NESTLÉ Malaysia, in its commitment to protect the environment, progressing towards net-zero emissions, and plastic neutrality, recently collected two tonnes of plastic waste from around eight beaches nationwide. The effort was a result of the company’s annual nationwide beach and ocean clean-up initiative.
The recent exercise involved some 400 dedicated Nestlé Cares volunteers who also toiled beneath the waves in underwater clean-ups at Perhentian Island, Terengganu; and Mabul Island, Sabah, where reef conservation activities also took place.
Nestlé Cares is Nestlé Malaysia’s employee volunteer programme. It organises a host of activities on a quarterly basis, including programmes with underprivileged children, the disabled community as well as environmental initiatives, among others.
Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad CEO Juan Aranols said: “Nestlé Malaysia’s annual beach and underwater clean-ups are a great platform for civic engagement and environmental awareness amongst our employees. Advancing our actions to fight against plastic pollution and spearhead plastic neutrality goes in parallel with continued virgin plastic reduction content in our products and our efforts to promote responsible waste management in Malaysia through the collection, separation and recycling of materials.”
“It is heartening to see our Nestlé Cares volunteers once again coming together across the nation. We were honoured by the involvement of representatives from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation as well as from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change.”
Aranols also stated that collective action is key to overcoming environmental challenges and spearheading meaningful changes towards a more sustainable Malaysia. “We hope this initiative inspires more action from the public and we invite Malaysians to join us in taking better care of our planet and namely the oceans by ensuring the responsible disposal of waste.”
Nestlé Malaysia reminds the public that the plastic collected through such an activity is “just the tip of the iceberg” of the company’s extensive waste collection efforts.
Its main programme, Project SAVE, which focuses on plastic neutrality through five voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiatives, namely Kita Recycle (KitaR) targeting rural areas, Klang River Plastic Collection Programme, CARETon Project, Strata Recycling Programme and Door-to-Door Collection & Recycling Programme.
This year, those programmes will result in the collection of 12,000 tonnes of waste by year-end, and nearly 20,000 tonnes of waste since the launch in 2020, with approximately two-thirds of this volume being plastics.
“On the frontlines of the fight against climate change, Nestlé Malaysia also achieved a significant milestone earlier this year with the completion of the first million trees in our ambitious reforestation programme, Project RELeaf,” the company states.
Slated to plant a total of three million trees, Project RELeaf aims to remove 700,000 tonnes of carbon over the course of a decade once completed, aligning with Nestlé’s global pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
“With all these endeavours, Nestlé stands as a beacon of sustainability, championing a greener, cleaner and more eco-conscious future for Malaysia.”
