Empower, ProDESC and Coffee Watch rejoinder to Nestlé
[...Nestlé, as a Swiss multinational operating extensively in the European Union, is subject to key human rights and environmental due diligence expectations, notably the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the Lieferkettengesetz in Germany, the Devoir de vigilance in France, and the European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). Moreover, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which will take effect in January 2026, mandates due diligence in supply chains linked to deforestation, a critical issue documented in our report. Nestlé has also committed to compliance with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests (VGGT), which emphasize responsible agricultural supply chains. Nestlé has made carbon, nature, and biodiversity commitments at odds with the Robustization phenomenon we documented in our report, where coffee is moving away from agroforestry systems toward fill-sun monoculture with less carbon and less biodiversity. However, without meaningful transparency and stronger commitments to fair pricing and supplier accountability, Nestlé risks falling short of both its own stated policies and the growing legal requirements across key markets...]