News Desk |
Nestlé Waters, the bottled water division of Nestlé based in Paris, is reportedly collaborating with Ocean Legacy Foundation, a non-profit based in Canada, to work together towards cleaner oceans.
Prevention is the first step towards a plastic-free world according to environment experts and therefore the first step is to collect plastic debris from the oceans as much as possible. To achieve this goal, Nestlé and Ocean Legacy will be working together for community clean-up projects all across the world.
The global clean-up drive will include projects such as education, building infrastructure capacity and clean-up expeditions.
Nestlé Pakistan, earlier this month, launched a sea-cleaning drive in Karachi that involved a beach cleanup exercise of the metropolitan city of Pakistan.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), as much as 150 million metric tons of plastic is present in the ocean currently with an additional 8 million metric tons further being added to the oceans every year. Reportedly, 80 percent of the plastic waste comes from land-based sources i.e. household wastes, industrial wastes and human activities.
The wastes produced through these land-sources have subsequently resulted in an increasing danger for the marine and aquatic life. Numerous aquatic species are said to consume plastic as a result of increased pollution in the oceans. According to WEF estimates, approximately 600 different ocean-habitats wildlife species are threatened by plastic waste that is produced on land.
The Nestle Waters partnership with Ocean Legacy involves a five-year agreement with unspecified yearly funding.
Read more: Clean and Green: Islamabad to become plastic-free
The program will also include tools and educational materials to help communities in creating new products and value from the waste collected during the cleanups.
Nestlé’s Commitment Towards Zero Waste
Consumer products are quite more than often scrutinized for the lack of sustainable policies, however, Nestlé stands out in terms of its efforts towards sustainable solutions as a company. Nestle Waters has said that 20% of the water it sells globally is packaged in returnable and refillable bottles and that a further 2% is sold in returnable and refillable glass for the hotel and restaurant trade.
At present the company is working to launch new high-tech water dispensers, allowing consumers to fill their own reusable bottles. It also works with local governments and communities to develop PET (plastic) collection adapted to each country and is expected to complete by 2020.
The Minister for Climate Change, PTI’s Zartaj Gul Wazir, in May had also announced the Federal government’s plan to make Islamabad a plastic-free zone by August 2019.
The company has pledged to go Zero for the planet as part of its environmental impact and operations policy. It has committed to “use sustainability managed and renewable resources, operate more efficiently, achieve zero waste for disposal and improve water management.”
Nestlé has also voluntarily pledged to make its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by the year 2025. As a result of the company’s robust policies around 118,710 tons of packaging has been avoided since 2015 and eight alliances have been formed with relevant stakeholders to address packaging waste management and marine littering in 10 relevant markets including Pepsi Co.
Nestlé Pakistan’s Sea Cleaning Drive
Nestlé Pakistan, earlier this month, launched a sea-cleaning drive in Karachi that involved a beach cleanup exercise of the metropolitan city of Pakistan. “Nestlé Cares”, the cleanup drive, constituted the collection of man-made waste on the beaches, particularly plastic wrappers, plastic bags and paper to be disposed off through waste-collecting vehicles.
Read more: Nestlé’s sea cleaning drive: A step for clean Pakistan
Over 100 volunteers, including employees of Nestle Pakistan, representatives from National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH), and Consumer Association of Pakistan (CAP) participated in the clean-up activity.
Statistics show that Karachi produces approximately 12,000 tons of solid waste and 500m gallons of waste water every day, almost all of it ends up in the sea, causing harm to marine life.
While Plastics are considered to be high in demand, there is a need to regularize the production and use of plastics in order to protect the oceans and marine life.
According to reports, the Sindh government has pledged to go plastic free with a complete ban of plastics in Karachi. Following Sukkur, Sindh Minister for Environment, Taimur Talpur, has reaffirmed Sindh government’s efforts to completely cut off plastic use as it directly damages the marine life of the oceans.
Read more: Ban on plastic bags across cities in Pakistan
The Minister for Climate Change, PTI’s Zartaj Gul Wazir, in May had also announced the Federal government’s plan to make Islamabad a plastic-free zone by August 2019.
Operations of Nestle Pakistan:
Nestlé Pakistan Ltd is a subsidiary of Nestlé S.A.- a company of Swiss origin headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It is primarily a food processing company, registered on the Karachi and Lahore stock exchanges and operating in Pakistan since 1988 under a joint venture with Milk Pak Ltd. Nestle took over management from Milk Pak in 1992. For ten years in a row, the company has won a place among the top 25 companies of the Karachi Stock Exchange.
Unlike most Pakistani corporate giants that are either headquartered in Karachi or in Islamabad (in case of Telecoms) Nestle is headquartered in Lahore which has to do with the nature and location of its production facilities. Nestle Pakistan currently operates four production facilities. Two of its factories – in Sheikhupura and Kabirwala – are multi product factories. One factory in Islamabad and one in Karachi produces bottled water.
Nestlé Pakistan now operates the biggest milk collection operation in Pakistan, Currently, Nestlé Pakistan collects milk from an estimated 190,000 farmers spread over 145,000 sq Km’s in the province of Punjab and Sindh. However it must be borne in mind, that 90% of milk in Pakistan is from un-bottled sources and is often not pasteurized.
Nestlé Pakistan today has also become the leading Food & Beverages Company in Pakistan with key focus on Nutrition, Health and Wellness and reaching the remotest of locations throughout Pakistan to serve the consumers. Ever since 1867, when Henri Nestlé invented the first infant food, nutrition has been Nestle’s core strength.