Food companies sit at the centre of some of the biggest sustainability challenges today, from emissions and water use to farming practices and packaging waste. For a company like Nestlé India, which works with thousands of farmers and operates large manufacturing facilities across the country, sustainability is no longer confined to annual reports or long-term pledges. It increasingly shapes decisions across sourcing, production, logistics and resource management.

In an interview with Responsible Us, Kunwar Himmat Singh, Director, Corporate Affairs, ESG and CSR, Nestlé India, discusses how sustainability has become part of the company's day-to-day operations, the challenges of reducing emissions across complex supply chains, and the realities of working with farmers on climate-resilient agriculture. He also shares insights on water stewardship, plastic waste, responsible sourcing, and the balance between environmental investments and business growth.

Nestlé India is already reporting major emission cuts while continuing to grow, often surpassing competitors who discuss "net zero" as a distant future target. What internal shifts have enabled sustainability to transition from a 'side conversation' to a core business operating principle within the company?
At Nestlé India views sustainability as a business transformation agenda that influences how we source ingredients, manufacture products, design packaging, manage logistics, and engage with communities. What was once discussed at the margins now sits at the centre of how we think, decide, and build. 

We have a robust governance structure to drive the sustainability agenda with five dedicated task forces, cross-functional teams, and a sustainability cadre of over 100 members. This framework ensures that sustainability is a central pillar, with clear ownership and accountability across functions like sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, and brand management. 

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), including the Chairman and Managing Director, Finance, Legal, and R&D, integrate sustainability into strategic decisions. This top-down commitment fosters a culture which prioritizes sustainability and building trust, while stakeholders demand responsible practices. 

Operationally, this translates into cross-functional execution, for instance, sourcing teams driving regenerative agriculture, manufacturing teams reducing water intensity and emissions within operations, R&D/packaging teams reducing virgin plastics, so on and so forth. This integrated approach is aligned with Nestlé’s global Net Zero Roadmap and Core Responsible Sourcing Requirements.  

Achieving a 70% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions is a significant feat. Beyond the impressive numbers, what were the most challenging trade-offs and difficult decisions made behind the scenes that consumers and investors rarely see?
The challenge lies not in imagining solutions, but in persuading them to endure over time with the discipline of scale and maintaining operational reliability.  

Many technologies and interventions have proven environmental benefits but integrating them across complex supply chains requires careful consideration of infrastructure readiness, suppler capabilities, economics, and operational continuity. Whether it is renewable energy systems, alternative fuels, EV-based logistics or circular resource solutions, success depends on deploying technology and ensuring that these systems perform consistently and efficiently at scale. 

India’s food industry heavily relies on agriculture, transport, and refrigeration. Considering this, where does Nestlé India identify its biggest climate burden still sitting within its entire supply chain, especially in the stages before raw materials even enter your plants? 

The value chain demands patience, partnership, and a certain humility. 

Like I mentioned earlier the most challenging aspect of the journey is balancing scale, cost and ambition, particularly when it comes to Scope 3 emissions across the value chain (which is the stage before raw materials enter the plant) which account for the vast majority of emissions in the food sector globally.  

Many impactful interventions require significant upfront investments, whether in renewable energy, logistics transformation, or supply chain decarbonisation, and therefore need to be evaluated through a long-term value and resilience lens rather than purely on short-term returns. Another important lesson is that scaling solutions such as EV logistics, biodigesters or circular resource systems requires ecosystem readiness, not just internal adoption. The pace of progress is often influenced by the availability of supporting infrastructure, supplier capabilities, technology maturity, and policy frameworks.  

Similarly, transitioning agricultural supply chains remains complex because climate variability, farm economics and local realities can significantly influence adoption rates and outcomes. 

Nestlé works with thousands of small farmers on regenerative agriculture and dairy programs. How challenging is it to convince these farmers to adopt practices like methane emission reduction when many are primarily concerned with income stability and rising costs? How does Nestlé make these practices economically viable and attractive at the grassroots level?
This is one of the most important realities in agricultural sustainability. The farmer stands at the intersection of necessity and uncertainty; ideals alone rarely travel that far. 

At Nestlé, our experience has shown that farmers adopt new practices when they see tangible benefits on the ground. That is why we focus on interventions that improve productivity, resource efficiency, and resilience alongside environmental outcomes. In dairy systems, for example, practices such as improved feed management, better herd health and productivity enhancement can contribute to reducing emissions intensity while also improving milk yields and farm profitability. The conversation, therefore, shifts from reducing methane emissions to improving the overall efficiency and resilience of the farming system. 

We have seen similar learnings across our agricultural supply chains. Through the NESCAFÉ Plan, Nestlé India works with more than 5,000 coffee farmers in collaboration with the Coffee Board of India, research institutes, and agricultural universities. The programme has demonstrated increases in productivity, reductions in water use, improved soil health monitoring, and lower fertiliser usage among participating farmers. These outcomes directly address farmer priorities while also delivering environmental benefits.  

A good example is the promotion of regenerative agriculture practices such as optimized fertilization, mulching, composting, soil cover, and improved soil management. Under the broader NESCAFÉ Plan globally, these practices have helped improve farm productivity, lower input costs, and strengthen climate resilience, while also contributing to greenhouse gas reductions in coffee production making the business case is clear.  

The same principle applies to our spices supply chain through the MAGGI Spice Plan. The programme focuses on improving soil health, increasing water-use efficiency, reducing reliance on pesticides, and enhancing biodiversity, while also strengthening the economics of cultivation for farmers. The initiative has already positively impacted more than 4,500 spice farmers across seven states through Nestlé India’s responsible sourcing initiatives and is designed around the principle that environmental sustainability and farmer profitability must go hand in hand. 

India has a history of large-scale plantation drives failing due to low survival rates. Given Nestlé’s commitment to planting a million trees, what specific strategies and monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure these plantations survive and thrive beyond the lifespan of annual sustainability reports?
At Nestlé India, we believe success is not measured by how many trees are planted, but by how well the landscape recovers over time. That means looking at outcomes such as survival rates, water availability, soil health, biodiversity, and community resilience.  

Our approach is therefore rooted in long-term monitoring, local partnerships, and a landscape lens rather than a one-year project cycle. The real goal is to ensure these plantations contribute to healthier ecosystems and stronger community resilience. 

Water stress is a critical issue across industrial India. Was the Zer’Eau project at Moga primarily driven by an environmental concern for water scarcity, or by the strategic realisation that long-term groundwater availability is becoming an inherent business risk?
Project Zer Eau represents a flagship water stewardship initiative implemented at Nestlé India’s dairy factories, starting with the Moga factory in Punjab. It is one of the largest milk processing units in the country, located in a water-stressed basin. The project is based on the thinking that fresh milk contains approximately 88% water, creating a significant opportunity to recover and reuse this embedded “cow water,” along with treated process effluents. Project Zer Eau integrates advanced water recovery, treatment, and reuse systems to minimize dependence on freshwater withdrawal while maintaining operational efficiency.  

Initiated in 2011 under Nestlé’s global dairy programme (B-Dairy), the project was implemented in a phased manner. The first phase focused on recovering condensate from milk evaporation and reusing it for steam generation. This was followed by the installation of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with reverse osmosis (RO) systems to treat and reuse process effluents across utilities, cleaning, and irrigation. The third phase involved the recovery and purification of water from secondary evaporation processes, converting it into high-quality reusable water for critical applications such as boiler feed and cleaning processes. Together, these interventions reposition water from being a consumable input to a circular resource within factory operations.  

The initiative demonstrates strong leadership within water-scarce geographies, addressing a critical sustainability challenge through innovation and systemic integration. Its development in response to acute groundwater stress in regions such as Punjab reflects a proactive, context-driven approach to water stewardship. 

The impact of Project Zer Eau has been significant and measurable where, at the Moga factory, daily groundwater withdrawal was reduced by 25%. The combined interventions across phases delivered substantial efficiencies, including reuse of recovered and treated water across utilities, thereby reducing dependency on external water sources. Additionally, the initiative contributes to broader environmental and community outcomes by alleviating pressure on local groundwater resources and enhancing long-term operational resilience in water-stressed regions.  

Overall, Project Zer Eau exemplifies how integrated water management and circular resource use can drive both environmental sustainability and operational efficiency, positioning Nestlé India as a frontrunner in responsible water stewardship. 

Food companies frequently emphasise “responsible sourcing,” yet farmers continue to face volatile prices and climate pressure. Can sustainability initiatives truly succeed and foster long-term impact if rural livelihoods remain financially fragile and uncertain? 

In agriculture, environmental outcomes and economic resilience are deeply linked. Farmers are far more likely to adopt sustainable practices when these also help improve productivity, reduce risk, strengthen income stability, and build resilience. 

This means supporting better agronomic practices, improving resource efficiency, strengthening dairy and agricultural systems, and working with farmers in ways that make sustainability practical and relevant to their realities.  

Nestlé India has achieved plastic neutrality through EPR. However, given the complexities of collection and recycling infrastructure in India, how does the company assess the true circularity of its packaging efforts, and who, in your view, should ultimately bear the biggest responsibility for India’s plastic waste crisis: companies, governments, or consumers?
Nestlé has set a vision to ensure that none of its packaging ends up in landfills or as litter. We recognise that addressing packaging waste requires action across the entire lifecycle of packaging materials, and our approach is therefore built on both immediate responsibility and long-term transformation. One important component of this journey is promoting recycling and achieving plastic neutrality. Nestlé India has been plastic neutral since 2020, meaning that we collect and sustainably manage 100% of the equivalent quantity of plastic introduced into the market through government-approved waste management partners. This helps address current waste management challenges while supporting the development of collection and recycling ecosystems. 

At the same time, we recognize that collection alone is not enough. The longer-term focus must be on reducing the amount of virgin plastic entering the system in the first place. In line with our global commitments, we continue to drive reductions through optimised packaging design, source reduction, and value engineering initiatives. Examples include downsizing coffee sachets, the continued use of thermoformed cups for MAGGI Cuppa, and introducing recycled content in secondary packaging. These efforts have delivered tangible results, with Nestlé India reducing virgin plastic usage by more than 900 tonnes through packaging optimisation initiatives in 2024. 

This is why we view plastic neutrality and plastic reduction as complementary rather than competing approaches. Plastic neutrality helps address the waste that exists today, while packaging redesign and material innovation help reduce the waste of tomorrow. Ultimately, the solution lies further upstream, reducing unnecessary material use, improving recyclability, increasing the use of recycled content where appropriate, and supporting the infrastructure needed for a more circular economy. Structural packaging innovation remains essential to achieving long-term progress, and our focus is on advancing both near-term responsibility and systemic change simultaneously. 

Sustainable initiatives, whether in packaging innovation or industrial decarbonization, often involve higher upfront costs. Within the boardroom, how does Nestlé India balance these essential environmental investments with the intense pressures of quarterly financial results and profitability?
 As a food company that depends on natural resources and agricultural ecosystems, investing in sustainability is fundamentally an investment in the long-term health and competitiveness of the business. Every investment, whether in packaging innovation, renewable energy, resource efficiency or agricultural resilience, must be evaluated with the same rigor as any other business decision.  

We have seen this across several areas of the business. In packaging, for example, Nestlé India has continued to invest in packaging optimisation and material efficiency initiatives. These efforts contributed to a reduction of more than 900 tonnes of virgin plastic in 2024, demonstrating that environmental improvements can often be achieved through smarter design and resource efficiency.  

In manufacturing, many sustainability initiatives initially require capital investment but generate benefits over time through improved energy efficiency, reduced resource consumption, and greater operational resilience. The same applies to water stewardship, renewable energy adoption, and waste reduction programmes, where the return is often measured not only in direct financial terms but also through reduced exposure to future resource and regulatory risks. 

Agriculture offers another strong example. Nestlé India procures milk through a network of more than 100,000 dairy farmers and works with more than 5,000 coffee farmers under the NESCAFÉ Plan. Investments in regenerative agriculture, soil health, water efficiency, and climate  

Sustainability reports are increasingly data rich. How does Nestlé India ensure that its ESG strategy translates into a genuine cultural shift across the company, rather than becoming merely a reporting exercise? And do you believe the food industry as a whole still escapes sufficient scrutiny despite its deep links to emissions, water use, and waste? 

We increasingly see investors, regulators, customers, and civil society demanding evidence-based reporting and rightly so. Sustainability today must be measured, explained, and verified. 

Nestlé reports against globally recognised reporting frameworks and publishes detailed performance disclosures. Many key metrics are independently assured, providing additional confidence in reported outcomes. At the global level, Nestlé publicly reports progress against measurable commitments including greenhouse-gas reductions, regenerative agriculture adoption, virgin plastic reduction, and deforestation-free sourcing. 

At Nestlé India, sustainability performance is reported through our Annual Report and Business Responsibility & Sustainability Report (BRSR), which are aligned with regulatory requirements and supported by robust internal governance processes. In addition, key sustainability indicators disclosed under the BRSR Core framework undergo independent assurance, providing external validation of reported performance.