CEMS Magazine | May 2011
Interview
Q. Your background prior to joining
Nestlé Waters was principally marketing-based. Where did it take you?
A.
After studying Marketing at Bocconi, I started in brand management, firstly for Galbani, the Italian Cheese Company of the Danone group, then moving on to Benckiser and subsequently back to Galbani-Danone Group. It was with Danone that I began to acquire more international experience when working for the biscuits division in the Paris headquarters of the group and then for the Belgian Subsidiary. After a four-year working period in France and then Belgium, I then returned to my native Italy in 2005 as a marketing manager for Nestlé Waters.
Q. How did you reach your
current position as CSR Director within Nestlé Waters?
My initial responsibilities covered Italy for the main national brands (Levissima, Nestlé Vera,
A.
Belté) and I was also the contact person for the international marketing team based in Paris. I then stepped up to head the Marketing and Innovation division for Europe. The CSR department in Italy was created in September 2009, and I was asked to come back to Italy and lead it.
characteristics of purity via our packaging but also be responsible in our choice of packaging from an environmental perspective. Reducing the weight of the plastic used is essential to this but without causing any detriment to the functionality of the product, ensuring a certain portion of recycled plastic, using as many renewable sources of energy as possible in the whole process… The challenge is to maintain the intrinsic qualities of the product in the most socially responsibly manner possible. In addition, we are evolving from the CSR to the CSV (create shared value) approach, since we are constantly looking to create value for us and society at the same time. To do this, we have pointed out three main areas of engagement: water advocacy, hydration, and community partnership.
Q. How does this socially
responsible direction manifest itself within the company itself?
A.
In our day-to-day dealings with one another, we aim to be as responsible and respectful as we can. At Nestlé, we have an official ethical code that is available in 40 different languages, amongst other things. Above all, we seek to work responsibly and respectfully with all our points of contact – workers, suppliers and clients alike.
Q. Did the creation of the CSR
department at Nestlé Waters have a profound effect on the company?
A. Yes and no. A sustainable approach was already established within the business practices of the company. Sustainability has always been in the DNA of San Pellegrino's people. We have always been very careful and responsible in the way we use our mineral water sources and how we protect the territory where they are located. That said, creating an official CSR division enabled us to bring a strategic mindset to the question of CSR within the company, build up a common vision and network, and make a genuine contribution to society and the environment.
Q. Operationally speaking, how have you applied this strategy? A. We focus on four main areas – water care, packaging, transportation and energy. The combination of the first two is especially important – how to make responsible use of water reserves, reflect the natural
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