Nestlé has announced its global roadmap to halve its emissions by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

As a signatory of the UN ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’ pledge, Nestlé is one of the first companies to share its time-bound plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

To accomplish this, Nestlé aims to accelerate initiatives focusing on supporting farmers and suppliers to advance regenerative agriculture, planting hundreds of millions of trees within the next 10 years, completing the company’s transition to 100% renewable electricity globally by 2025 and increasing the number of ‘carbon neutral’ brands.

“Tackling climate change can’t wait and neither can we. It is imperative to the long-term success of our business.”

Nestlé chairman, Paul Bulcke, said: “The Board recognises the strategic importance of taking decisive measures to address climate change. It supports accelerating and scaling up our work to ensure the long-term success of the company and to contribute to a sustainable future for generations to come.”

The roadmap is the result of a complete review of Nestlé’s business and operations to understand the size of the challenge to achieve net zero and to determine the actions needed to address it. The company was responsible for 92 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, which will serve as the baseline for measuring progress.

Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO, added: “Tackling climate change can’t wait and neither can we. It is imperative to the long-term success of our business. “We have a unique opportunity to address climate change, as we operate in nearly every country in the world and have the size, scale and reach to make a difference. We will work together with farmers, industry partners, governments, non-governmental organisations and our consumers to reduce our environmental footprint.”