VEVEY, Switzerland – Nestlé has published its 2021 Annual Report as well as its Creating Shared Value and Sustainability Report. The publications highlight how consumer-centric, fast-paced innovation, digitalization and a focus on sustainability contribute to long-term value creation.
Nestlé has also published the Annual General Meeting (AGM) agenda.
Nestlé has the ability to deliver and scale meaningful innovations that meet changing consumer tastes, respond to the growing interest worldwide in nutritional health solutions and contribute to sustainability. The Annual Review highlights examples in some of the company’s fastest-growing categories. In Health Science, Nestlé developed new nutritional solutions for diabetes, cardiovascular and other medical conditions.
For example, Nutren GlucoSmart was launched in Malaysia and helps support healthy glucose levels. Nestlé uses that same know-how to develop solutions for pets too. Pro Plan Cardio Care was launched in 2021 to slow the progression of heart disease in dogs.
In coffee, the company discovered two new varieties that produce up to 50% higher yields per tree versus standard varieties and enable an up to 30% reduction in the carbon footprint on the farm. One of those varieties is now being grown by farmers in Latin America for use in Nescafé.
Strong digital capabilities are an important growth driver, and Nestlé focuses on providing consumers with holistic online brand experiences. The company grew its e-commerce sales by another 15.1%, increasing e-commerce’s share of total Group sales to 14.3% in 2021.
Nestlé further deployed its connected operations technology last year, with more than 100 sites now benefitting from a more connected workforce, better visibility across the entire production process and local flexibility. In a year that saw supply chain constraints, Nestlé was able to identify changes in demand and supply in real time and deal with issues much faster.
In the Creating Shared Value (CSV) section of the Annual Review and in the full CSV and Sustainability Report, Nestlé explains how it is supporting the just transition towards climate-friendly and nature-positive food systems.
The company is delivering on its climate roadmap and reports that it has passed peak carbon levels. For the last two consecutive years, Nestlé has reduced its absolute greenhouse gas emissions, even while its business volume has grown significantly. Specifically, it has achieved a reduction of 4.0 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, for instance, by switching to renewable electricity, or encouraging the use of natural fertilizers in farming. And it has initiated removals of 9.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents through nature-based solutions within its value chain.
The full Annual Report contains Nestlé’s Annual Review as well as the Corporate Governance & Compensation Reports and the Financial Statements, which were published on February 17, 2022.
Read more in the Annual Report and in the Creating Shared Value and Sustainability Report.
