Environmental Sustainability: Nestle Company, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Since the increased focus on sustaining the health of the environment, many corporations in the United States and around the world have devoted much of their resources into creating more sustainable operations. With their objective of creating valuable business strategies that outline their marketing plan, as well as their steps in strengthen their market position. Much has been placed on developing programs, and effective operations that create anenvironmental friendly, sustainable plan. It is a necessity today for companies to utilized efficient and intelligent resources in their operations. The implemented programs of reducing, reusing, and recycling to decrease pollution must be implemented and vigorously pursued.

Looking at the Nestle Company in which delivers products such as, bottled water throughout the world. Nestle is the world’s largest beverage and food company, in which consists of a the supply chain that deals with agriculture, manufacturing, distribution, and retailing. In all, Nestle produces over 100 brands that range from food, such as Nesquik, Nescafe, and KitKat, to pharmaceutical products, and petcare. However, their water sector, or Nestle Waters is distributed in over 130 countries, and serves as the leading provider of bottled water. Bottled water in the last decade has been a cause of disagreement for many environmentalist. The packaging, distribution, and disposing of plastic bottles has created a global disaster in which does not only harm to individuals, but the global environment.

There are many solutions that are proposed as well as implanted in Nestle already, but also more that can be utilized in which create environmental stability. This includes their implementation of plans that address the amount of plastic bottles that end up in landfills, as well as the lack of people around the world that do not have access to a water supply. It is a two-fold solution that can be used to create better packaging, using polycondensation step (PET production) to increase collection rates, and recycling. While also addressing their waste management by making perishable raw materials more efficient, that also minimizes the food loss. As well as implementing storage and technology, that helps to avoid the risk of food and raw materials in distribution. Notwithstanding dealing with not only, the environmental issues of plastic bottles, but also raw materials that are utilized in their agricultural sector. It is imperative that Nestle, as well as other global corporations finds ways in which not only address the environmental issues of handling plastic bottles and raw materials, but also creating a sustainable plan that protects the environment.

Issue 1: Dealing WithPlastic Bottles

According to data, the global market for bottled water includes over 200 billion liters, in which positions it as the most dynamic sector in the market for refreshment beverages. (Vacccari and Fletcher 2) The market will continue to grow, as more opt for healthy beverage alternatives, in which Nestle continually profits from.

Packaging

The packaging of plastic bottles takes over 1000 years to bio-degrade. Even if, companies use the disposal method of incineration, they continue to produce fumes that are toxic to the environment. According to data, over 80% of the estimated single used water bottles in the United States alone becomes litter or trashed within the environment. (The Water Project 1) While Nestle has moved to implementing PET bottles in their packaging, they are generally the only types of plastic bottles that can be recycled. The other bottles are then discarded in which fill up the landfills. They also wind up as trash on the streets that leach dangerous chemicals, which most of the littered plastic bottles are found in parks, rivers, front years, and sidewalks. In the United States alone, over 30 million bottled waters are purchased a year, making them drink more bottled water than any other country. Annually, it takes 17 million barrels of crude oil to produce those millions of bottles. According to data, this is equivalent to 12 months of 1 million vehicles on the road. (Diedler 1) This does not take into the impact that it consumes of emissions and fossil fuel cost to greenhouse gasses used in transportation. It is estimated from The Water Project that 3 liters of water is used in packaging just 1 liter of bottled water. (The Water Project 1) In manufacturing and transporting the bottled water, it emits over 1.2 pounds of Greenhouse Gases, over one liter of fossil fuels, and 7.1 gallons of water.

Landfills

Landfills in the United States are constantly being overloaded with over 2 million tons of waters bottles that have been discarded. Not accounting for the billions of tons from other materials and waste. According to data, “The recycling rate for those 29 billion bottles of water is low; only about 13 percent end up in the recycling stream where they are turned into products like fleece clothing, carpeting, decking, playground equipment and new containers and bottles.” (Didier 1) The millions of tons of plastic bottles that sit in landfills also contribute to the large amounts of toxins and harmful/deadly chemical that are released in the environment, because of their decomposition. This leads to negative impacts on people, animals, and the overall environment.

Environmental Impact

Environmentally is the greatest concern, bottled waters are exacerbating climate change and wasting resources. There is still a large unknown on the long-term impacts on the environment as well as the human body, which is exposed to the toxins and chemicals that were leaked from the decomposition of plastic bottles. The plastic bottles are manufactured by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) a petroleum product, making the United States the world’s larger importer of oil, due to the vast amounts of oil used in producing and transporting it.

The larger problem consist of the chemical that is made in making plastic clear and hard. Bisphenol A (BPA) has been proven to be hazardous to the health of people. It has been linked through much research to certain types of defects in newborn babies, premature labor, fertility in women, early puberty in girls, neurological difficulties, and cancer. According to research conducted, over 96 percent of women in the United States have BPA in their bodies. (One Green Planet 1) The plastic bottles also have polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that has been linked to gender development issues, tumors, testicular abnormality, and reduced sperm count. Not accounting the numerous impacts on development and reproduction.

For the communities that live around the bottling plants is have been linked to exposure of these toxins, as well as extracting millions of gallons of water in manufacturing, and leads to farmers, as wells as other residents having shortages of water. The billions of dollars that could be reused in making new containers and bottles, as well as other plastic materials ends up in the recycling stream, in which only 23 percent of bottles, mostly PETs are recycled. The environmental impact is costly, as well as extreme. The overall long-term impacts have still yet to be impacted, as they have been linked to numerous environmental and health problems.

Animal Impact

The impact on animals cannot be ignored either, as they play a major role in continuing the ecosystem, and the environment. However, the impacts of plastic bottles creates problems for animals as well. The millions of bottles that are left to litter in the water streams, parks, and trash that animals end up digesting. According to One Green Planet, “one albatross that was recently found dead on a Hawaiin island had a stomach full of 119 bottle caps.”(One Green Planet) That is just one example of the thousands of marine life and other animals that digest, and are killed because the litter of plastic bottles in the environment.

The Solution: Making Recycling and Collection More Efficient

There are many solutions, while one does not solve the entire problem, education, as well as sustainable strategies go a long way in correcting the problems of plastic bottles in the environment. Looking at the solutions of Coca-Cola, Pepsico, and Nestle in applying sustainable programs that reduce the packaging weight, waste, making collection and recycling efficient, and overall reducing the impacts on the environment.

The steps taken from Nestle, includes their own sustainability program in which they optimize their packaging volume and weight that leads to the sustainably managed renewable resources of the plastic bottles, and using the recycled material again where beneficial. As illustrated in the diagram below, packaging and transportation goes a lot into the environmental impacts. Nestlé’s solution, as well as many others is the reduction of packing rate, by using efficient PET resin production, and creating efficient collection methods for recycling. Nestlé’s efforts has reduce their GHG emission, and decreased their non-renewable energy impacts for packaging. Accordingly, Nestle Waters has created a new generation of plastics in which makes the weight of the bottles lighter, and the creation of the eco-shape also reduces the weight of the plastic bottle, as illustrated in Diagram 2.

This further reduces the environmental impacts, as well as the reduction of plastic used manufacturing the plastic bottles.

More importantly, since all of Nestle plastic bottles are PET, there are 100 percent recyclable and reusable. Therefore, the company reuses them in several other sectors of manufacturing for the company. Their aims for collecting bottles for recycling is by increasing the consumer awareness that reduces the carbon footprint and waste in landfills. They collaborate with several professional and public associations to campaign for bottle collection. They are advertising, sponsoring events, and implementing collaborations and initiatives with companies, they work with. Through their own sustainable programs, they fund collection containers, place in public PET bottle collection bins, and provide social protection for those that collect the bottles for subsistence in developing and emerging countries. (Nestle-Waters 1) Through their own programs that implement ways to distribute more water to underdeveloped countries, and create initiatives o reduce their environmental impact.

Issue 2: Raw Material Waste

The issues of waste also coincides with the tons of waste that ends up in landfills. Through the agricultural process, millions of raw materials are used are essential garbage. In manufacturing and production, the amount of toxicity and volume is steadily increasing in the United States. Waste produces toxins such as flame retardant chemicals, mercury, and others that greatly affect the environment and the public health.

Incinerators

The process used in incineration includes burning the waste and raw materials in which releases further gases and ashes into the environment. The harmful chemical toxins contribute to climate change, and the contamination of land and water. The ashes that are littered with cadmium and heavy metals travels in the air in which is deposited into major waterways and streams, as well as land, that impacts animals and humans. Much like the issues of the overuse of plastic bottles, United States also leads for waste that is used, which is close to almost 600 billion pounds. (Toxic Action)

Landfills

Landfills are constantly being overviewed with waste that is harmful to the environment. All the toxins and chemical permeate the atmosphere and are linked to birth defects, as well as certain types of cancers. According to data, “people living near landfills suffer loss of quality of life during operation: the facilities cause horrific order, decreased property value, and high traffic in their neighborhoods.” (Toxics Action) Landfills hold several other types of classified waste, and the waste from manufacturing companies can contribute to the large amounts of methane released in the air, which directly impacts the surrounding animals in the environment. The water from rain and the chemicals in the waste due a large amount of harm, that is releases a very harmful chemical in the air, waterways, and in the land. Even to business, the disposal of waste can be costly, and uses a large amount of resources that contribute to increase of expenses, and directly impact their reputation to the public.

The Solution

Nestle, as well as other companies are heading down the path of trying to reduce their waste to zero percent. Not only is this doable, it is also necessary to be environmentally sustainable. Various solutions can be taken. This includes turning waste into raw materials that helps in reducing the toxicity and the volume of waste. By managing waste, such as organic waste used in agriculture, it helps in feeding the soil for businesses, residents, and farms. The plan of Zero Waste is a goal and process that includes taking another approach to waste management. By placing greater emphasis on recycling, reducing consumption, and reusing raw materials it helps to reduce the larger negative impacts on the environment. Nestle plays into implementing this solution by sourcing their raw materials from the local farms, processor centers, and expecting an environmental standards compliance with their party vendors. Using their Responsible Sourcing Programs, they promote the transparency of their operations, which includes their supply chains, and a constant audit of their operations. They safely process and transform perishable raw materials into value-added and safe food products, which helps reduce costs, and environmental impacts. Utilizing this solution in their operations and manufacturing has helped them realize their impact on the larger global community, as well as influence other companies to implement a sustainable program that protects the environment.

Conclusion

In reflecting on the issues and the solutions, they are all both reasonable as well as doable solutions that help to solve the issues that impact the global environment. Toxins and chemicals released by waste and plastic materials is detrimental in the short-term and the long-term for the environment. It affects humans, animals, and the world. Through the solutions that takes steps towards providing a sustainable method, it creates a domino effect, in which other large and small companies to follow. Even though many businesses are increasing their trends towards sustainability, experts should provide them with recommendations to even further increase their environmental friendliness. One way that this could be done is to alter the way that companies manufacture their products. Efforts should be made to ensure that there is no waste, which would have dual benefits. One benefit would be that production would contribute to a smaller release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which will reduce their contribution to climate change. In addition, this will prevent physical waste from entering waterways, harming animals and polluting ecosystems. A second recommendation that could be made to promote sustainability is to ensure that the individual’s that work for the company promote environmental goals throughout their workday. For any factory production to be possible, some amount of environmental pollution must occur due to their power requirement. However, the aforementioned steps can be utilized to significantly reduce their harmful impact on the environment, contributing to a more sustainable world.

Works Cited

“Bottled Water is Wasteful.” The Water Project. 2014. Web. 5 December 2014. http://thewaterproject.org/bottled_water_ http://thewaterproject.org/bottled_water_

Didier, Suzanna. “Water Bottle Pollution Facts.” SF Gate. N.d. Web. 5 December 2014. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/water-bottle-pollution-79179.html

Lights, Zion. “What’s The Problem with Plastic Bottles?” One Green Planet. 8 May 2012. Web. 5 Decemeber 2014. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/whats-the-problem-with-plastic-bottles/

Nestle. “Limiting Our Industrial Waste.” 2014. Nestle Waters. Web. 5 December 2014. http://www.nestle-waters.com/environment/bottled-water-manufacturing/industrial-waste

Nestle. “Bottled Water Packaging.” Nestle Waters. 2014. Web. 5 December 2014. http://www.nestle-waters.com/environment/bottled-water-packaging

Nestle. “Waste and Recovery.” Nestle Waters. 2014. Web. 5 December 2014. http://www.nestle.com/csv/environmental-sustainability/product-life-cycle/waste-and-recovery#

Nestle. “The Nestle Policy on Environmental Sustainability.” Nestle. February 2013. Web. 5 December 2014. http://www.nestle.com/asset-library/documents/library/documents/environmental_sustainability/nestl%C3%A9%20policy%20on%20environmental%20sustainability.pdf

“The Problems With Waste.” Toxics Action Center. 2012. Web. 5 December 2014. http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/waste

Vaccari, Sebastien, Fletcher, Richard. “Nestle Waters and the Global Issue of Water Supply: Integrating Social Responsibility in the Management Process. Pearson Ed. 2008. Web. 5 December 2014. http://wps.pearsoned.com.au/wps/media/objects/10810/11070031/Nestle_Waters_and_the_global_issue_of_water_supply.pdf