Our approach to identifying and addressing human rights risks

Fair livelihoods and dignified work for people across the food value chain are crucial in successfully transitioning to regenerative food systems. Our Human Rights Framework and Roadmap provides the foundation for how we work toward this aim. 

We are committed to respecting and promoting human rights across our value chain, using our scale to raise awareness, build capacity among our colleagues and business partners, and empower communities and individuals. We have embedded human rights in our company structures and in our policies to ensure that decision-making considers the human rights implications, and that we remain compliant with international standards and regulatory frameworks.

Our Human Rights Framework and Roadmap

Our Human Rights Framework and Roadmap aims to enhance our level of due diligence across our value chain, while strengthening our positive impact on the ground in our efforts to help the transition to regenerative food systems.

By building on our history of embedding human rights within our organization and of assessing human rights risks on the ground, our framework provides the basis for a more strategic approach to scaling our efforts, enhancing the human rights capacities of our colleagues and business partners, monitoring our achievements and being open about the challenges we face.

Understanding our salient issues 

Our salient issues are the areas we have identified as those human rights at risk of the most severe negative impact on people through our activities or business relationships.

They are informed by human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) carried out between 2009 and 2017 and the human rights risk assessment (HRRA) methodology that we developed over the course of 2020 and 2021, as well as our audit, monitoring and grievance mechanisms and processes. Our new Human Rights Steering Committee oversees and guides the strategic direction and implementation of our Salient Issue Action Plans.

Our 10 salient issues are:

• Child labor and access to education 
• Forced labor and responsible recruitment 
• Living income and living wage 
• Gender equity, non-discrimination and non-harassment 
• Safety and health at work 
• Freedom of association and collective bargaining 
• Right to water and sanitation 
• Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities' land rights 
• Data protection and privacy 
• Right to food and access to nutritious, affordable and adequate diets

Salient issue action plans

We have developed action plans for our ten salient issues. These plans articulate our strategy for embedding, assessing, addressing and reporting on each salient issue, defining what we need to do across our value chain, as well as what collective action can be taken. We have implemented these action plans and integrated them into our global programs and sourcing strategies (including the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, the Nescafé Plan 2030, and the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality^TM Program).

Engaging stakeholders on the ground

We recognize the importance of listening to and consulting stakeholders, including the most vulnerable ones, on issues that affect them. As we implement our action plans, we aim to meaningfully engage with stakeholders in our value chain, including suppliers, business partners, workers and farmers in our supply chains and local communities, as well as our consumers. We pay particular attention to individuals or groups who may be at greater risk due to their vulnerability or marginalization, such as migrant workers, children, women and girls, gender minorities, ethnic and racial groups, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Doing so enhances our understanding of the root causes of human rights issues and helps us develop programs to assess and address risks on the ground.

Raising concerns

In line with our Code of Business Conduct, we encourage everyone in the organization to speak openly on any matter, including concerns or suspicion of unlawful behavior. This comprises incidents of corruption and bribery, harassment, discrimination, fraud, conflict of interest, or any other potential non-compliance, and any incident and/or behaviors that go against our values, Corporate Business Principles (pdf, 1.2Mb), Code of Business Conduct (pdf, 7Mb), and the laws and regulations where we operate.

Speak Up is our global platform that is accessible to both our employees and external stakeholders. It allows issues to be raised confidentially, and anonymously if desired, ensuring that concerns are professionally handled, providing the opportunity to raise non-compliance concerns. 

Building on this commitment, in 2024, we introduced the supply chain grievance management process to further strengthen the existing processes and establish an effective procedure for addressing grievances associated with any supplier that Nestlé purchases from, whether directly or indirectly.