“Our new factory in Surčin reflects Nestlé’s commitment to preserving the planet and meeting the demands of an increasingly discerning market,” says country manager Marjana Davidović
Corporate social responsibility is one the main priorities of Nestlé, which strives to consistently develop more sustainable practices across all areas of operations. Here Marjana Davidović, the company’s country manager for Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, explains how these best practices are being implemented and are yielding results locally.
Nestlé opened a new factory earlier this year for the production of plant-based meals, investing 80 million Swiss francs in the project. What is the significance of the opening of this plant?
— We are introducing innovative, tasty and nutritious plant-based products to the market under the GARDEN GOURMET brand, which are good for both people and the planet.
Thanks to this factory, Serbia is becoming a European hub for the production of plant-based meals, further enhancing Serbia’s export potential while also benefiting the local community. We have employed 220 new colleagues, with plans to increase that number. This investment additionally supports local producers with the goal of maintaining strong ties within the community and Serbian society as a whole.
Serbia is the first country in the region where Nestlé has begun implementing the principles of regenerative agriculture?
— We localised the global programme at the end of 2021, engaging suppliers of dried vegetables, and then sunflower and soy producers. The plan for this year is to cultivate over 6,000 hectares of land using regenerative agricultural practices, which doubles the amount from the previous year. The effective application of these practices contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, helps the soil retain significant amounts of organic matter, reduces erosion and moisture loss, and decreases fuel and fertiliser consumption.
The plan for this year is for over 6,000 hectares of land to be cultivated using regenerative agricultural practices, which doubles the amount from the previous year
For instance, one regenerative agriculture practice that we employ is precision farming, where robots and drones are used. One such example is the FarmDroid (a robot with autopilot), which plants seeds while reducing energy consumption and emissions, given that it operates with the help of solar panels, without the need for fossil fuels, and replaces several heavy machines. All these activities contribute to reducing the overall impact of our operations and represent an important step for our company on its journey to achieving the goal of reaching net zero environmental impact globally by 2050.
Since 2019, you’ve used only energy from renewable sources in Serbia, while you’ve recycled waste so that not a single gram goes to landfills and treated wastewater… Is preserving the planet one of your priorities?
— Corporate social responsibility is high on our list of priorities, and we strive continuously to develop more sustainable practices in all aspects of our operations. The principles of the circular economy were implemented during the construction of the new factory, where 1,150 square metres were covered with insulation panels made from recycled Nestlé product packaging. The factories produce no municipal waste, while water from production processes is purified at our own wastewater treatment facility and returned to nature clean. Some 65,000 cubic metres of water are treated annually, with over 47,000 cubic metres having been treated so far this year, reflecting our company’s long-term commitment to achieving net-zero environmental impact in the environments in which we operate. The trust consumers place in us motivates us to raise the bar even higher when it comes to contributing to the preservation of the planet.