KUALA LUMPUR: Nestlé Malaysia has reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% from its 2018 baseline, surpassing its interim target of a 20% reduction by 2025 as it works towards halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050.
The food and beverage giant said that the reduction was driven by initiatives across its operations and value chain, including the transition to 100% renewable electricity, improvements in manufacturing efficiency, regenerative agriculture, sustainable sourcing and circular packaging efforts.
Nestlé Malaysia chief executive officer Juan Aranols said the milestone reflected years of collaboration with employees and partners.
"While we are proud of this progress, we know there is still much more to do on our journey to Net Zero. Sustainability is integral to how we create shared value, from the energy that powers our factories and the ingredients we source, to our packaging, ecosystem restoration and community programmes," he said in a statement.
The announcement comes as Malaysia advances its climate agenda following the submission of its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in October 2025, outlining the country's pathway towards net zero emissions by 2050.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said private sector participation would be critical in achieving Malaysia's climate commitments.
He said initiatives undertaken by companies such as Nestlé Malaysia demonstrated that emissions reductions could be integrated into business operations while supporting long-term economic growth.
The milestone was announced during the company's "Nestlé: Sustainability, Connected" event, which highlighted sustainability initiatives spanning its operations, supply chain and community programmes.
Among its key initiatives, Nestlé Malaysia has transitioned all its Malaysian operations to 100% renewable electricity, expanded regenerative agriculture programmes with local farmers and continued to improve manufacturing efficiency.
The company is also strengthening its circular packaging efforts by reducing virgin plastic use, increasing recycled PET content and improving post-consumer recovery.
As part of these efforts, Nestlé refreshed its Project SAVE (Segregate, Avoid, Value, Educate) programme under the new Nestlé KITAR platform. The initiative, described as Malaysia's largest Extended Producer Responsibility programme, has recovered and recycled 50,000 tonnes of dry mixed material to date, including 32,000 tonnes of plastics.
Meanwhile, the MILO Energy for Good programme has reached more than 200 schools through recycling education and by transforming used beverage cartons into school furniture and sports equipment.
Nestlé Malaysia has also completed the planting of three million trees under Project RELeaf and plans to plant another three million trees by 2030 to support biodiversity and climate resilience.
Having exceeded its 2025 emissions reduction target, the company said it will continue working towards cutting GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 as part of its net zero roadmap.
