Nestlé welcomes and supports Fonterra's commitment to reduce its Scope 3 emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Nestlé sees this move as a positive sign for New Zealand's dairy industry and aligns with Nestlé's ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout its value chain. As a significant buyer of New Zealand dairy ingredients, Nestlé continues collaborating with processors like Fonterra to promote regenerative agriculture practices among farmers to help decrease emissions.
Jennifer Chappell, CEO of Nestlé New Zealand, believes Fonterra's initiative will encourage further action by farmers, researchers, and policymakers, facilitating a just transition for the dairy industry. This transition is expected to open economic opportunities presented by the shift to lower emissions.
Nestlé, committed to its Science Based Targets initiative-aligned Net Zero Roadmap, aims to reduce its absolute emissions by 20 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030, leading to net zero by 2050. Recognising dairy as its single most significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, Nestlé works with dairy farmers globally, including over 100 pilot projects worldwide.
Collaborative projects with Fonterra include planting a million native plants on marginal land to sequester carbon, improving nutrient management to reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions, and establishing a pilot farm for a profitable net zero emissions approach. Nestlé also engages with other New Zealand dairy suppliers on initiatives to reduce emissions from farms supplying Nestlé.
Nestlé's global roadmap focuses on farm measures, such as caring for grassland, altering animal nutrition to cut methane production, improving manure management, and implementing more sustainable feed practices. These actions, along with enhancing farm productivity, are key to achieving the goal of reducing net emissions.
Furthermore, Nestlé inaugurated the Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences to translate agricultural science into practical applications. The institute aims to identify promising agricultural technologies to support Nestlé's net zero roadmaps and contribute to the transition towards a regenerative food system.
