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Nestlé colleagues share real-world experiences of racism

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People from across Nestlé have been uniting to help eradicate racism and shine a light on the moments that drive exclusion and discrimination.

Establishing Nestlé UK & Ireland’s ‘Eradicating Racism Network’ one year ago in July 2020 was the first and most important step in broadening the conversation around race and making Nestlé more inclusive and more diverse. This followed a call to action by CEO, Stefano Agostini, for the business to ‘get real’ on race in the wake of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests.

Today, Nestlé UK & Ireland is publishing a collection of real stories shared by Nestlé employees about their experiences both inside and outside of the workplace.

The anonymous anecdotes can be difficult to hear but these real-world exchanges featuring discrimination, micro-aggressions, and misunderstandings are crucial to recognising the attitudes that lead to exclusion and can leave people feeling like they don’t belong.

Each example is read by an actor but every single one comes directly from genuine experience. They demonstrate the overwhelming burden of dealing with ignorance when it comes to matters of race and culture.

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See full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSMKeF13X5w&list=PLcNWcGELe23x1B4XYxhtqWMQD0Jk6gxrs

 

The ‘Eradicating Racism Network’ was formed by more than 100 Nestlé employees with two Executive Sponsors overseeing the process. Thousands more people from across the organisation have played their part in learning, understanding and acting on the issue of racism.

Learning events, specific resources for allies and a new training module for marketers are just some of the ways that the network has begun to drive change over the last year.

Nestlé has partnered with PSALT to attract more young black talent into the industry and ten of Nestlé UK & Ireland’s board members will mentor black students through the scheme. Additionally, Nestlé will offer 18 internships next year under the #10000BlackInterns campaign.

Meanwhile, the company has partnered with Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) to drive inclusive procurement and champion greater diversity in Nestlé’s supply chain.

Stefano Agostini, CEO for Nestlé in the UK & Ireland, said:

“I am indebted to our Eradicating Racism Network for the work they have done over the last 12 months to drive awareness in our business.

“Listening to the experiences of my colleagues is shocking and shows just why this is so important. I want to be clear that Nestlé will never tolerate any kind of racism, exclusion or harassment and we have strict policies in place to deal swiftly and decisively with this kind of behaviour. These stories, however, reveal pervasive and often hidden forms of exclusion that can manifest in all areas of life.

“We need these experiences to be a thing of the past and there is much more for us to do across the whole of society. To that end, we will be a business that becomes ever more inclusive and that unashamedly shines a spotlight on real world experiences of racism and discrimination.

“I am grateful to my colleagues for sharing their stories. We stand with you and you have my word that we will continue to listen and continue to act to eradicate racism.”