Water Management of a Global Food and Beverage Company
Friday, 12. October 2007 | 10:00 Uhr
Speaker
Organisation
Reporting
Christian P. Frutiger, Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé, Nyon explains the water management of a global food company. The speaker confirms the human right of access to water and disposal for individual use and in households and insists on its enforcement. Nestlé needs clean water for product production. A responsible use of water ensures Nestlé’s future. According to Frutiger, up to 3700 litres of water are necessary to produce one litre of ethanol derived from irrigated corn. Nestlé attaches great importance to water recycling in its factories, for example in the milk factories in China or coffee factories in Thailand; in Nigeria, the company runs a sewage plant. Making the next generation of consumers sensitive to the water issue is in Nestlé’s vested interest. The group is active at primary and secondary schools in Pakistan and Africa through “WET Projects”. Better water management is explained to providers and (small) farmers in Pakistan, China and Ethiopia. Water projects for communities can be found in Mozambique, India, South Africa, Rwanda, etc. In Columbia, there is a programme to reduce water consumption in coffee production. Nestlé launched a Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) and together with other companies, such as Danone and McDonald’s, promoted a “CEO Water Mandate” along the same lines as the UN’s Global Compact. Questions/comments from the audience: Nestlé generates 10% of its turnover from bottled water. The group offers fair trade products, such as coffee in Great Britain and Sweden. But this is difficult due to dimensions, global activities and shareholders’ interests. Nestlé is willing to consider supporting the Box/Container project proposal presented by YES Alumni.
Christian P. Frutiger
Christian P. Frutiger is a dual Swiss and British national. He joined the Public Affairs Department of Nestlé S.A. in March 2007, coming from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
At Nestlé, Mr. Frutiger is handling human rights issues, relations with major humanitarian and development organizations in Switzerland and globally, participation in the UN Global Compact, as well as Public Affairs communications in French and German.
With the ICRC, Mr. Frutiger spent a number of years in the field, including Colombia, West Africa, Afghanistan, and Chechnya. He worked in the management and coordination of humanitarian operations, as well as in external and media relations functions. At the ICRC’s headquarters in Geneva, he was more recently in charge of donor relations with key Governments and Red Cross Societies accounting for over 40% of the ICRC’s annual income.
Mr. Frutiger is a graduate of the University of Geneva and holds an Executive Master of Science in Communications Management from the University of Lugano.
Prior to joining the ICRC he was an independent translator and interpreter. A native German speaker, he is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Russian.
