Food and beverage producer Nestlé South Africa has received its Level 3 broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) certification.
This rating was attained after a thorough verification process by Mazars – the South African National Accreditation System (Sanas) accredited rating agency.
The score is a two-level upward improvement from Nestlé's previous achievement of a Level 5 BBBEE certification.
"Research indicates that most multinationals that are operating in South Africa struggle to either comply or even attain higher levels when it comes to transformational initiatives around BBBEE," the company notes.
“To demonstrate our commitments, in 2019, we invested over R1.4-billion towards the BBBEE procurement spend by empowering black suppliers and, in turn, creating jobs through various enterprise development initiatives.
This figure included investments of R52-million to support emerging black farmers through our dairy projects in the Eastern and Western Cape, as well as incremental spend of R100-million on black rural development projects across the country,” says Nestlé East and Southern Africa chairperson and MD Bruno Olierhoek.
Reflecting on Nestlé’s transformation journey in South Africa, he emphasises that the company's improved rating has spurred it towards continuing to drive enterprise and socioeconomic development strategies as these are aligned with its organisational business principles.
“A business thrives when it has a healthy, diverse and engaged workforce that reflects society. We will continue driving youth and women empowerment programmes, upskilling initiatives and strengthening relationships we have built with our suppliers and partners; not only in South Africa but across our region.”