Nestlé today announced it will plant at least three million trees in key sourcing locations in the Americas by 2021. It is the initial phase of a broader reforestation initiative, which forms part of the company’s plan to scale up actions in agriculture and deploy nature-based solutions to absorb more carbon. This move will help transform Nestlé's supply chain, making it more resilient. It will also contribute to achieving its net-zero greenhouse gas emissions pledge by 2050.
To this end, Nestlé has partnered with One Tree Planted (OTP) – a non-profit environmental charity with a focus on global reforestation to restore forests and protect habitat for biodiversity. Together with OTP, and its associated partner, the World Resources Institute, Nestlé will select specific planting locations where palm, soya, paper, coffee, or coconut are grown, and where precious ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, peatlands or mangroves can be restored. This selection process will aid restoration efforts in degraded landscapes while protecting existing high conservation value areas.
Beginning in March 2020, Nestlé will start planting trees in Brazil and Mexico.
"Achieving our net-zero ambition requires that we transform how we do business. Together with our suppliers we will restore land, improve the management of our supply chain and, as a result, better manage greenhouse gas emissions. This investment will lead to enhanced biodiversity and the regeneration of ecosystems we depend upon in the Americas," said Laurent Freixe, CEO of Zone Americas at Nestlé.
"Our goal is not to compensate the emissions but truly adopt nature-based solutions that we are deploying as part of our pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050. Planting trees not only captures carbon but also helps rebuild forests and communities, protect threatened and endangered biodiversity, promote soil nutrients, and conserve water – all of which help increase the resilience of farmers," said Magdi Batato, Executive Vice President, Head of Operations at Nestlé. "Reforestation also complements our commitment to halt deforestation in our supply chains. Tackling climate change requires multiple solutions."
The reforestation initiative builds on Nestlé’s existing actions, such as the agroforestry program initiated in 2014 under the Nespresso AAA Sustainable QualityTM Program, whose goal is to plant five million trees in the Nespresso's coffee supply chain by end 2020. Last year, the program was deployed across Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Uganda.
Nestlé will expand the reforestation activities to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, with a focus on sourcing locations vulnerable to the adverse effect of climate change.