Biodiversity projects in our sector

Nestlé Waters Switzerland launched the ECO-Broye programme around the sources of Henniez in 2009, working closely with local partners such as farmers, foresters, businesses and authorities in order to preserve the natural quality of the groundwater.

In a region with intensive farming, sustainable agriculture using zero pesticides and chemical fertilisers has been implemented on 120 hectares in the immediate catchment area. Over a 2,400 hectares in the wider surroundings, Nestlé Waters promotes biodiversity with ecological networks and fauna corridors.

In 2016, a biogas plant (run by a partner company) was installed that converts 30,000 tonnes of manure from 25 surrounding farms, together with coffee grounds collected from Nespresso capsule recycling, into renewable energy. This supplies 1,500 households with electricity, and part of the generated heat is used by the adjacent Henniez bottling plant. In return, the farmers receive a highly efficient fertilizer and over 3,000 tonnes of CO2 eq. are avoided.

In 2021, the AgrEauConseil programme was launched, to work with local farmers to reduce their use of pesticides, providing advice and support around methods of regenerative agriculture (cover crops, no ploughing, mechanical vs. chemical treatment, etc.).

The Panna Estate has a high level of environmental quality and ecosystem heterogeneity thanks to the presence of woods, grasslands and shrubs, and aquatic environments. A study with the Italian Federation of Parks and Nature Reserves and the University of Tuscany confirmed that a broad range of species on the estate are worth protecting, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals and insects. The project aims at protecting and further enhancing the range of habitats in the area by targeted renaturation activities.

Withing the municipality of Etalle, Nestlé Waters has been working together with 10 local farmers to preserve the groundwater resources that supply the Nestlé factory and the local population. The farmers, operating in the groundwater catchment area operated by the Etalle plant, have committed to cultivate without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, for an environmentally friendly agriculture. 

Nestlé Waters is sharing decades of experience in sustainable agriculture, providing local farmers with technical reflection and material assistance to produce an environmentally friendly agriculture while ensuring that they have a viable economic activity.

This program is based on the French experience of Agrivair, founded by Nestlé in 1990, which already operates in France for the brands Vittel, Contrex and Hépar.

The Super Bock Group – owners of the natural mineral water brands Pedras and Vitalis – are ensuring the sustainability of the ecosystems of the natural parks in which these sources are located. Aware that water contributes to the regeneration of the soil and biodiversity and is a finite resource that must be preserved, the group is working to offset more than 40% of its water consumption by 2050 through soil restoration and reforestation.

In partnership with ANP/WWF (Associação Natureza Portugal/World Wide Fund for Nature), the group is conserving existing species  on land adjacent to the Pedras Salgadas Park, eliminating weeds and planting about 1,800 trees based an agroforestry approach to soil recovery. The project aims to:
– increase native forest biodiversity and the natural regeneration of species characteristic of the area;
– increase water retention capacity by 23m3 per year;
– deliver the potential to sequester between 25 and 69 tons of CO2 per year.

In 2022, a waterhole was also created for the benefit of local biodiversity, in particular insects and reptiles. Along with the new tree structures around it, it will serve as a refuge for the various birds that inhabit the region. 

In cooperation with the beekeeping association BeeTogether e.V., Rhenser are contributing to strengthening the bee population. They have settled two beehives in the beautiful Middle Rhine Valley, where there is plenty of food for bees. The first honey harvests have been very plentiful.

The next steps will involve the creation of a flower meadow, the planting of fruit trees at Rhenser springs and on company premises, and the creation of a small bee trail on the banks of the Rhine.  With BeeKeeper, Rhenser are also planning further activities to create additional living space for the bees.

The project intended to be a fun example that will inspire people to make their own contribution to protecting bees and insects. Everyone can contribute to reducing bee mortality. If the bees and other insects are doing well, humans also benefit from the rich gifts of nature in the form of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and seeds.

The little owl was almost extinct in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg at the end of the 1980s. 
Only eight pairs of the little owl could be detected at that time. The “FOGE – Research Association for the Conservation of Owls” therefore started a project to protect the little owl in 1988 in cooperation with various nature conservation organizations. 

This project is supported by the Lower Nature Conservation Authority, the District Office and the district municipalities. It is the focus of FOGE’s work. Ensinger Mineral-Heilquellen GmbH has been supporting FOGE in its work to protect and preserve this owl species since 2000, not only financially, but also by providing premises and technical and human resources. 

Thanks to the dedicated work of the FOGE volunteers and the generous support of Ensinger, the population of the little owl has grown to over 300 breeding pairs in 2022.  Today, the district of Ludwigsburg is again one of the areas in southern Germany most densely populated by the little owl.

The little owl project is a component of Ensinger’s sustainability policy and the lighthouse project of the medium-sized family company in the WIN-Charta, the economic initiative for sustainability of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

In 2018, Vilsa entered a long-term partnership with the German Nature Conservation Organisation ‘Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung’ to support projects for the conservation and restoration of natural habitats. The projects focus on achieving sustained improvements for endangered animal and plant species. Depending on the project, measures include mapping of species, planting hedges, creating fallow land, renaturing streams, reintroducing native species and more.

In 2022, the projects targeted reintroducing terrapins and crayfishes, protecting field hamsters and wild bees, and restoring heath landscape. In 2023, Vilsa started long-term support for conserving the ‘Aschhorner Moor’, a wilderness area of nearly 500 hectares in Lower Saxony. Furthermore, Vilsa support renaturing in an alluvial forest as well as the ecologically correct tending and shaping of a forest edge.

The 2023 projects have in common that the effect of conserving and restoring natural habitats positively interacts with the regulation of the natural water balance as well as climate change mitigation. Combining protection of natural habitats with positive effects on water conservation and climate protection will be a key characteristic of Vilsa’s partnership with “Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung” in the future.

Protecting biodiversity on arable land, in public areas, in yards and gardens is soil protection. Healthy soil is the basis for mineral water with maximal purity. For this purpose, Bad Dürrheimer Mineralbrunnen committed to soil protection and flourishing landscapes in association with the city of Bad Dürrheim and other stakeholders.

For example, wildflower strips have already been introduced alongside fields and on public and private areas. Blooming local areas create urgently needed shelter and make an important contribution to soil health. A great number of faunal and floral biodiversity increases the self-cleaning powers of soil which contributes to the purity of percolating water.

One of the project aims is to bring together environmental experts and landscape designers to work with the company. Help has been received from ecologists, gardeners, beekeepers, farmers, representatives of the city and Bad Dürrheim citizens. With their support Bad Dürrheimer Mineralbrunnen will be able to continue planting and seeding flowers over the coming years, using a seed mix of native flowers and herbs to promote regional biodiversity.

In addition, Bad Dürrheimer Mineralbrunnen are running campaigns to draw attention to this project with our project partners the Schwarzwald-Baar-Neckar environmental center and the Donaueschingen environmental office. “Bad Dürrheim is blooming” is a long-term project, and was awarded for its special contribution to the conservation of biodiversity during the UN Decade on Biological Diversity 2011-2020.

Nature study rally: Twice a year, RheinfelsQuellen organises a natural study rally at various locations, such as in the Rheinaue Walsum nature reserve. Participants learn about the water cycle, native animals and plants as well as mineral water production. The rallies are carried out in cooperation with the Naturwerkstatt Duisburg – Verein für Umweltbildung e. V (an organization for environmental education)

Workshop for sustainable and biological agriculture: RheinfelsQuellen works with farmers in the region to promote the advantages of organic farming. They held an information event on the Lower Rhine and a changeover day, where interested farmers were able to get in touch with speakers from organic farming association Naturland, the North Rhine Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture and healthy soils organisation Interessengemeinschaft Gesunder Boden e. V. Participants received information and tips on converting to organic farming as well as promotion and stabilisation of the soil structure and crop rotation, fertilization and weed regulation.

Trainee sustainability day: Last year, RheinfelsQuellen held a trainee sustainability day for the first time in cooperation with the organisation Naturwerkstatt Duisburg. This is an action programme with knowledge transfer about ecology and sustainability. The trainees took part in a natural study tour in the Rheinaue Walsum and created a wildflower meadow themselves. The aim is to sensitise young people to sustainability issues at an early stage.

Climate protection and environmental protection have always been an element of Gerolsteiner Brunnen’s corporate strategy. Therefore, active forest protection moves them to act in a sustainable manner, because healthy forests are natural water filters and reservoirs and thus ensure clean groundwater. Therefore, in 2013, in cooperation with the State Forests of Rhineland-Palatinate, the company initiated the Gerolsteiner Zukunftswald project (Future Forest by Gerolsteiner) with the aim of reforesting forests in a climate-resilient manner.

Today Future Forest has more than 165,000 climate-stable trees on an area the size of 75 soccer fields (520,000m²). They consciously rely on the planting of climate-resilient mixed trees, which are better able to cope with the consequences of climate change than spruce monocultures that were planted in this area in the 19th century. Furthermore, more new groundwater forms in deciduous and mixed forests than in pure coniferous forests.

The State Forests of Rhineland-Palatinate praise the project as important help for the forest in the region. In this way, the forest is kept fit and clean water is ensured in the long term. This spurs Gerolsteiner on to continue planting at least 20,000 new trees annually until 2025.

In Mnichov, Byňov and Poděbrady, natural flower meadows which were abandoned and overgrown by woody vegetation will be restored. In some of them, pools are being built to support the diversity of amphibians, birdhouses for birds of prey and songbirds, and wintering grounds for snakes.

Areas will be returned to an earlier successional stage of meadow by being cleared from overgrown woody plants and shrubs, invasive plants species will be repeatedly removed until completely eradicated, spatial mosaic mowing system will be implemented in order to provide shelter and food for insects all year round and, where needed, regional seed mix of flowering plants will be planted. In some localities nectariferous shrubs or trees will be planted in alleys.

After reaching the desired state, maintanance works will be carried out regularly. All field work, professional evaluation and plans of measures are done by experts from the Czech Union for Nature Conservation.

In Mnichov, Byňov and Poděbrady, natural flower meadows which were abandoned and overgrown by woody vegetation will be restored. In some of them, pools are being built to support the diversity of amphibians, birdhouses for birds of prey and songbirds, and wintering grounds for snakes.

Areas will be returned to an earlier successional stage of meadow by being cleared from overgrown woody plants and shrubs, invasive plants species will be repeatedly removed until completely eradicated, spatial mosaic mowing system will be implemented in order to provide shelter and food for insects all year round and, where needed, regional seed mix of flowering plants will be planted. In some localities nectariferous shrubs or trees will be planted in alleys.

After reaching the desired state, maintanance works will be carried out regularly. All field work, professional evaluation and plans of measures are done by experts from the Czech Union for Nature Conservation.

In Mnichov, Byňov and Poděbrady, natural flower meadows which were abandoned and overgrown by woody vegetation will be restored. In some of them, pools are being built to support the diversity of amphibians, birdhouses for birds of prey and songbirds, and wintering grounds for snakes.

Areas will be returned to an earlier successional stage of meadow by being cleared from overgrown woody plants and shrubs, invasive plants species will be repeatedly removed until completely eradicated, spatial mosaic mowing system will be implemented in order to provide shelter and food for insects all year round and, where needed, regional seed mix of flowering plants will be planted. In some localities nectariferous shrubs or trees will be planted in alleys.

After reaching the desired state, maintanance works will be carried out regularly. All field work, professional evaluation and plans of measures are done by experts from the Czech Union for Nature Conservation.

Another step have been reached by signing the first ORE (real environmental obligations) agreement, in partnership with an expert organization, the Natural Areas Conservatory of Languedoc Roussillon (CEN), to protect 112 hectares of forests on the territory. The voluntary commitment was the first of its kind in France. At the end of 2021, the site launched a biodiversity committee composed of local NGOs to advise, challenge, and follow the deployment of the dedicated biodiversity action plan.

In 2011, a Regional Territorial Nature Contract was signed by the Town Hall of Plancoët and co-financed by Eaux de Plancoët. This Nature Contract enabled the conduct of an unprecedented study from 2011 to 2014 on the territory of Plancoët impluvium, the Tertre de Brandefert, aimed at understanding the quality of local biodiversity and its relationship with geo-diversity. Floristic and faunal inventories were complemented with geological studies with the aim of characterizing local habitats and their evolution, the relationship between habitats and the soil, and the hydrogeology of the site.

Dominique Méléc, Sustainable Development Manager at Cœur Emeraude (Rance Valley – Emerald Coast Nature Reserve), said: “This study allowed us to go from 0 to 95% knowledge of local biodiversity. An extraordinary island of ordinary biodiversity: this is what characterizes the Tertre de Brandefert. It is a vestige or ‘fossil’ Earth of what the Breton landscape was before agrochemicals intervened: an ecosystem which was very common 70 years ago, but which has become precious today.”

For over 125 years, Spa Monopole has been running an extensive programme to protect the environment and the water resources of Spa iver a conservation area covering more than 13,000 hectares. It was essential to verify the positive impact of these measures to protect biodiversity and the environment, more specifically by checking the absence of pollutants such as pesticides. However, putting a monitoring system in place for an area of that size and taking samples manually proved to be a huge challenge.

This is why the BeeOdiversity project put 8 colonies on the site, i.e. 400,000 bees that preserve biodiversity purely through pollination and which, over an area of +/- 3000 hectares, collect numerous samples via the pollen and nectar they bring back to the hive. As a result, BeeOdiversity is now able to perform scientific analyses on the basis of these samples and study the biodiversity state of play using bee-related indicators. In turn, these analyses allow Spa Monopole to monitor the quality of the biodiversity and the absence of any contaminants to ensure that the quality of their mineral waters can be guaranteed.

On the basis of the results obtained, BeeOdiversity furthermore advises Spa Monopole on any measures that need to be taken (e.g. the reintroduction of plants) to enhance the environment and more specifically the ecosystems associated with pollinators.

Spa Monopole partnered with the region of Wallonia, the University of Liège, the Natural Science Museum in Tervuren, WWF Belgium and Pairi Daiza zoo and botanical garden in order to reintroduce black grouse to the catchment area of Spa. When the project was launched in 2017, they were on the brink of extinction. Natural enemies such as foxes and degradation of the environment had reduced the once healthy population to just three individual birds.

The black grouse is emblematic to the region and an umbrella species in terms of biodiversity. You will only find them in areas where life is in perfect balance. Restoring biodiversity was the first step, reintroducing the birds the second. The population of black grouse in the area is now thriving.

The LIFE+ project ‘Restoration of natural habitats in the Liège Ardennes’ ran from 2012 until 2020, and aimed to restore the natural and semi-natural landscapes between the Hautes Fagnes and Tailles plateaus to a state close to what they were 200 years ago. A budget of almost 7 million euros was made available jointly by Wallonia, the European Commission and Spa Monopole, to implement the project’s actions.

It was the final project of a vast umbrella project to restore peat bogs in Wallonia covering the various Ardennes highlands. Parent company Spadel has always invested in partnerships and, when the Walloon region announced their intention to restore the marshes of the Ardennes, Spadel immediately jumped on board. Following a succesful similar project in Spa, they were keen to extend this work westward to Stoumont.

The LIFE programme has allowed Spadel to help restore some 7,600 ha across eighteen different sites between 2012 and 2019.

Spadel is recognised by many as a pioneer of sustainable development in Europe, first taking measures to safeguard its water catchment area in Spa in 1772. By 1889, it had become the very first officially protected natural area in Europe.

During the 1960s Spadel began lobbying to expand the protection of its water catchment area. An agreement with the Belgian authorities allowed Spadel to begin to implement measures to further improve its water catchment area and its biodiversity.

Spa’s catchment area is a natural wetland surrounded by the forests of the Ardennes. To protect these marshlands from all risks, there is no industry or agriculture permitted in the area. Road salting is banned during winter, locally-used machinery oil is biodegradable, and car parking areas are waterproofed.

The balance of tress was shifted from coniferous trees to deciduous trees because they absorb less water, to protect underground water tables. Also, when leafy trees shed their leaves, it creates a rich feeding ground for anything from mushrooms to beetles, enriching both the soil and biodiversity.

Finally, protecting and restoring these wetlands allows peat to form the top layer of soil in the marshlands. Peat is an exceptionally effective reservoir of greenhouse gas emissions, and so provides a double win for the environment: it reduces global warming and increases biodiversity.

As it was the newest brand to the Spadel portfolio, the group extended the BeeOdiversity project (first established in Belgium) to this location in one of Europe’s leading honey-producing countries, to understand local land management and authorities. Devin’s catchment area is located in the isolated heart of the Rhodopian mountains, yet Spadel’s studies have shown that invasive plants exist in the area.

The BeeOdiversity project introduces bee colonies to conservation areas. As well as boosting biodiversity, bees allow for the collection of numerous samples via the pollen and nectar they bring back to the hive, which can then be used to monitor key biodiversity indicators.

In 2013, the CEPIV (Environment Committee for the Protection of the Volvic Impluvium) co-financed the production of an Atlas of Communal Biodiversity in Volvic with the Endowment Fund for Biodiversity. This study lasted for 3 years and involved 93 naturalists. 350 species were recorded in the Volvic commune.

In 2020, the CEPIV mandated the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) Auvergne to complete this atlas on an extended perimeter: the Volvic catchment area, located in 4 municipalities, i.e. 3,800 hectares. The finalized version of this atlas provides a complete and precise picture of the faunal biodiversity present on the Volvic impluvium.

In 2015, the Cheires and Caves of Volvic Nature Reserve was inaugurated on the Volvic impluvium. The creation of this reserve was possible in particular thanks to the provision of 30 hectares of land by the Société des Eaux de Volvic and the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) Auvergne, which initiated the creation. Today the LPO manages 60 hectares of the Regional Nature Reserve.

The caves of the reserve are home to many species of bats, including the greater horseshoe bat, the lesser horseshoe bat and the greater mouse-eared bat, whose numbers are declining nationwide. A total of 50% of bat species present in the national territory have been identified in these caves, which are a hotspot for “swarming”, a phenomenon where several species of bats gather in autumn for reproduction.

In line with this collaboration, Volvic has made a commitment with the LPO to protect two emblematic species of the impluvium – the gray shrike and the red kite – by providing financial and human resources. The company has made a site available to create a feeding plot for the red kite during the prenuptial migration periods, and allocated fifty days annually for one employee to identify, count and monitor nesting areas.

In 2017, Agrivair, a subsidiary of Nestlé Waters, commissioned Fluvial IS (a design office specialising in hydromorphology and river restoration) to carry out renaturation work on the Petit Vair river. The objective of the renaturation project is to improve the state of this watercourse and to promote aquatic biodiversity, and biodiversity in the banks and adjoining environments up to a range of 2km.

In 2020, 1km had already been renatured. Actions included the revegetation of part of the banks, the construction of benches to tighten the river bed and reduce the risk of drying out, the partial removal of concrete, and the construction of a hydraulic annex serving as a transition zone between the aquatic and terrestrial environments (a preferred zone for reproduction, food and refuge). During the works, local fishing was managed to preserve 11 species.

This action is in line with the European Union’s Biodiversity Strategy objective to restore the free flow of at least 25,000km of rivers in the EU.

As a part of Nestlé Waters, Agrivair works hand-in-hand with farmers in the catchment area to support them in their agricultural transition and provide them with services to facilitate the application of all practices.

37 farms, corresponding to 64% of the agricultural area present on the impluvium, is currently working with Agrivair. These farmers do not use any phytosanitary products on their farms and reduce their use of nitrates. They implement crop rotations based on alfalfa and clover to benefit from significant filtering power and provide local feed for livestock. These livestock farms respect the threshold of a maximum of one cow per hectare to limit the risks of water pollution linked to effluents.

In total, 6,300 hectares are engaged in the process of reducing pollution in the catchment area. For comparison, the city of Nancy covers 1,500 hectares and Strasbourg 7,800 hectares.

The first results have been observed with, in particular, a 17% increase in insects and 20% in birds on the impluvium. The return of rare species such as the Gray Shrike, the Hoopoe, the Cuivrée des Marais or the Damier de la Succise have also been observed.

CEPIV (Environment Committee for the Protection of the Volvic Impluvium), is a public-private partnership with the four local communities of the Volvic catchment area. Its mission is to implement actions with all stakeholders on that territory that reconcile local development and the protection of the catchment area and its biodiversity.

Since 2016, CEPIV has partnered with Belgian company BeeOdiversity to track bee pollen to study the biodiversity of the flora. Volvic produces 48 samples per year, allowing BeeOdiversity to carry out 500 to 800 analyses annually to assess the environmental quality of the region’s flora and fauna.

In total, Volvic has installed 12 beehives in six areas of the impluvium, which now form a colony of 600,000 bees spread across six remarkable areas.

APIEME (Association for the Protection of the Impluvium of Evian Mineral Water) is a partnership between Evian and local communes concerned with water management. Its purpose is to preserve the environment and the region’s mineral and drinking water resources.

One of the projects APIEME runs is BeeOmonitoring – a scientific program for monitoring the state of the environment by analysing the pollen collected by bees that act as natural drones and bioindicators. It allows APIEME to monitor plant diversity and pollution, and to continue propose actions to improve biodiversity and management practices on the territory. BeeOmonitoring has been deployed on the impluvium since 2020.

At the beginning of 2021, in partnership with the CPIE (Centre for Permanent Initiatives for the Environnement) Chablais Léman, eight BeeOdiversity sites were installed on the impluvium, with two beehives each (each one covering 7 km2) managed by four groups of volunteer beekeepers, including Evian employees involved in environmental preservation.