Back in 2022, Nespresso proudly became a certified B Corp – a designation awarded to organisations that meet high standards of verified environmental and social performance, accountability, and transparency. To ensure we’re continually meeting these high standards, we must recertify our entire organisation – including our headquarters, production centres, and 40-plus markets – every three years.
As we prepare for recertification in 2025, our team would like to share a few insights – and learnings – about the journey so far.
What does the B Corp experience look like for a large company like Nespresso?
Nathalie Mcloughlin
ESG Certifications & Data Manager
Nespresso
As one of the pioneering multinational companies to achieve B Corp certification, Nespresso's journey is unique compared to smaller organsations. The B Lab assessment, for instance, poses a challenge as only half of its questions pertain to corporate-level operations – covering aspects such as governance and product recyclability. The other half needs to be answered at local level by all Nespresso entities. For a small company, addressing these questions can be daunting, but imagine the complexity when you're navigating this process across 41 entities worldwide!
However, this complexity also presents an incredible opportunity. As a large organisation, Nespresso is positioned to create a significant positive impact, a fact that B Lab acknowledges and supports. Their efforts to connect us with other multinational companies have been invaluable, fostering a collaborative environment where ideas flow freely and solutions are developed collectively.
One standout example of this collaboration is our partnership with Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics company certified B Corp since 2020. We worked together on an innovative practice of collecting used Nespresso capsules at their retail outlets and upcycling them to create packaging. This initiative exemplifies how the B Corp program not only amplifies our existing sustainability efforts but also enhances our ability to drive greater positive change in the world.
In essence, the B Corp experience is not just a certification; it’s a transformative journey that empowers us to do more and join forces internally and externally to contribute positively to our planet and society.
How does the re-certification process work – and how is it different than the original certification?
Nathalie
When we prepared for certification back in 2022, we essentially gathered data and insights from all the different initiatives we’d been working on and plugged them into the B Corp framework.
Nespresso has had a sustainability strategy for many years. Our recycling program started in 1991. And our AAA program, which works to support farmers and the environment in regions where we grow our coffee, is over 20 years old. So, our B Corp score was, in a way, a third-party confirmation that we were on the right track.
We firmly believe that everyone at Nespresso has a role to play in our journey toward continuous improvement, which is deeply embedded in our company culture. From top management to our offices, production centers, and boutiques, this collective effort is essential as we prepare for recertification, which is fundamentally about expanding our positive impact.
To achieve this, we must identify areas for enhancement and strive to improve our original score. This involves developing targeted improvement plans across various topics – workers, environment, customers, governance, and communities – while engaging diverse functions throughout the organisation and across different markets. Nearly every team member is involved in some form of improvement initiative.
We have a wealth of ideas, and we prioritise those that have the greatest potential impact and can be shared effectively across our global markets.
What does re-certification look like at the market level – specifically for new Nespresso markets, like those in South Africa, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, that were formed after certification?
Natisha Singh
Sustainability Coordinator
Nespresso South Africa
While head office is responsible for re-certifying the entire company, each market has their own unique improvement plans – and new markets are responsible for contributing to recertification like any other market. If they do not align and limit the impact of their zone, they are putting the whole certification at risk. All markets, new and old, contribute equally to the scoring.
In South Africa, one of Nespresso’s newer markets that launched in 2023, we’re embarking on the journey toward our first B Corp certification. This is a huge step, as we’d also be one of the first few B Corps in the region. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate to our customers that we are genuinely committed to people and the environment, and earn their trust.
As we navigate this process, we’re discovering the unique opportunities and challenges that come with being a fresh entrant in the market.
On the one hand, we have the benefit of embedding B Corp principles into the foundation of our business. This, combined with support and recommendations from Nespresso headquarters, has made the process a little easier because it’s part of our DNA, rather than an add-on.
For instance, we’re the first and one of the few Nespresso markets with a dedicated B Corp team. Each member of this cross-functional team is a champion for a B Corp focus area – that is, recycling, employee wellness, environmental management, DEI and employee onboarding and training. Each section has an improvement plan with measurable KPIs, and we have regular meetings to ensure that we are on track to achieving these set KPIs.
As a relatively new team, we’re continuing to refine our approach across these several focus areas. For example, we initially set a challenging goal to significantly improve our recycling performance, which highlighted the need to better align our targets with practical realities.
But even in this scenario, we’ve found the B Corp framework to be incredibly helpful. If something’s not working, we’re encouraged to look deeper to find out why. Is it a communications issue? Operations? We’re motivated to filter through every layer of our business, until we find the information we need to build a better strategy and reach our goals.
How are the different organisational functions adapting to B Corp certification?
Edgar Douvenou
Global Procurement Manager
Nespresso
I think B Corp is inspiring us to change our ways of working for the better. We were doing things before, but there’s more focus and visibility now.
For instance, it’s not uncommon to come across a B Corp assessment question and say: “Wow, okay, how do we answer that?” It encourages us to have the difficult conversations, bring ideas forward, and really think about things that maybe we wouldn’t have thought about otherwise.
In procurement, we occasionally don’t even have the data to answer a specific question. So we flag it as something we need to work on – we’ll need to create a system to collect that information before the next recertification.
In other instances, the process has resulted in many new policies – like our local supplier policy. As a result of our B Corp certification, we’ve now made a point of working with local companies whenever possible, to support our communities.
And it’s given us the extra push we need to advance the sustainability conversation with our existing suppliers. We were doing this before but now, because we need to demonstrate to B Corp that our supply chain meets certain criteria, we require our suppliers to complete mandatory CO2 assessments, as well as on-site audits.
For less mature organisations who aren’t able to conduct their own CO2 assessments – or those that have gaps in their audits – we provide support to bring them up to the level where they need to be, which not only amplifies our impact, but strengthens our relationship with our suppliers too.
What impact has becoming a B Corp had on your employees – and your organisational culture as a whole?
Jane HyoJoung Jeon
Zone APAC Regional HR Manager
Nespresso
Sustainability has always been central to Nespresso culture – we all seem to have it in our blood, and you can really feel it. I remember being a new employee and just feeling something come over me. There’s a vibe here – and it’s contagious. I think since becoming a B Corp, that vibe has become even stronger.
One way we’ve achieved this is by really making a point of communicating with our employees around what it means to be a B Corp. Our leaders put in a lot of effort to update people on our B Corp progress, share the numbers, and strive to inspire others by sharing success stories. I think this really helps people put everything into context and understand the “why” behind our efforts.
Once they’re inspired by the why, we’ve noticed employees are much more inclined to work together to reach our B Corp improvement plan. For instance, in the APAC market, we had an ambitious goal of reaching a 50% employee volunteer rate to support our local communities. Once we explained what we wanted to achieve and why, our employees came together to identify volunteer activities that would work for them – and we ended up surpassing our target with a 75% volunteer rate!
These types of achievements really add to our B Corp story – which really helps us further strengthen our internal culture. In the APAC zone, employee turnover has dropped by 10.9% between 2020 and 2024 – which just happens to coincide with B Corp certification. It’s hard to say how much of that is due to B Corp, but there’s definitely been a positive shift in engagement. Our B Corp story is also an excellent selling point when hiring new talent.
A POSITIVE CUP STORY OF IMPACT
play videoArticle published in: March 2025
