Nestlé Reduces U.S. Waste By 44 Percent Since 2010

Next time you grab a Crunch bar, you can feel slightly less guilty, at least about the environmental impact. Nestlé has reduced 44 percent of waste per ton of product since 2010 in the U.S., and five factory locations reached zero-waste-to-landfill status by the end of 2013, according to the company’s recent sustainability report.

The Creating Shared Value (CSV) report is the company’s first expanded effort to highlight U.S.-specific milestones and achievements tied to Nestlé’s global sustainability principles and commitments. The report documents Nestlé’s nutritional, social and environmental progress from the past year, as well as provides updates on the company’s U.S. progress toward Nestlé’s global commitments.

Other notable environmental impact updates include saving more than 3.3 billion pounds of plastic since 2003 by reducing the plastic content of its PET half-liter water bottles by 60 percent. Nestlé is already is on its way to achieving zero waste in Europe by 2020.

In the supply chain, last year Nestlé achieved its goal of sourcing 100 percent Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified palm oil. The company also implemented Responsible Sourcing Guidelines for seafood that align with its global Responsible Sourcing Guidelines, working with experts to track suppliers and contribute to healthier ecosystems. In 2013, Nestlé also committed to sourcing 100 percent certified cocoa beans for its Crunch Bars.

To address growing health concerns in the U.S., Nestlé introduced new portion guidance tools and launched an educational campaign, Balance Your Plate, to help consumers build nutritious and convenient meals that meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The company also reduced sodium in many of its most popular brands, such as Stouffer’s and DiGiorno, and committed to further reduce sodium content by 10 percent in products that do not meet the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation criteria by the end of 2016.

Ninety-six percent of Nestlé’s children’s products now meet the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation’s criteria for lower sugar, and by the end of 2014, 100 percent of children’s products will meet these criteria, the company says. Nestlé also committed to reaching zero food and beverage products with trans-fat originating from partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) used as functional ingredients by 2016.

Image credit: Nestlé

Based in San Francisco, Mike Hower is a writer, thinker and strategic communicator that revels in driving the conversation at the intersection of sustainability, social entrepreneurship, tech, politics and law. He has cultivated diverse experience working for the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., helping Silicon Valley startups with strategic communications and teaching in South America. Connect with him on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter (@mikehower)