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Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. It is present in 187 countries around the world, and its 291,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future.
Earthworm Foundation is helping Nestlé to identify the origin of its raw materials, engage its suppliers and to develop and implement strategies to reach the Nestlé Responsible Sourcing standard in its pulp & paper, palm oil and coconut supply chains.
In 2015, Nestlé’s first Rurality Palm oil project was initiated in Malaysia and in 2016, Nestlé’s first Rurality PP project was initiated in Vietnam.
As of 2018, 91% of the palm oil volumes were traced back to mill, 54% to plantation and 91% of the virgin fiber volumes (for pulp & paper products) were traced back to country of harvest.
In 2018, Nestlé was one of first brands to publish lists of direct suppliers and mills for its’ palm oil & pulp and paper supply chains online.
In 2018, Nestlé committed to digital solutions by announcing 100% satellite monitoring for deforestation of palm oil supply chain & piloting a cloud-based tool developed with SupplyShift to improve collection, analysis and access to pulp & paper supply chain data.
Engagement begins with recovered fibre suppliers in Brazil
Engagement begins on the ground with Nestlé pulp & paper suppliers in the Dvinsky intact forest landscape in Russia, marking the start of over three years of intensive work to help preserve this vital area
Nestlé initiates collaborates with Earthworm Foundation’s Rurality programme for smallholder farmers, working with oil palm farmers in Malaysia
Nestlé’s first Rurality pulp & paper project is initiated in Vietnam.
Palm oil is a highly versatile and inexpensive vegetable oil used in many consumer goods products. It is also an extremely efficient crop, producing as much as 10 times per hectare as other vegetable oils. But its role as a major driver of economic growth is also associated with the loss of tropical forest habitats.
Earthworm Foundation leads on establishing transparency in Nestlé’s palm oil supply chain and tracking suppliers’ progress on implementing Nestlé’s Responsible Sourcing Standard. We also partner with Nestlé in a large number of transformation and verification projects, such as developing forest production-protection models in Peru, investigating high-risk suppliers globally and using Starling satellite monitoring of deforestation. On human rights and community needs, our work with Nestlé provides access to safe drinking water in Papua New Guinea, to improved respect of labour rights for Indonesian plantation workers and ways to address the issue of children in plantations in Malaysia. The list goes on. See Nestle’s palm oil progress report for more.
Forests are under increasing pressure from human activity, resulting in forest loss and degradation. The forest product industry can contribute to these pressures but is also an essential part of the solution to keep forests thriving and restore forest values.
Since 2011, Nestlé and Earthworm Foundation have analysed and prioritised high priority pulp & paper sources for on-the-ground engagement to drive targeted transformation in line with Nestlé’s expectations. This work continues today and is supplemented by projects in key sourcing areas through Healthy Forest Landscape approaches on specific issues such as Intact Forest Landscapes and with Indigenous Communities as well as technologies such as Starling satellite imagery to monitor No Deforestation commitments and also exploring social issues in recovered fibre supply chains.
The coconut palm is often called the ‘tree of life’ because of its versatility and importance to rural livelihoods. But with global demand for coconut now outstripping supply, smallholder farmers can struggle with issues including ageing trees and poor production techniques.
Earthworm Foundation is joining Nestlé in the start of their work on Responsible Sourcing of coconut products. In 2019, we began to map Nestlé’s coconut supply chain and conduct baseline assessments in sourcing regions. Findings from this work will enable development of Nestlé’s 2025 roadmap to Responsible Sourcing for coconut. Stay tuned!
