"Nestlé Wages War on Plastic Waste"

Nestlé Malaysia continued its efforts to wage war against plastic waste, with a nationwide beach clean-up activity which saw the successful collection of over 5.6 tonnes of waste in 9 locations around Malaysia. The collaboration with the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) saw participation from over 600 Nestlé employees.

Building on its success with beach clean-up activities in previous years and to commemorate World Ocean’s Day, Nestlé Malaysia expanded its efforts throughout the country this year. The beach clean-ups mobilised Nestlé colleagues as well as their families to get involved and create a greater impact in tackling plastic waste.

Mr. Juan Aranols, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé Malaysia commented,  “Nestlé is committed to being part of the solution in tackling plastic waste and we aim to make 100% of our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. We are constantly looking for innovative ways to pioneer alternative materials, shape a waste-free future and drive new behaviours. To-date, 65% of our product packaging are already designed to be recyclable. We have also committed to eliminate single-use plastic items from all our work sites by September 2019.”

“Our beach clean-up today with over 600 Nestlé Malaysia employees is one of the many initiatives we are currently driving in our War on Plastic Waste. It is in line with our vision for a waste-free future,” added Mr. Aranols.

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Ismail, President of MNS added on, “As the saying goes, a small pebble can create a big ripple effect. We are very pleased to collaborate with Nestlé, one of Malaysia’s largest multinational corporations, for this programme. This is a great instance of leading by example, showcasing how other companies and communities can do their part for their environment. Initiatives like these also educate the public on how improper disposal of plastic waste can contaminate the oceans and threaten marine life. A big thank you to Nestlé for doing their part and also for their commitment to make all their packaging 100% recyclable. We hope to further strengthen this partnership with Nestlé to continue stepping up our environmental conservation efforts.” 

The beach clean-up was conducted in nine locations across Peninsular and East Malaysia. The locations along with the total amount of waste collected are as follows: 
1. Pantai Remis, Jeram, Kuala Selangor, Selangor – 430kg
2. Pantai Morib, Banting, Selangor – 679kg
3. Pantai Cermin, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan – 1.3 tonnes
4. Pantai Robina, Teluk Air Tawar, Penang – 315kg
5. Pantai Sepat, Kuantan, Pahang – 364kg
6. Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu – 105kg
7. Pantai Batu Layar, Johor – 661kg
8. Pantai Santubong, Sarawak – 1.1 tonnes
9. Pantai Kudat, Sabah – 718kg

The beach-clean up activity is a programme under Nestlé’s newly launched global employee volunteer initiative, Nestlé Cares, previously known as Nestlé ROCKS in Malaysia. Nestlé Cares aims to instil a culture of volunteerism amongst employees across the various Nestlé markets.