Nestlé UK & Ireland and The Wildlife Trusts has today announced they are partnering in a community campaign to involve local communities in providing valuable support to precious wildflower meadows. The campaign supports Nestlé’s commitment to create the equivalent of 250 football pitches of butterfly-friendly wildflower meadows by 2015.
Local communities around Nestlé factories are also being encouraged to discover how they can support their local environment with a complementary programme of educational activities and materials, starting with pilot projects in Buxton, Derbyshire and Fawdon, Northumberland. Nestlé offices in Dublin and Askeaton will also complete their wildflower meadow creation by the end of this year.
In 2013, Nestlé UK & Ireland committed to create a range of new meadow areas within the grounds of 15 UK factories. To date, over 70 acres of meadows have been created at Nestlé sites and by a number of Scottish dairy farmers who supply milk for use in the production of brands such as Kit Kat.
Janel Fone, The Wildlife Trusts’ Director of Development, said:
“This initiative will provide valuable benefits for wildlife, local communities, school children and Nestlé employees alike. Wildflower meadows are a vital natural resource: for bees and other pollinators, and for an abundance of nature which depends on wild grasses and flowers.
“The Wildlife Trusts believe that it is important for children to grow up with an understanding of how the natural world works. Being involved in the creation of these sites and education programmes will allow children to experience nature at first hand. The areas will also provide wild spaces bringing about health and wellbeing benefits for Nestlé employees who can take time out from their work day in a natural environment.”
Inder Poonaji, Head of Environmental Sustainability Nestlé UK & Ireland, said:
“This partnership is an important milestone in our butterfly meadow journey. It is important to us to enhance the work we have already started by developing schemes which engage communities and schools local to our sites, enabling children to get closer to nature. We’re keen for them to understand its true value through experiencing wildflower meadows and the role they play in pollination, for example.”
Duncan Hutt, Head of Land Management at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said:
“Northumberland Wildlife Trust is delighted to partner with an organisation which puts sustainability at the heart of its business. We’ve worked with Nestlé to improve biodiversity at its Fawdon factory by creating a small meadow to attract butterflies and insects. The site helps to re-connect green spaces to allow wildlife to move more freely and adapt to change.”
Home to some of Britain’s most diverse ecosystems and endangered wildlife, and renowned for its natural mineral water, the Buxton area has been selected as the UK pilot site for this new initiative between Nestlé Waters and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Called ‘Get Better with Nature’, the collaborative long-term programme aims to help improve understanding of the benefits of nature, support positive actions to improve the environment and increase residents’ enjoyment of it. With a focus on water in the landscape, the activities combine educational materials with open forums for discussion and conservation events, involving local schools, the community and employees.
The pilot follows the successful creation of a wildflower meadow at Nestlé Waters’ site in Buxton, with numerous butterflies and moths being spotted including the Five-spot Burnet moth, the Common Blue butterfly and the Wall Brown butterfly, the latter of which is rare and localised in the county.
Matthew Croney, Direction of Living Landscapes at the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said:
“Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is delighted to be working with Nestlé Waters on the “Get Better with Nature Campaign” and is looking forward to inspiring the residents of Buxton and the wider area to engage with the wonderfully diverse wildlife and landscapes on their doorstep.”
At Fawdon, Newcastle upon Tyne, there are plans to establish an education programme at a local school, where children will be taught the importance of wildflower meadows and why nature matters. This will complement the Fawdon factory’s new wildflower meadow, planted by employees, members of the local community and Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
Wildflower meadows, once a common sight across the UK, have declined by 97% since the 1930s, as a result of a rapidly expanding population and intensifying agriculture. This is a huge problem for the creatures which depend on them, such as butterflies and bumblebees, which themselves are of huge value to people, pollinating our food crops.
Notes to editors
Nestlé Butterfly Meadow Highlights:
- In total, 15 of Nestlé UK sites are on track to have a wildflower meadow within the factory grounds by 2015
- The homes of KIT KAT, NESCAFÉ and ROWNTREE’S have been contributing to efforts to halt the decline of the UK’s butterfly population as part of this commitment launched in summer 2013.
- Nestlé UK & Ireland have been co-ordinating the planting of nearly 75 acres of butterfly meadows – the equivalent of almost 250 football pitches - with the aim of attracting more than 10 varieties of butterflies across the sites.
- Open days and events have been planned across the sites including the Nestlé Cereals factory in Staverton which is launching noticeboards to highlight the most common species of butterflies and moths found in Wiltshire. Count sheets will also be designed so employees can log observed species while a local open day has also been planned to invite the local community and schools to visit the meadow.
- At Nestlé Girvan on the West coast of Scotland where milk crumb is manufactured, a vital ingredient in the production of milk chocolate, the butterfly count has increased by 150% since 2013 with a huge increase in ringlet, painted ladies and both small and large white butterflies.
- A set of criteria for each site around planning, maintaining and improving the meadows has been established and they includes employee, community and external expert engagement, identifying the correct seeds to plant and monitoring butterflies on the site. Each meadow has been independently verified using the criteria as a measure.
Nestlé Overview:
- Nestlé Girvan on the west coast of Scotland manufacture milk crumb, a combination of milk, sugar and cocoa mass and is a key ingredient in milk chocolate. The milk is produced by dedicated First Milk farmers all based within 50 miles of the factory.
- Nestlé Fawdon, Newcastle Upon Tyne – home of Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Gums, Rolo, Munchies, Toffee Crisp, Matchmakers, Caramac, Breakaway and Blue Riband.
- Nestlé Waters in Buxton - bottles Buxton Natural Mineral water and Pure Life Spring water.
- Nestlé Tutbury, South Derbyshire home of several Nescafe products including Dolce Gusto, Nescafe Original and Gold Blend.
- Nestlé Dalston, Cumbria - Powdered beverages such as Nescafe Café Menu and Coffee-mate.
- Nestlé York – the home of iconic brands such as Kit Kat and Yorkie.
- Nestlé Staverton – home to Cheerios, Shredded Wheat and Oats & More.
The Wildlife Trusts
There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas. We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife. Every year we work with thousands of schools and our nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of visitors. Each Wildlife Trust is working within its local communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their own Living Landscapes and Living Seas.