Nestlé signs water and hygiene pledge

Nestlé has signed a pledge to provide access to safe water and sanitation, as well as appropriate facilities to ensure personal hygiene, to all employees in all premises within three years. Nestlé is one of the first companies to sign the pledge, which was drawn up by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

In the longer term, signatories will be encouraged to set a leadership example to other businesses and stakeholders by advocating for the same commitment across their value chains, including in employees’ homes, local communities and among their suppliers.

Nestlé joined representatives from the WBCSD, the United Nations and plastics company Borealis to present the ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Implementation at the Workplace’ (WASH) pledge at World Water Week in Stockholm.

The company has started to test a new self-assessment tool that signatories can use to analyse their facilities and make improvements where necessary.

Other WASH signatories include: Deloitte LLP, EDF, Greif, Hindustan Construction Company, Roche Group and Unilever.

“Today, millions of people are still without access to safe drinking water and billions lack access to adequate sanitation,” said WBCSD President Peter Bakker.

“There is a compelling and clear economic case for businesses to demonstrate leadership in addressing this social imperative and one of the most pressing socioeconomic challenges of our times.

“The WASH pledge is a direct and tangible contribution they can make to this.”