Nestlé Lanka was announced the winner of the Community Relations award at the recent Best Corporate Citizens Sustainability Awards 2020, an annual event organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to recognise the sustainability champions of the corporate world. The Good food, Good life company was awarded for its strong actions in making a positive impact on the local community, and enhancing quality of life for people across its value chain, from farmer to consumer. The company was further recognised as one of Sri Lanka’s top 10 corporate citizens in 2020.
Nestlé contributes to the livelihoods of more than 20,000 Sri Lankan dairy and coconut farmers and outgrowers, and has provided 923 million servings of micronutrient enriched products to consumers over the last year. The company has a number of programmes to help adults and children to eat healthier and live an active lifestyle – such as its Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme, Kids Athletics Programme, and Milo school sport partnerships with the Ministry of Education; Nestomalt marathons with the Ministry of Youth and Sports; as well as its Choose Wellness programme. Nestlé also has a strong ‘Nestlé Needs YOUth’ programme to help young people learn the skills they need to become more employable. The company launched its first consumer waste management project last year with the Ministry of Education, Central Environmental Authority and select Municipal Councils, to collect waste from schools and create awareness amongst students about responsible disposal, and has set an agenda to meet ambitious environmental commitments within the next four years (by 2025). This includes using 100% renewable energy to power all its sites, and making 100% of its packaging reusable or recyclable, while setting up waste management schemes for its packaging material.
“We’re proud to demonstrate how a business can be a force for good even in a challenging environment. To provide Sri Lankan families and the wider community with the support they needed, we launched the Nestlé Family Club, which provides virtual advice and support to Sri Lankan families on healthy living, and adapted our Nestlé Healthy Kids programme with the Ministry of Education to an e-learning version, to continue to reach children while schools were closed. We also launched open innovation challenges with start-ups and universities, to be able to develop meaningful green initiatives and nutritious products using local ingredients. Implementing these initiatives was not easy but very motivating. We’re proud to have been recognised as a force for good” said Fabrice Cavallin, Nestlé Lanka’s Managing Director.
This is sixth year the company has been recognised among the country’s top 10 Best Corporate Citizens. Nestlé was crowned Sri Lanka’s Best Corporate Citizen twice, and has won 15 relevant category, sectional and special projects awards at this prestigious event over the years – including Community Relations, Employee Relations, Customer Relations and more - in recognition of its strong continued contribution to the country.
The Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards are widely considered Sri Lanka’s highest corporate honour. It recognises the best contributors to the local economy and community, as well the best performers in corporate sustainability. Submissions are evaluated by a highly respected panel of local experts, academics and thought leaders.