Our business principles

Our objective is to offer the tastiest and healthiest product ranges, while increasing nutritional value and affordability.

As our scientific knowledge is evolving, we continually develop our products. Innovating with speed and agility.

Across the globe, the Nestlé company stands for quality and safety. Our Quality Policy (pdf, 2 Mb) summarizes our commitment, including:

• Developing and delivering trusted products that support a healthier future
• Maintaining high food safety standards
• Challenging ourselves to improve our management systems to guarantee quality
• Ensuring all people in our value chain take ownership of product quality and safety

We deliver reliable, transparent communication that empowers our consumers. Our communications to children promote healthy lifestyles and physical activity. They do not mislead, undermine parental authority or create unrealistic ideas of success.

When providing products for infants, we apply the following principles:

• We are committed to supporting breastfeeding as the ideal nutrition for babies
• We recommend breastfeeding over all other feeding alternatives
• Every child has the right to the best possible first 1000 days of life
• Caregivers should have access to the highest quality solutions for the choices they may make
• All solutions must be rooted in current, high quality nutritional and behavioral science
• All caregivers should feel respected and at peace with their decision about how to feed their baby
• Achieving the best possible nutritional outcomes requires responsible engagement and advocacy with all stakeholders

We respect and promote human rights across our organization, in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles and the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. We've created policies and solid internal systems that enable us to identify and resolve issues quickly. In particular, we stand against any violation of human rights, with zero tolerance to child labor, forced labor and modern slavery.

Diversity and inclusion is a big part of our culture. We treat each other with respect and promote the inclusion of all communities, cultures and ages. At the same time, we're working to enhance gender balance.

We believe a diverse culture is vital to our future and we leverage diversity of thinking to drive creativity and innovation.

The safety and health of our teams is a key part of our values. We're committed to preventing any accidents, injuries and work-related illness across the business.

At Nestlé, we understand that everyone plays a role in creating a safe and healthy work environment. Our managers promote awareness and knowledge of health and safety to employees, contractors and anyone else who works with us.

The Nestlé Responsible Sourcing Standard (pdf, 2 Mb) means we choose our suppliers wisely. We work with those who use sustainable agricultural practices, protect biodiversity and replenish natural resources. In doing so, we ensure our farmers receive an income that provides a decent standard of living.

We're continually reviewing our sourcing choices. This means we can continue improving labor standards, safety, health and environmental leadership across our business.

We demonstrate honesty, integrity and fairness to our customers. So, when it comes to business activities, we expect the same from our trading partners.

If our partners break our Business Principles, we request an open and transparent discussion. This enables us to work together to correct mistakes and move forward in a positive way.

We believe in preserving the planet for future generations. That's why we're committed to developing recyclable or reusable packaging materials, reducing food waste and exploring circular business models.

At all stages of the product life cycle, we strive to use resources efficiently. We favor sustainably managed renewable resources and we're working to manage water, reduce plastic and cut our emissions. We've also committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The Nestlé Code of Business Conduct (pdf, 1 Mb) outlines minimum standards in key areas of employee behavior. We expect our employees and third parties to embrace these principles:

• Act legally and honestly, disclosing and resolving conflicts of interest
• Compete in full compliance with antitrust, competition and fair dealing laws
• Employees are prohibited from engaging in bribery, corruption or any illicit activities
• All financial records must be in alignment with our accounting standards

Our Global Privacy Program ensures that privacy is built into our business operations and that data is handled lawfully. As such, all data is kept secure and protected against unauthorized processing, unlawful destruction, loss or misuse.

In addition, we avoid using technology and data in ways that could lead to discrimination, exploitation or harm. This includes a commitment to the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence.

Creating an inspiring and innovative workplace is important to us. We have a culture where every employee has the chance to engage, create and contribute.

Everyone in our organization is encouraged to speak openly on any matter. This could be with a line manager, our Human Resources teams, or through our Integrity hotline with full confidentiality.

We believe it's essential to engage with stakeholders and bring in relevant external views on important issues. This approach enables us to create opportunities for knowledge sharing, open discussion and deep dialogue. After all, we see ourselves as part of Society.

When we engage with public authorities on public policy development, we're committed to transparent, responsible interactions.