Nestle has run a book prize for the past 23 years, which provides awards to authors of children's books.  The contestants' books are voted upon by children.  The prize is divided into three age categories, and has helped launch the careers of such authors as JK Rowling and Lauren Child

source:  Michelle Pauli, Guardian Unlimited, Jan 23, 2008
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2245514,00.html

I give Nestle a rating of 6 for this conduct.

The Washington Post reported on January 21, 2008 that Nestle and 10 other companies have made a committment to assess their carbon footprint, using questionnaires for their suppliers provided by the Carbon Disclosure Project.  The Post reported that each company will be "assessing the emissions of their supply chains as part of efforts to cut greenhouse gases and inform investors of their so-called carbon footprint. Each picked as many as 50 of their suppliers to reply to questions from the Carbon Disclosure Project by March [2008]."

The carbon footprint of any company, especially a major conglomerate, is obviously a very difficult thing to assess.  I commend Nestle for taking this first step and sending a signal to it supply chain - and the broader business community - that carbon footprint analysis is a high priority.  

Nestle has been boycotted for many years (beginning in 1977) for their marketing of infant formula in developing countries.  The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.5 million infants die around the world every year because they are not breastfed. Where water is unsafe a bottle-fed child is up to 25 times more likely to die as a result of diarrhoea than a breastfed child.  Nestle was in violation of World Health Organization standards for many years.  

According to this alternet article on Nestle:
http://www.alternet.org/environment/52526/

The company has been routinely seeking out pristine water sources, signing unfair long-term contracts with local authorities with no community/public input, hiring temp-only workers with no benefits, in order to produce bottled water as cheaply as possible for their 70 different brand names including Arrowhead, Calistoga, Deer Park, Perrier, Poland Spring and Ice Mountain. 

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08

"Environmental Reporting

Worst ECRA rating for environmental reporting"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Climate Change Three Quarters Climate change impacts of palm oil"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Pollution & Toxics Whole Circle Campaign against odour from London coffee plant"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Pollution & Toxics Whole Circle Subsidiary blacklisted for environmental violations in China"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Pollution & Toxics Whole Circle Pollution criticism in oppressive regime"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Habitats & Resources Whole Circle Palm oil supplier accused of rainforest destruction"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Habitats & Resources Whole Circle Failure to act on palm oil environmental threat"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Animal Testing Whole Circle Tests on dogs"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Worst ECRA rating for animal testing policy Ingredients tested on animals"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Factory farming Whole Circle Recall of poisonous pet food"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Factory farming Whole Circle Recall of poisonous pet food"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Products containing meat not labelled as free range or organic Sale of products containing battery eggs"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Products containing meat not labelled as free range or organic Sale of products containing battery eggs"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Animal Rights Whole Circle Sale of products containing gelatine Use of animal byproducts Use of ambergris in product"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Human Rights Whole Circle Link to slavery & child labour"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Human Rights Whole Circle Link to slavery & child labour"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Human Rights Whole Circle Colombian activities criticised"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Human Rights Whole Circle Dispute over Brazilian water extraction"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Workers' Rights Whole Circle Sued by human rights group over child labour"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Workers' Rights Whole Circle Sued by human rights group over child labour"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Irresponsible Marketing Whole Circle Boycott over baby milk marketing"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Infringement of baby milk marketing code in 2006 Infringement of breastmilk substitute marketing code, 2005"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Possible GM ingredients in food products Worst ECRA rating for GM policy"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Genetic Engineering Three Quarters Russia - hiding GM and advertising chocolate to kids"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Boycott Call Whole Circle Thai boycott over GM"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Political Activities Whole Circle Member of grocery lobby group"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Political Activities Whole Circle Donation to US Republican campaign"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Political Activities Whole Circle Member of industry association barred from WHO"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Anti-Social Finance Whole Circle Demanding money from war torn Iraq"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Anti-Social Finance Whole Circle Perpetuation of Ethiopian debt"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Anti-Social Finance Whole Circle Perpetuation of Ethiopian debt"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Anti-Social Finance Whole Circle Subsidiaries in two tax havens"

Ethiscore.org Review, 4/2/08 "Anti-Social Finance Whole Circle Subsidiaries in two tax havens"

Nestle agrees to donate money from settlement with Ethopia to famine relief.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/dec/23/marketingandpr.debt