Climate Lobbying Overview: Nestlé is positively and actively engaged with climate and energy policy in 2021-22. Nestle has positive top-line messaging on climate, has supported the climate provisions of the US Build Back Better Act, alongside generally supporting an EU sustainable food system policy. The company retains memberships in several industry associations lobbying with mixed positions on climate policy.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Nestlé appears to have positive top-line communications on climate change. In July 2022, Mark Schneider wrote a joint statement for the Financial Times with Unilever CEO Alan Jope where they acknowledged the role that agriculture and the land use sector plays in driving the climate crisis, in addition to stating support for reducing emissions whilst calling for greater efforts for the land-use sector to reduce emissions. Within the Creating Shared Value and Sustainability Report released in March 2021, Nestlé stated support for global emissions reductions and ambitious climate policy in line with IPCC recommendations. Shortly after, Nestlé released its Advocacy Position and Principles in May 2022, stating intentions to advocate for IPCC aligned climate action and government policies and supporting ambitious NDCs in the build up to COP27. The company has consistently called for carbon pricing in the United States, as evidenced in its Net Zero Roadmap report published in February 2021, Nestlé has also signed multiple joint letters supporting the Paris Agreement, such as a January 2021 C2ES letter supporting the US decision to rejoin, with CEO Mark Schneider reiterating support for the Agreement in February 2021. The company also expressed support for policies to price carbon into the economy on its Climate Change Action Advocacy Position and Principles, a document released in May 2022.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Though its activity appears more limited in recent years, Nestlé engages with positive positions on climate policies in both the EU and the US. In October 2021, Nestlé joined a small group of companies in a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer supporting robust climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act. The company reported in its US lobbying disclosures that it had advocated for a federal clean electricity standard in the US in Q2 of 2021 through of 2022. In addition to joint letters, Nestlé reported directly engaging with US federal policymakers to support the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act and the electrification of transportation in its 2021 through 2022 US lobbying disclosures.

Nestle appears to support policy for climate policy in the land-use sector, although in recent years it has been more focussed on these issues in the context of its own operations. Nestle generally supports a transition in diets towards more plant-based foods, In 2021 it stated general support for the EU to introduce a sustainable food system policy, although it did not explicitly support the most ambitious policy proposed, adding caveats to its support. In a May 2022 EU consultation response Nestle expressed support for government regulation to achieve a circular economy. In July 2022 Nestle’sCEO stated support for legislating for regenerative agriculture, arguing that this should be done with special consideration for local and indigenous people. Nestle also stated support for policies to reduce deforestation in its 2021 Sustainability Report.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Nestlé appears to have a positive position on the transition of the energy mix, evident primarily through joint letters. For example, a We Mean Business letter in April 2021 advocated for sustainable infrastructure and zero-emissions vehicles and buildings, among other policy measures, to advance decarbonization in the US. In addition to joint letters, Nestlé disclosed engagement with US policymakers to support the Build Back Better Act and the electrification of transportation in multiple lobbying disclosures, spanning from Q2 of 2021 to Q3 of 2022.

Industry Association Governance: Nestlé has a centralized and comprehensive disclosure of its industry association memberships, although it has not published a formal review of its alignment with its industry associations and does not detail the companies role within its trade associations. Nestlé’s 2021 CDP disclosure on industry associations omits certain groups like the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), which is engaging on EU policy with mixed but increasingly positive positions. External evidence suggests the company is also a member of multiple industry groups with mixed positions on climate policy, including the Confederation of Employers and Industries of Spain and the Kansai Economic Federation in Japan.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2023.