Lausanne, Switzerland – 20 Greenpeace Switzerland activists interrupted Nestl\u00e9\u2019s Annual General Meeting (AGM) today by lining up in front of the shareholder audience, displaying banners that said \u201cNestl\u00e9 stop single use\u201d and \u201cNestl\u00e9, this is yours\u201d while holding up the company\u2019s throwaway plastic found polluting the world\u2019s oceans. The activists then handed the plastic waste to the Nestl\u00e9 executives and returned to their seats.<\/p>\n
In speeches delivered at the event, Greenpeace and allies from the global Break Free From Plastic movement demanded that Nestl\u00e9 end its reliance on single-use plastic, and invest immediately in alternative delivery systems based on refill and reuse to end this \u201cenvironmental and social justice catastrophe.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the peaceful protest Greenpeace International Executive Director, Jennifer Morgan, urged Nestl\u00e9 executives and shareholders<\/a> to show true leadership to solve the plastic pollution crisis:<\/p>\n \u201cWe are here with our allies, from the people-powered, growing and global Break Free From Plastic movement, to tell Nestl\u00e9 we\u2019ve had enough. People can see with their own eyes the damage plastic pollution is doing to our oceans, waterways and communities. We\u2019ve all witnessed the way plastic is contaminating our precious biodiversity and are only just beginning to understand how it is impacting us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlastic pollution is an environmental catastrophe, and it is a visible symptom of a planetary sickness induced by an economy based on endless consumption and disposability at any cost. Last year Nestl\u00e9 produced 1.7 million tonnes of plastic — 13% more than the year before — while claiming to take the plastic problem seriously. It\u2019s time for Nestl\u00e9 to really take some responsibility for the magnitude of its contribution to the problem: it must be transparent and put forward a concrete action plan, with ambitious timelines, on how to reduce the production of throwaway packaging and invest in truly sustainable refill and reuse delivery systems.\u201d<\/p>\n A recent report published <\/a>by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) found Nestl\u00e9 to be the top source of branded plastic pollution in waste audits done in the Philippines, where communities have become dumping grounds via the global waste trade. Froilan Grate, GAIA Philippines Executive Director, also took the floor at the AGM to describe the plastic pollution crisis he witnesses in his community everyday:<\/p>\n \u201cPlastic pollution might be very visible in the Philippines and other Asian countries, but the crisis started in your boardroom when you decided to sell products packed in single-use, non-recyclable plastic in places where there is no infrastructure to manage them. On behalf of my community, I am here to tell you we do not want your toxic plastic packaging anymore. It is choking our waterways, filling our landfills, destroying our communities and harming our health. It is time for you to take this crisis seriously, stop focusing on false solutions, and invest in new delivery systems to stop this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n Greenpeace is demanding that Nestl\u00e9 and other multinational corporations be immediately transparent about their overall plastic usage and put forward concrete action plans with ambitious timelines for how they will reduce their reliance on single-use plastic and move beyond the throwaway culture.<\/p>\n END<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photos<\/strong> from the Nestl\u00e9 AGM are available here<\/a><\/p>\n Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n [1] http:\/\/www.no-burn.org\/waba2019<\/a><\/p>\n [2] Nestl\u00e9 was one of the top corporate plastic polluters identified in a worldwide cleanup and brand audit effort conducted by the Break Free From Plastic coalition last year. Full results here<\/a>.<\/p>\n [3] A factsheet on Nestl\u00e9 and plastic pollution is available here<\/a><\/p>\n [4] Greenpeace\u2019s accompanying campaign video entitled \u201cNestl\u00e9\u2019s Plastic Monster\u201d is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Contacts<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Natalie Favre, Greenpeace Switzerland Media Lead for Plastics: +41 76 491 25 26, natalie.favre@greenpeace.org<\/a><\/p>\n Capucine Dayen, Greenpeace USA Global Comms Lead for Plastics: +33 647 971 819, capucine.dayen@greenpeace.org<\/a><\/p>\n Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org<\/a><\/p>\n