Food and beverage giant Nestlé announced today that it is switching to 100% renewable electricity in Australia, with a new 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with renewable energy developer ad operator CWP Renewables.

Under the new agreement, CWP will provide Nestlé with clean electricity to power its six factories, two distribution centres, three corporate offices, 20 retail boutiques, and laboratory, with energy sourced from CWP’s Sapphire and Crudine Ridge wind farms in NSW.

Nestlé also stated that it will achieve a 100% renewable electricity switch in New Zealand as well, through the purchase of renewable electricity certificates (RECs) to cover the electricity used across its factories, offices and retail boutiques.

The announcements follow the release in December last year of Nestlé’s ‘time bound plan,’ outlining specific details on the company’s strategy to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050. One of the key components of the plan is to transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2025, along with goals to plant hundreds of millions of trees and to increase the number of carbon neutral brands.

Nestlé Oceania CEO Sandra Martinez said:

”Achieving our sustainability commitments as we progress towards 2050 can’t wait – and neither can we. I am proud that we’ve been able to accelerate switching to 100% renewable electricity for our sites, but there’s still more to be done. This is one more step on our roadmap.

“This means that when Aussies are enjoying Nestlé products made in our Australian factories, they can do so knowing that it is made by electricity that has been renewably sourced.”

According to the companies, the electricity provided under the PPA is the equivalent to the energy needed to power 19,000 households annually and will enable Nestlé to avoid around 73,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

CWP Renewables CEO Jason Willoughby said:

“I commend Nestlé Australia for leading the way in the transition to 100% renewable electricity. We’re proud to be able to meet all their clean electricity needs in Australia.”