Nestle Lanka : Nestlé crowned Best Corporate Citizen in the Manufacturing Sector for the second consecutive year, wins award as top three

To Press Releases listNov 29, 2018

From left to right: Sajeewa Wickramasinghe, Nestlé Senior Manager - Sales Promotions & Sponsorships; Ruwan Welikala, Nestlé Vice President - Ambient Dairy; Priyadarshinie Karunaratne, Nestlé Vice President - Food; Rovina Vandersay, Nestlé Senior Executive - People Development; Damitha Kulatunga, Nestlé Senior Manager - Public Affairs; Shamara Dunusinghe, Nestlé Senior Manager - Agri Services; Olington Fernando, Nestlé Senior Manager - Factory Controller; Enoca Sirimanne, Nestlé Vice President - Human Resources; Shivani Hegde, Nestlé Managing Director; Samantha Mendis, Nestlé Senior Manager - Corporate Communications; Bandula Egodage, Nestlé Vice President - Corporate Affairs & Communications; Jagath Wedage, Nestlé Vice President - Sales; Shashiprabha Sooriyarachchi, Nestlé Head of Regulatory Affairs; Chamili Senanayake, Nestlé Manager - Nutrition, Health & Wellness; Neluka Wikramanayake, Nestlé Assistant Manager - Corporate Communications; Radhini De Costa, Nestlé Assistant Vice President - Marketing Services.

Nestlé was crowned Best Corporate Citizen in the Manufacturing Sector for the second consecutive year at the prestigious Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2018, organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Nestlé was also awarded as one of the top three Best Corporate Citizens in the country, with an overall second runners-up win. The company won four awards in total, including the Top 10 Best Corporate Citizen's Award for the sixth year and Best Presented Application Award for the second consecutive year.

The Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards are widely considered Sri Lanka's highest corporate honour. It recognises the best contributors to the local economy and community as well the best performers in corporate sustainability. 2018 submissions were evaluated by a highly respected panel of local experts, academics and thought leaders, as well as representatives from IFC (International Finance Corporation), the World Bank, USAID (United States Agency for International Development), The Colombo Plan Secretariat, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), and ILO (International Labour Organisation).

Nestlé has won the overall Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award twice before, in 2008 and 2011.

Shivani Hegde, Nestlé Managing Director receiving an award from JD Bandaranayake, Former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Looking on are Alikie Perera, Deputy Secretary General / Financial Controller of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, and Duminda Hulangamuwa, Board Member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Said Shivani Hegde, Nestlé Managing Director: 'At Nestlé, our CSR strategy has evolved into what we call 'Creating Shared Value' (CSV). Sustainability is embedded into our corporate strategy, and it is with sincere pride that we say that sustainability across the value chain has become the way we do business today. It enables us to live our purpose every day, enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future for Sri Lanka.

'A long-term approach to business has always been part of Nestlé's DNA, and we look forward to continuing to focus on social issues that we are uniquely capable of addressing, whilst creating shared value for both our shareholders and society. As a leading, successful company in Sri Lanka, we are proud to demonstrate that Creating Shared Value works; that we are able to do well by doing good.'

As Sri Lanka's largest private sector collector of fresh milk and one of the world's largest exporters of coconut milk powder, Nestlé's business positively impacts the livelihoods of over 25,000 local farming families. The company works with Sri Lankan dairy farmers, training and supporting them to produce more milk of high quality and help make the country self-sufficient in milk. In 2016, the company launched the Nestlé Coconut Plan to help secure coconut cultivation and sustain the livelihoods of local coconut farmers. The company also initiated a significant investment of Rs. 5 billion in its factory in the same year, to enhance manufacturing capacity for milk powder and coconut milk powder; thereby driving import substitution and increasing exports.

Awards won by Nestlé

Driven by its Purpose of contributing to a healthier future, Nestlé is committed to offering tastier, healthier and trusted products of the highest quality. The company is working to ensure its products offer the most superior nutritional profile in their respective categories. With the largest R&D network of any food company in the world, Nestlé regularly innovates and renovates its portfolio to offer food and beverage products that are adapted to local palates and nutritional needs. It is voluntarily reducing sugar, salt and fat in its products where relevant, and fortifying its products with essential micronutrients like iron, vitamin A and calcium where appropriate. In 2017, it offered its consumers 405 million servings of micronutrient fortified products. In 2018, due to a special campaign on iron fortification, Nestlé will deliver 785 million servings of iron-fortified products to Sri Lankan consumers (~ 40 serves per capita). The company also reached a total of 16 million people this year with programmes on nutrition awareness and physical activity.

Committed to manufacturing responsibly and sustainably, Nestlé has reduced its energy consumption by 41%, water consumption by 42% and greenhouse gas emissions by 37% over the last decade or so through a Reduce, Reuse and Recycle approach, whilst continuing to scale up production.