Washington/PRNewswire -- Nestlé in the United States, which represents seven operating companies across the country, has released its Creating Shared Value (CSV) report, the first expanded effort to highlight U.S.-specific milestones and achievements tied to Nestlé's global sustainability principles and commitments. Nestlé notes its mission is to lead the industry in nutrition, health and wellness and to create a more sustainable future. To that end, the new report documents the company'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. 

 

"We know that for Nestlé to continue to be successful in the long term, we have to create value not only for our business, but also for everyone we touch -- our consumers and their pets, our employees, the communities where we operate and society as a whole," stated Paul Grimwood, chairman of Nestlé's operations in the U.S. and CEO of Nestlé USA, the largest of Nestlé's seven U.S. operating companies. "This report underscores that fundamental belief."

 

The new report shares specific sustainability commitments and progress in the categories of nutrition, environmental impact and water use, social impact, rural development and responsible sourcing. Highlights from this year's report include:

 

Nutrition, Health, and Wellness

•Portion guidance – Nestlé rolled out new portion guidance tools and launched an educational campaign, Balance Your Plate, to help consumers build nutritious, delicious and convenient meals that meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

•Reducing sodium – Nestlé reduced sodium in many of its most popular brands, such as Stouffer's and DiGiorno, and committed to further reduce sodium content by 10% in products that do not meet the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation criteria by the end of 2016. 

•Reducing sugar – 96% of Nestlé's children's products met the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation's criteria for lower sugar, and by the end of 2014, 100% of children's products will meet these criteria. 

•Removing trans-fat – Nestlé committed to reaching zero food and beverage products with trans-fat originating from PHOs used as functional ingredients by 2016.

 

Environmental Impact

•Reducing waste – As part of its commitment to eliminating all forms of waste, Nestlé reduced 44% of waste per ton of product since 2010 in the U.S. Five factory locations (Anderson, IL; Freehold, NJ; Waverly, IA; Jacksonville, IL; and Medford, WI) reached zero waste to landfill status by the end of 2013. 

•Responsible packaging – Nestle Waters North America led the U.S. bottled water industry in lightweighting packaging, in part by reducing the plastic content of its PET ½ liter bottles by 60% since 1994. Since 2003 alone, more than 3.3 billion pounds of plastic have been saved by the company. 

•Adopted responsible sourcing – Nestlé Purina PetCare implemented Responsible Sourcing Guidelines for seafood that align with Nestlé's global Responsible Sourcing Guidelines, working with experts to track suppliers and contribute to healthier ecosystems. In 2013, Nestlé also reached an important target for palm oil, with 100% of palm oil now Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified.

 

Social Impact in 2013

•Supported local communities – Nestlé in the U.S. donated more than $2.3 million to support local United Way organizations. 

•Provided disaster relief – Nestlé Waters donated more than 685,000 bottles of water and Nestlé Purina contributed more than 60,000 pounds of pet food and 41,000 pounds of cat litter to local shelters across the U.S. for disaster relief. 

•Grew supplier diversity – Nestlé works with over 4,100 small, minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses, helping to spur local economies.

 

Paul Bakus, president of U.S. Corporate Affairs, added, "We believe that transparent, honest reporting is essential if businesses want to effectively engage with stakeholders. Nestlé's U.S. CSV report and our expanded presence in Washington, D.C. represent an important step forward in our commitment to doing more and having an open dialogue."