Greenpeace Switzerland warns shareholders against Nestlé’s plastic investments

Nestlé hosted its Annual General Meeting virtually without the attendance of shareholders due to the coronavirus pandemic. Greenpeace Switzerland responded by exposing the lack of progress made by Nestlé in the past year and called on the company to be a leader towards building reusable systems that protect both people and the planet. 

In response to Nestlé’s CEO speech,

Greenpeace USA Global Plastics Project Leader Graham Forbes said:

“Despite acknowledging its need to address the plastic pollution crisis, Nestlé has done very little to end its dependency on fossil fuel–based plastic packaging, which represents a significant threat to our climate, oceans and health. Since last year’s AGM, Nestlé has increasingly invested in the broken recycling system and other false solutions like chemical recycling. The company sells more than a billion products a day and yet less than 1% of its products are delivered in reusable packaging. Until Nestlé fully embraces systems of refill and reuse instead of destructive throwaway plastic, the company will continue to fail its customers, its shareholders and the planet.”

“It is unacceptable for a company like Nestlé—which has the resources to be a leader in solving the plastic pollution crisis—to continue to pollute the planet with single-use packaging. The only sustainable way forward is for Nestlé to end its reliance on fossil fuel–based plastic packaging, phase out unnecessary single-use plastics and embrace systems of refill and reuse. Unfortunately, to date, the company’s efforts to tackle plastic pollution are little more than veiled attempts to protect its throwaway business model.”

Last year, 20 Greenpeace Switzerland activists interrupted Nestlé’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) by handing over throwaway plastic waste to Nestlé executives in front of their shareholders. The same week, Greenpeace activists and allies from the Break Free From Plastic Movement delivered monsters made out of plastic waste to Nestlé’s offices around the world to call out on the corporation’s for polluting and damaging the planet.

Notes:

[1] Nestlé was one of the top corporate plastic polluters identified in a worldwide cleanup and brand audit effort conducted by the Break Free From Plastic coalition two years in a row. Full results here

[2] A Greenpeace USA report, Throwing Away the Future: How Companies Still Have It Wrong on Plastic Pollution “Solutions,” is available here

[3] Greenpeace Switzerland’s factsheet on Nestlé and plastic pollution is available here

[4] Greenpeace Switzerland’s accompanying campaign video entitled “Nestlé Stop Feeding the Plastic Monster” is available here