"We are committed to being part of the solution to achieve a more sustainable food system that is not only good for the planet, but also unlocks the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and every day for generations to come." - Kieran Conroy, Country Manager, Nestlé Ireland 

As part of Nestlé’s Community Partnership programme, Nestlé Ireland supports worthy causes that make a real difference in communities nationwide. In June, Cancer Trials Ireland was announced as the new Staff Charity of the Year for Nestlé Ireland, with staff pledging to raise more than €100,000 over the three-year partnership. The funds raised will go towards assisting Cancer Trials Ireland in their work to provide every patient diagnosed with cancer access to high-quality and potentially life-altering cancer trials. 

Nestlé Ireland have a long-standing partnership with Dublin Simon Community, which offers services and supports to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan regions. Now in its second decade, the partnership has involved the donation of more than 4 million cups of coffee and 200,000 KitKat bars. The donations are supporting Dublin Simon across a range of service delivery to people in need of emergency and long-term accommodation, medical treatment, counselling services, as well as education and employability courses for those looking to upskill and re-enter the workforce.

Even with the many challenges faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the staff at Nestlé Ireland continued to come together to support Pieta House. Over the course of a three-year partnership, Nestlé raised more than €86,000 through staff-led volunteering efforts, with monies raised going directly towards providing emergency interventions and care to those at risk of suicide in Ireland. 

Since 2018, Nestlé Ireland is the only food supplier to provide all its surplus food to FoodCloud while also making a per-pallet financial contribution. In 2022 alone, by donating surplus stock, c.241tonnes of CO2 were saved from going to waste. Nestlé has also contributed meals to the value of €207,294 to FoodCloud which helped prevent more than 99 tonnes of surplus food ending up in landfill while also ensuring essential food supplies were provided to the most vulnerable members of our society.

Nestlé Ireland have been a proud partner of the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) for more than 15 years. Nestlé’s petcare business Purina proudly donates food to feed rescued kittens, cats, puppies and dogs in the rescue and rehoming centres. Purina has also partnered with the DSPCA on their television series, The Shelter: Animal SOS, which showcased the passion and dedication of the DSPCA for the important work they do every day.  

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WORKING TOGETHER TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME

As the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company, delivering social, environmental and economic value is central to how we do business.  We are acutely conscious of the many challenges that lie ahead, which is why we want to help shape a better and healthier world, a more sustainable world, for people, families, and pets, for our communities and for the planet.

We believe in the power of good and of being a force for good – whether that is by striving to achieve ambitious environmental targets across the global supply chain or supporting our suppliers through sustainable income initiatives. This commitment also drives the ambition, underpinning our roadmap to be a positive force to combat one of the greatest challenges facing our time-that of climate change.

It is also about taking a leadership role and appreciating the privilege of being able to affect positive change. It is about responsibility and recognising that it is our duty to step up and take a frontline position in meeting the many challenges affecting people and communities across the globe. 

Earlier this year, Nestlé announced a major plan to advance sustainability and tackle child labour risks in cocoa production. Nestlé will invest €1.25 billion by 2030, more than tripling the current annual investment with this new effort helping transform the Nestlé supply chain and the broader industry. The plan is centred around an innovative Income Accelerator programme which aims to improve the livelihoods of cocoa-farming families in Africa, while also advancing regenerative agriculture practices and gender equality.

It builds further on the work by Nestlé through existing partnerships with UTZ Certified and the Fairtrade Foundation for independent certification verifying that cocoa is sourced and produced sustainably on farms with safe working conditions. Since 2016, the entire range of Nestlé chocolate confectionery and biscuits sold in Ireland are produced using only certified sustainable cocoa.

Nestlé is implementing their global strategy to support and accelerate the transition to a regenerative food system, one that aims to protect and restore the environment, improve the livelihoods of farmers and enhance the well-being of farming communities. Nestlé will work with food system partners, including the company’s network of over 500,000 farmers and 150,000 suppliers, to advance regenerative farming practices at the heart of the food system. As part of this journey, Nestlé will also initiate new programmes to help address the social and economic challenges of the transition. They include, among others, enhancement of biodiversity, soil conservation, regeneration of water cycles and integration of livestock. 

Nestlé continues to lead the way in reducing packaging and increasing the quantity of recyclable materials, building on a commitment to make 100% of packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. Petcare brand Purina has pushed forward in its plan to make pet care packaging easier to recycle, launching its first full pouch ranges ‘designed to be recyclable’. In an Irish first, Gourmet, the super-premium wet cat food, launched its cutting-edge new mono-material packaging with the relaunch of its Mon Petit range. 

The much-loved Smarties brand has transitioned to using recyclable paper packaging for its confectionery products worldwide.  In fact, Smarties was the world’s first global confectionery brand to use sustainably sourced and recyclable material – replacing 250 million plastic Smarties packs.