Nestlé in Italy proves that positive social impact is a winning business policy

Rome – The Nestlé Group in Italy continues to distinguish itself for its commitment to social work. In 2023, more than €3.5 million euros were allocated toward projects of social significance, notes the first positive industry report generated in Italy.

Together with Luiss Business School and SCS Consulting, the Nestlé Group presented The Nest We Share, the first social impact study that captures the company’s contribution in five macro-areas: the well-being of Nestlé Group people in Italy and their families, support for local communities, nutrition education, nutritional health and well-being, and occupational safety.

In family welfare, Nestlé has distinguished itself as a best practice and trailblazer for its three-month, 100 per cent paid parental leave for fathers or second caregivers, called Nestlé Baby Leave. In addition, the 90-day Campus was proposed to provide employees with a three-month summer centre for their children. New parents, children, and young people are included in the projects. More than 140 thousand young people are involved in initiatives related to nutrition, water awareness and respect for pets.

“There are several measures and projects we have promoted to generate a positive and lasting impact, with the desire to create a better future for all,” comments Marco Travaglia, president and CEO of the Nestlé Group in Italy.

Nestlé and parenting

In Italy, the Nestlé Baby Leave was a big step forward in protecting new parents and limiting the absence of equitable sharing of family workload.

In March 2022, Nestlé signed an agreement with the food workers’ unions (FAI CISL, FLAI CGIL, and UILA UIL), committing to more than €1 million per year to fund this initiative. We are talking about an important addition to the same company policies, which had added two weeks compared to the Italian norm of 10 days of paternity leave. The sharp decline in population and gender stereotypes, whereby newborn care is the exclusive preserve of women, prompted Nestlé’s Italian group to offer “a concrete measure aimed at enhancing people’s parenthood, rather than constituting one of the causes of the gender gap in the world of work.”

“Initiatives to support parenting and break gender barriers have always been a priority for Nestlé. These two themes are inseparable as parenthood continues to impact women’s career advancement, thus making it necessary to rebalance roles and tasks in the family context,” are the words of comment from Giacomo Piantoni, director of human resources for Nestlé Group in Italy.

After one year, in 2023, the results “bode well” for Piantoni. Nestlé’s director of human resources in Italy reported that “78 per cent of new fathers in the company took advantage of the opportunity, and 100 per cent would recommend and take it up again with the birth of a second child.” 

As further evidence of concrete commitment, in 2023, the company contributed to the payment of 27 daycare fees for the children of its employees, amounting to nearly €75,00, as well as more than €58,500 of early childhood food products provided free of charge to new parents.

Another project developed and just launched by Nestlé Group in Italy for parents, new parents, and parents-to-be is “Parents at First Steps“, an initiative in collaboration with Unobravo, an online psychology medical centre supporting people’s psychological well-being. The partnership between Nestlé and Unobravo intends to
assist parents or expectant parents who feel the need, with Nestlé providing
the first three sessions to individuals who choose to begin a parenting-focused
psychological support program.

In fact, Nestlé’s survey developed in Italy together with Unobravo and with the technical support of the YouGov platform, which involved more than 1100 new parents or people intending to become parents, showed that the impact of parenting on mental health is a very important issue.

And after that?

Nestlé’s efforts have not been limited to supporting new parents. The 90-day Campus includes the possibility for employees to have a six-week summer centre (Corporate Campus) to which they can send their children during the summer period.

Within the Assago headquarters of the Nestlé Group in Italy, a project has been organized in which educators from Orma, an Amateur Sports Association affiliated with Coni, supervise the children of workers. Piantoni explains the decision to turn to a Coni-affiliated association: “The choice of this theme is justified by the fact that after the school year in which children were more indoor and stationary, they need to move and get out. But other topics such as respect, inclusiveness, and the importance of making mistakes will also be covered during the campus, in addition to classic group games.”

Credit: Nestlé Group in Italy

Movement and nutrition are very relevant themes in Nestlé’s policy in Italy, which has proposed the guide “Nutriplate in movement.” This project sees the collaboration of the University Campus bio-medical of Rome and SIPPS, Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics, together with Nestlé to promote the importance of movement and active living. In fact, the “Nutriplate on the Move” guide provides nutritional advice in relation to sports activity. It proposes recipes for balanced snacks to be consumed before, after, and during physical activity without ever forgetting the importance of adequate hydration.

Nestlé is also interested in endowments with donations that go to charities such as The Food Bank. In 2023 alone, 41,160 shopping carts (equivalent to two thousand tons of food in 2023) result from Nestlé Group donations, in addition to the more than two million euros given directly to charity (a 65 per cent increase over 2022).

The social value generated by Nestlé’s activities is also linked to the commitment and generosity of its people, who—thanks to the company’s full support—are able to devote their time to those who need it most. Indeed, paid corporate volunteering is an important cornerstone of the Group’s social responsibility. In 2023, 90 employees volunteered with paid company leave, and the company aims to reach 450 people by 2026.

“The important results achieved motivate us to work with even more enthusiasm and dedication, in the belief that our growth as a company and as individuals is closely linked to the social value we manage to generate daily through our work,” says Travaglia. This is borne out by the commitments the Nestlé Group in Italy makes to society. It is a concrete investment that connects the company with people’s well-being, supporting families and work-life balance, encouraging hybrid work, and protecting employees’ mental and physical health.