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Creating Shared Value Transparently

By Janet Voûte, Global Head of Public Affairs, Nestlé

Creating Shared Value Transparently

I have spoken in the past about the importance – and challenges – of being more transparent and sharing progress in meeting our societal commitments at Nestlé. For this reason, I am proud to share our 2013 Creating Shared Value report, published this week.

In this year’s report we have taken another step forward in terms of transparency. In addition to sharing progress measured in an extensive set of Global Reporting Initiative key performance indicators, we speak openly about the commitments we have made, the challenges we face ; and how we intend to overcome them.

It’s about Creating Shared Value

Why is this so important? At Nestlé, we believe that for a company to be successful over the long term and create value for its shareholders, it must create value for society. This belief leads us to continue to develop our societal reporting to the highest possible standards. We want to share our commitments for reasons of accountability, and to foster public debate that facilitates the kind of collective action required to address complex societal challenges.

35 strong commitments

In this year’s report we share the 35 forward-looking commitments we’ve made; 10 more than last year.

The new commitments are the direct result of the feedback received on the 2012 report through Nestlé’s stakeholder engagement process.

The commitments bring our work in the areas of nutrition, water and rural development into greater focus. They also formalise our plans in environmental sustainability, human rights and gender balance and make our progress on responsible marketing of breast-milk substitutes even more transparent.

Focusing on nutrition, health and wellness

Creating Shared Value at Nestlé begins with nutrition which we believe will play an ever more important role in the health and wellness of individuals and society. This report outlines our updated policies for the reduction of salt, sugars, and saturated fats in our products.

The challenge here is to make gradual improvements that allow consumers to adapt their tastes and adopt a healthier diet over time. We sell over 1 billion products per day and so we must prioritise those products consumed by children and families. For salt reduction we will focus on soups, snacks, pizzas and ready-made meals. This work will be supported by our ongoing investments in our research and development capabilities.

Inviting your feedback

I am encouraged by this report as it shows greater transparency about the work that is ongoing every day at Nestlé.

Our commitments are real. They are the result of in-depth assessments, common-sense debate and external review and they reflect our Creating Shared Value approach to business. We will continue to reflect this in our reporting, presenting the reality of our progress.

We are excited about this 2013 report; but we are already thinking about next year, which is why, after taking a look, we hope you will share your feedback with us.

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One Response

  1. Hola Janett,

    What will be the best way to share information with you? I see that you took part at the Bogota event last Oct 2013. I am based in Colombia working on the private sector engagement in development and would love to speak to you or senior local Nestle representative.

    I look forward to hear from you.

    Luc Lapointe

    Cali Colombia

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