Nespresso is implementing a new sustainability program, investing US$554 million over the next six years. The Positive Cup program will aim to improve farmer welfare and drive environmental sustainability in coffee sourcing and consumption. Part of this investment will be used to establish a new Sustainable Development Fund, which will play a key role in channelling resources into specific projects. “This US$54 million significantly builds on our current sustainability investment to ensure the long-term success of our business model,” said Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nestlé Nespresso. “The Sustainable Development Fund will allow us to allocate new funding to ground-breaking programs such as the reviving of the coffee sector in South Sudan.” Since 2011, Nespresso has been supporting 2000 smallholder coffee farmers in South Sudan, improving yields and coffee quality. It has done so through the establishment of central wet mills and the provision of training, while developing commercial channels to facilitate the sale and export. Nespresso is planning to be the first company to offer coffee from South Sudan following its independence. “If there is to be lasting peace and prosperity in South Sudan, part of the equation will be a diversified economy and opportunities that benefit the people of the country,” said George Clooney, in a statement. “The investment by Nespresso and TechnoServe in South Sudan's coffee sector, even while the conflict is ongoing, is providing much-needed income for hundreds of farmers and their families living in coffee communities.” Among the initiatives outlined in Nespresso’s Positive Cup program are plans to source 100 per cent sustainable coffee for its permanent range of Grand Cru coffees and reduce the companies carbon footprint by 10 per cent.
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