also includes carbon removals. As a company with a large land ‘footprint’, natural climate solutions will form a significant part of our decarbonization pathway, removing carbon from the atmosphere from within our supply chain.
These removals projects take place in the landscapes where we source our raw materials, and help restore forests, wetlands and peatlands. Our projects can also help generate additional benefits for communities and protect natural ecosystems.
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 carbon offsetting outside our value chain. However, in some circumstances, our brands can purchase credits to compensate for additional emissions relating to their life cycle. In those instances, brands 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. These are not a substitution for or a distraction from our corporate plan and brands are also required to reduce emissions in line with our corporate objectives.
Our net zero roadmap
2018–2021: Our path to regeneration for future generations
Solving the problem means identifying the problem. We found Nestlé emitted 92 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018*. Now we know the extent, we know the road ahead.
Companies and their emissions grow over time. That’s why we’re promising to be net zero based on our 2018 baseline, no matter how much our company grows.
Nestlé’s in-scope GHG emissions by operation million tonnes of CO2e, in 2018
| Scope 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sourcing our ingredients | 65.6 | 71.4% |
| Scope 1, 2 & 3 | ||
| Manufacturing our products | 7.0 | 7.7% |
| Scope 3 | ||
| Packaging our products | 11.0 | 11.9% |
| Scope 3 | ||
| Managing logistics | 7.5 | 8.2% |
| Scope 3 | ||
| Travel and employee commuting | 0.8 | 0.8% |
| Figures have been rounded. | ||
*Total GHG emissions were 113 million tonnes (CO2 equivalent) in 2018, 92 of which are in scope of our UN 1.5°C pledge.
2021–2025: Moving faster
By 2025, we will reduce our emissions by 20%
We’re excited to hit the soil running. We’re accelerating our work in manufacturing, packaging and carbon-neutral brands. We’re also investing CHF 1.2 billion to help spark regenerative agriculture across our supply chain, as part of a total investment of CHF 3.2 billion by 2025.
Our milestones
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100% deforestation free for primary supply chain by 2022
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Switch our global car fleet to lower emission options by 2022
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100% certified sustainable palm oil by 2023
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100% sourced renewable electricity in all our sites by 2025
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100% of our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025
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100% certified sustainable cocoa and coffee by 2025
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Source 20% of key ingredients through regenerative agricultural methods by 2025
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Cut virgin plastic in our packaging by a third by 2025
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Plant 20 million trees a year
2025–2030: Scaling up
By 2030, we will reduce our emissions by 50%
Further down the greener path, we will invest in new technologies and fundamental changes to our products and businesses around the globe.
Our milestones
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Use more renewable thermal energy in our manufacturing
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Source 50% of key ingredients through regenerative agricultural methods by 2030
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Plant 200 million trees by 2030
2030–2050: Delivering our promise
By 2050, we will reach net zero
Advanced agricultural techniques will deliver a regenerative food system at scale, supported by zero emission logistics and company operations.
We will balance any remaining emissions through high-quality natural climate solutions that benefit people and the planet.
Climate change is now a lived experience, not a future projection. For a company as dependent on agriculture as Nestlé, this matters – greatly – and is why we are so determined to play our part by reaching net zero no later than 2050.
