Interview with Duncan Pollard, Sustainability Advisor at Nestle
10 August 2011
Interview with Duncan Pollard, Sustainability Advisor at Nestle, speaker at the Smithers Pira Packaging Summit 2011
You have worked across the non-profit and commercial sectors but what was it about Nestle that attracted you to the role of Sustainability Advisor?
From a sustainability perspective the food & agriculture sector is, and will continue to be at the centre of attention in the coming decade. A subtle shift has occurred in how we understand sustainability and it is increasingly understood to be about access to resources and the needs of society. Food and agriculture is so central to many of these challenges. Nestlé itself is attractive in being the largest company in the sector, and therefore having the largest reach, but importantly it takes a long term view and approach to business which is essential for embedding sustainability into the way business is done. So the chance to make a difference at this level was an opportunity too good to miss.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced so far at Nestle?
With a wide ranging remit to act as a catalyst, challenger, and connector on sustainability issues, the biggest challenge has been drawing a boundary about what I will get involved in and what not. There is a need to balance "high level" interventions with helping the businesses deliver real change - all in an organisation that has 281,000 employees, with the complexity that brings.
Your focus is on paper and board; what is Nestle's main objective in this area of packaging?
I am spending a portion of my time working with the procurement team, bringing some skills on commodities such as paper and paperboard. Nestlé has a long track record and objectives on reducing packaging use and the overall impact of packaging, as well as supporting recycling schemes. We are adding to that the responsible sourcing of paper and paper board. In the last year we have produced a new policy on deforestation and forest stewardship and responsible sourcing guidelines for paper and paperboard, which go beyond forest management standards, to include paper processing operations. We are rolling these out to suppliers, a process I will talk more about at the conference.
The Packaging Summit wants to address what the future holds for the packaging industry; but in your opinion, what does the future hold for paper?
Speaking generally, for tissue and packaging I would say that the future is rosy. Less so for printing and writing grades, though of course it depends on geographies. More specifically, and looking through the lens of "access to resources and needs of society", I would say that paper packaging has two different challenges. In the western world the challenge is of wastage - consumers hate throwing away packaging (this is not of course restricted to paper). The future here will be about design, innovation, reduction and recyclability. In developing countries we have the opposite issue - the need for more packaging to reduce food waste. I am however a firm supporter of responsibly produced paper - its from a renewable resource. I wish LCAs could better reflect that.
What are you most looking forward to at the Smithers Pira Packaging Summit 2011?
Quite apart from the fact that it is a very long time since I was at a Smithers Pira event (a Smithers Pira training course provided my induction to the world of paper many years ago), this will be a chance for me to sit and reflect upon packaging, one of our biggest cost items and one where there are multi-faceted sustainability issues. Responding to these requires responses that cover R&D, design, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing and recycling. If you see me staring into space at the Summit you will know why.
Hear more from Duncan at this year's Smithers Pira Pack Summit, 6 & 7 October 2011, Sophia Country Club, Nice, France.
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