Vittel

Life depends on biodiversity. Our air, water, and food rely on the variety of life found in ecosystems around the world. Because of human activity, however, one million plant and animal species are currently on verge of extinction. We all need to take actions, find solutions and join our forces to restore and preserve biodiversity. It is not too late for that.

Vittel®, a French Natural Mineral Water and Nestlé Waters’ brand, has collaborated with many different stakeholders, to preserve nature in the Vosges area, in France. Vittel® is now embarking on a journey with Ashoka’s social innovators to scale their social impact and co-create solutions with them for a greener planet.

Join our session to hear firsthand experiences from Nestlé Waters’ business leaders and Ashoka Fellows who are currently collaborating in an accelerator program. With different points of view, ways of thinking and working but with the common vision to preserve biodiversity, how exactly are they joining forces? What are the challenges? How to find new solutions together? What makes corporate-social enterprise partnerships work and unique? Discover it the 17th of November, from 6 to 7 PM CET!

One of the 5 Ashoka Fellows collaborating with Vittel in the accelerator is Brendan Dunford. His initiative Farming for Nature puts farmers who are practicing or have transformed to organic farming in the public spotlight. Besides being profitable healthy food producers, they are celebrated as safekeepers of the earth, safeguarding biodiversity. They become ambassadors for a much-needed paradigm shift in agriculture: the need to change people’s heart and minds. For scaling their impact, Nestlé Waters business leaders are thinking along with Brendan and his team on how to grow the Farming for Nature network internationally. How to share the farmer’s personal success stories more widely inspiring more farmers to start farming for nature, and how to eventually reach policymakers?

Kinari Webb and her initiative Health in Harmony is scientifically proven to be successful in reversing global heating, understanding that rainforests are essential for the survival of humanity. Using the innovative process of Radical Listening, they collaborate with the experts – rainforest communities – to create the change needed and preserve biodiversity. To scale their impact, they are developing a digital platform to match local rainforest communities needs with global resources. Nestlé Waters business leaders are thinking along with Kinari and her team on how to rapidly grow the revenue stream of this initiative and how to successfully launch the platform by end 2021.

Maciej Podyma and his initiative Fundacija Laka promotes a simple but effective solution for biodiversity loss: transforming the many mono-culture grass lawns in urbanized areas into eco-friendly flower meadows. Most corporate properties, gardens and roadsides have grass lawns because they look neat and structured; how can we change mindsets to transform them into ‘wild’ flower meadows? Nestlé Waters business leaders are thinking along with Maciej and his team on how to make their case, showing it is possible and how to build wider recognition for the many benefits of flower meadows, like their ability to preserve biodiversity.

Pam Warhurst and her international renowned initiative Incredible Edible aims to empower citizens to take back control over their local food production. Around the world Incredible Edible groups acquire access to community land, start growing their own food and stimulate to buy local. To really change the system, Nestlé Waters business leaders are thinking along with Pam how to better connect the Incredible Edible groups, and – through a pilot in the UK – how to create local assemblies of empowered citizens supported by local authorities and anchor institutions that can make joint decisions on how best to use community land to – amongst others - preserve biodiversity.

Patrick Holden and his initiative Sustainable Food Trust has developed a matrix for harmonization of on-farm sustainability assessment, taking a holistic approach by amongst others considering the extent to which a farm is able to preserve biodiversity. To scale impact, leading food producers need to adopt the matrix. Nestlé Waters business leaders are exploring with Patrick and his team if the matrix is matching Nestlé standards and could be implemented ‘behind’ the Nestlé requirements and also how the scaling strategy can be aligned with the agenda of the European Commission with regards to sustainability labeling.