Nestlé in society Creating Shared Value and meeting our commitments 2015

Nestlé in society:
Creating Shared Value
Nutrition, health
and wellness
Rural development
Water
Environmental
sustainability
Human rights
and compliance
Our
people
Bureau Veritas’ Independent Assurance Statement
Any errors or misstatements identified during the engagement
were corrected prior to the CSV Report being published.
For our detailed methodology which explains the work
undertaken to inform our opinion, please see ‘Methodology’
below.
To: The Stakeholders of Nestlé SA
Introduction and objectives of the engagement
Bureau Veritas has been engaged by Nestlé SA (Nestlé) to
provide independent assurance over the Nestlé in society:
Creating Shared Value and Meeting Our Commitments 2015
report (the CSV Report) published online in PDF on the Nestlé
website. The aim of this process is to provide reassurance to
Nestlé’s stakeholders over the accuracy, reliability and
objectivity of the reported information and that it covers the
issues material to the business. The CSV Report has been
self-declared to comply with the ‘in accordance –
comprehensive’ requirements of the GRI G4 guidelines.
Scope of work
The scope of work included a review of CSV activities and
performance data over the reporting period January 1 st to
December 31 st 2015. Specifically, this included:
i) Statements, information and performance data contained
within the CSV report;
ii) Nestlé’s management approach of material issues; and
iii) Nestlé’s reported data and information as per the
requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4
Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.
The assurance process was conducted in line with the
requirements of the AA1000 Assurance Standard (2008)
Type 2 1 assurance. We applied a moderate 2 level of assurance.
Opinion and commentary
On the basis of the scope of work, nothing came to our
attention to suggest that:
• the account of Nestlé’s CSV activities and performance
during 2015 and presented in the CSV Report is materially
misstated;
• Nestlé does not adhere to the principles of inclusivity,
materiality and responsiveness as per the AA1000
Accountability Principles Standard 2008.
Positive developments
We are pleased to observe progress in the following areas:
• As investment into CSV-related projects continue to be the
driver for performance improvements in a number of CSV
areas, Nestlé has made progress with the governance of
such projects by incorporating investment decisions into its
Capital Expenditure process, particularly in the area of
Environmental Sustainability.
• While some of Nestlé’s commitments came to an end in
2015, Nestlé has demonstrated continued focus on its
material CSV issues by establishing new commitments that
challenge its performance going forward.
• It is positive to observe that the Nestlé Nutrition Institute
(NNI) maintains a high degree of independence in its
policies and underlying systems from Nestlé’s business
priorities and focus. As the NNI is moving towards
publishing more practical material, this is essential in
maintaining its reputation as a credible research body.
• Nestlé has rolled out an updated Responsible Marketing to
Children policy which aligns with the EU Pledge criteria,
committing to a consistent global approach that ensures
minimum performance levels across markets.
Key recommendations for 2016
• As per our recommendation in the 2014 CSV report, Nestlé
should consider communicating more information to
stakeholders on how governance over material issues
extends beyond the corporate entity to the end markets,
and also to other entities such as Joint Ventures and newly
acquired businesses.
• Reporting on Responsible Sourcing and Traceability figures
within the CSV report still lags by 1 year. In addition,
reported figures do not cover all of Nestlé businesses 3 , and
are reliant on estimations and manual consolidation of data.
Nestlé should therefore consider reviewing its internal
reporting process and tools for responsible sourcing to
produce more timely and accurate data that aligns with the
CSV reporting period. In addition, Nestlé should ensure that
reporting on the 12 priority categories is consistent; covering
all businesses included within the scope of reporting.
1 Type 2 Assurance: an engagement in which the assurance provider gives findings and
conclusions on the principles of Inclusivity, Materiality and Responsiveness and verifies
the reliability of specified sustainability performance information (AA1000AS (2008)
Standard). For further information see www.accountability.org/standards/aa1000as/
2 All relevant text was supported by interview evidence as a minimum, and supported by
corroborating interview evidence or another source wherever possible. A moderate level
of assurance is commensurate with “limited” assurance as defined in the ISAE3000 (2003,
rev2008) assurance standard.
3 Businesses not covered by the scope of responsible sourcing and traceability data include
Nestlé Nutrition, Nestlé Skin Health, and Nestlé Health Science.
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