Net-zero integrity Nestlé’s methane blindspot

The report finds that Nestlé's net-zero plan fails to meet any of the nine relevant UN Integrity Matters recommendations. It highlights a critical 'methane blindspot,' where the company avoids setting specific methane targets despite dairy and livestock being its largest emission sources. The analysis argues that Nestlé uses 'creative accounting' via business-as-usual scenarios to mask minimal absolute emission reductions and relies on unverified regenerative agriculture and insetting to meet goals. Furthermore, the report identifies greenwashing in the carbon-neutral claims of flagship brands like Nespresso and KitKat, which rely heavily on unreliable offsets.

• Nestlé fails to meet any of the nine relevant recommendations from the UN Integrity Matters report, partially meeting five and completely failing four.
• The company does not set specific targets or provide a baseline for methane emissions, despite these being a primary source of its greenhouse gas footprint; estimated methane emissions for dairy operations were 8.7 million tonnes of CO2e in 2022.
• Nestlé employs a 'business-as-usual' accounting scenario that obscures the actual lack of progress; while claiming a 23% reduction in dairy and livestock emissions by 2030, this represents only a 5.3% reduction against the 2018 baseline.
• The company's overall emissions have remained stable, with only a 1% reduction in targeted GHG emissions between 2018 and 2022.
• Nestlé relies heavily on regenerative agriculture and carbon insetting, which the report argues are unreliable for permanent emission cuts and lack rigorous verification.
• Carbon-neutral claims for brands such as Nespresso and KitKat are characterized as greenwashing due to an over-reliance on offsets and insetting rather than absolute reductions.
• Approximately 16% to 19% of Nestlé's total emissions are excluded from its net-zero pledge, including consumer use of sold products and purchased services.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2023). Net-zero integrity Nestlé’s methane blindspot. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Net-zero-Integrity.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Net-zero integrity Nestlé’s methane blindspot. 2023. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Net-zero-Integrity.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Net-zero integrity Nestlé’s methane blindspot |date=April 2023 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Net-zero-Integrity.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2023netzero, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Net-zero integrity Nestlé’s methane blindspot}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Net-zero-Integrity.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }