NESTLE (Malaysia) Berhad’s annual Beach & Underwater Clean-Up once again demonstrated the power of collective action – this year’s event brought together more than 300 Nestle Cares volunteers to remove waste from Malaysia’s coastlines.
Since its inception in 2019, this initiative has cumulatively collected over 15 tonnes of waste. Through the years, the annual event has included other nature protection activities such as coral replanting, removal of discarded fishing nets (or “ghost nets”) and population control of invasive species such as the coral damaging crown-of-thorns starfish.
This year, the clean-up involved five beaches across the country: Teluk Batik (Perak), Kemaman (Terengganu), Pasir Panjang (Sarawak), Saujana (Negeri Sembilan) and Perhentian Island (Terengganu).
Each location saw participation by Nestle employees, who joined hands with like-minded volunteers from different NGOs and government agencies.
Nestle Malaysia CEO Juan Aranols said: “This initiative is part of Nestle Malaysia’s broader commitment to achieving plastic neutrality and moving towards net-zero emissions. As we continue this journey, the Beach & Underwater Clean-Up engagement demonstrates how corporate responsibility, community engagement and environmental stewardship can work together to create positive change. It also serves as a platform for employee involvement and heightened awareness on environmental topics.”
The Beach & Underwater Clean-Up initiative also highlighted the strength of public-private collaboration, with active participation by government agencies and NGOs. In Negeri Sembilan, Nestle partnered with the state’s Puspanita branch, which brought 54 additional volunteers to aid in clean-up efforts.
In Kemaman, Nestle collaborated with the state’s Prisons Department and Geng Plastik Ija NGO, enhancing local engagement.
Encouragingly, the Saujana and Pasir Panjang beaches also saw a decrease in trash collected compared with 2023, suggesting continuous engagement there is yielding positive results in waste reduction.
This year’s effort also contributed to Hari Cuci Malaysia, an initiative by the Housing and Local Government Ministry, demonstrating Nestle’s support towards national environmental goals.
“We are strong believers in the power of partnerships to drive positive change. We are heartened to have once again joined hands with like-minded partners to make this initiative a success. These strategic collaborations are crucial in amplifying the reach of our sustainability efforts and promoting a culture of environmental responsibility across the nation,” added Aranols.
All collected waste from the activity was channelled to specialised ocean-bound recyclers, ensuring the materials are recycled or responsibly disposed.
The Beach & Underwater Clean-Up initiative is one of Nestle Malaysia’s numerous sustainability efforts, complementing the company’s broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy to shape a cleaner future for the nation, which includes innovative packaging solutions, extensive waste collection and recycling programmes, reforestation efforts and community awareness programmes as well as adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in the company’s local farming engagements.
