“If we want to sustain the economy in this country, if we want to sustain our business in this country, we need to invest in the environment and sustainability, and enhance the biodiversity of the country.” That was Laurent Freixe, Nestle’s chief executive for the Americas, explaining a plan to plant at least 3 million trees in Mexico and Brazil.
He spoke to Reuters on Tuesday. The trees are to go in over the next year and a half, as the Swiss food group works toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Freixe called the project a starting point for more environmental work in countries such as Mexico, where Nestle buys coffee, cocoa, sugar and dairy products.
The cost
Trees cost $1 to $15 each. At the top of that range, the first phase could run as high as $45 million for planting alone.
Picking the sites
Nestle has teamed up with the non-profit One Tree Planted to decide which species to plant and where. Two of Mexico’s southeastern states, Tabasco and Veracruz, are under consideration. Reuters ran a correction on one detail: Nestle is looking at Veracruz state, not Campeche.
Veracruz also hosts a Nestle coffee-processing plant that is due to open in October. Magdi Batato, the company’s head of operations, said the carbon captured by the first million trees would eventually offset that plant’s emissions. The facility cost $154 million, should handle 20,000 tonnes of coffee per year and will directly employ 250 people. Batato said that once it is running at full strength, its use of technology, automation and clean energy would make it a model for other Nestle factories.
The plant has political history. In 2018, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador presented it as the first major investment announcement of his administration. He cited direct and indirect jobs and the prospect of Mexico becoming Nestle’s top coffee producer.
Climate pledges
Nestle is not alone in making climate promises. Microsoft and Amazon have set ambitious emissions targets of their own, often under pressure from customers and investors. Last September Nestle, which makes KitKat, Nescafe, Cheerios and Poland Spring bottled water, signed a United Nations-backed pledge aimed at limiting global temperature rise. It said then that it would shift the business toward renewable energy, alternative packaging materials and carbon absorption.
Sources
- CORRECTED-(OFFICIAL) -Nestle vows to plant 3 million trees in Mexico, Brazil to help set off emissions
- Nestle vows to plant 3 million trees in Mexico, Brazil to help set off emissions – Stabroek News
Sources
- CORRECTED-(OFFICIAL) -Nestle vows to plant 3 million trees in…
- Nestle vows to plant 3 million trees in Mexico, Brazil to help set off …
