The organization is certified for the first time directly at the EDGE Move level.
Nestlé Colombia, part of the world’s largest food and beverage company Nestlé, has obtained its first ever EDGE Certification at the EDGE Move level – the second level of EDGE Certification. Nestlé Colombia is the first organization in the consumer staples sector in Colombia to achieve EDGE Move Certification.
EDGE is the leading global assessment and business certification for gender and intersectional equity. EDGE Move level is the second level of certification which demonstrates an organization’s progression in fostering workplace gender balance and gender equity. Certification involves a rigorous third-party review of representation across the pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices to ensure equitable career flows, and inclusiveness of an organisation’s culture. As an integral part of the assessment, employees receive a comprehensive survey to assess perceptions of career development opportunities in the workplace.
Nestlé Colombia meets the EDGE Standard for this certification level with a good gender balance at the junior, middle and upper levels of the management pipeline, where women are represented well in core functions, as people managers and as high potentials. The organization takes a proactive approach to pay equity policies and practices, with no high-level risks associated with gender pay equity detected currently. Furthermore, there is a great alignment in men’s and women’s perceptions and experiences of career development opportunities in the organization. All of this has contributed to Nestlé Colombia achieving the EDGE Move level – bypassing EDGE Assess level – at its first attempt at EDGE Certification.
Antonio Núñez, CEO of Nestlé Colombia says that the certification recognizes the organization’s effective initiatives to achieve workplace gender equity and balance: “Our commitment and proactive role in the search for equity, balance and the removal of gender barriers has allowed us to be recognized with this distinction. We are convinced that, in order to mitigate any type of discrimination, we must implement concrete actions that provide tools to promote social, political, and economic empowerment of women and men alike. Our goal this year is to make further progress towards achieving 30% female representation in the company’s top management positions.”
Improvements in gender balance at the top management levels and aligning the length of paid paternity and maternity leaves are some opportunities for the organization to continue its drive towards gender equity.
Aniela Unguresan, Founder of EDGE Certified Foundation, says the organization is setting an ambitious milestone in its sector and industry: “It is an outstanding achievement for Nestlé Colombia to have its first EDGE Certification at the EDGE Move level. It recognizes the progress the company has made to date towards gender equity as well as their commitment to continue accelerating its progress.
“The EDGE assessment resulted in Nestlé Colombia meeting the EDGE Standard in many areas,” explains Aniela. “Policies and practices to ensure equity in pay, recruitment and promotion, access to leadership development training and mentoring, flexible working and organizational culture were found to be of high standard and progressive in nature. The organization has put in place systematic practices that ensure men and women have equal access to career-critical assignments, providing them with a variety of opportunities to gain necessary experience.”
ABOUT NESTLÉ
As the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé is driven by a simple aim: unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come. To deliver on this, the company serves with passion, with a spirit of excellence, offering products and services for all stages of life, every moment of the day, helping people care for themselves and their families. The company’s culture is based on its values rooted in respect: respect for themselves, respect for others, respect for diversity and respect for the future.
Nestlé can trace its origins back to 1866, when the first European condensed milk factory was opened in Cham, Switzerland, by the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. One year later, Henri Nestlé, a trained pharmacist, launched one of the world’s first prepared infant cereals ‘Farinelactée’ in Vevey, Switzerland.
Today, the company employs around 273,000 people and has factories or operations in almost every country in the world. With its headquarters still based in the Swiss town of Vevey, Nestlé had sales of CHF 84.3 billion in 2020.
Nestlé’s portfolio covers almost every food and beverage category –offering products and services for all stages of life, every moment of the day, helping people care for themselves and their families.
ABOUT EDGE CERTIFICATION
EDGE is the leading global assessment and business certification for gender and intersectional equity. EDGE Certification involves a rigorous third-party review of representation across the pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of an organization’s culture. As an integral part of the assessment, statistical data is analysed, policies and practices are reviewed and employees’ experiences of career development opportunities in the current workplace are accounted for. Depending on the specific results of each organization, an action plan is formulated, and firm commitments towards its implementation.
EDGE Certification meets organizations where they are in their gender balance journey (EDGE) and in their intersectional equity journey (EDGEplus) through its three levels of certification: Assess, Move and Lead. A certification at the EDGE Assess level recognizes commitment, one at the EDGE Move level showcases progress and a certification at the EDGE Lead level celebrates success in fostering gender equitable workplaces. An EDGEplus certification further recognizing its commitment to analysing intersectional issues between gender and one or several of the following additional dimensions: gender identity, race/ethnicity, LGBTQI+, working with a disability, nationality and age.
EDGE Certification is built around the independent third-party certification of data and information and is distinguished by its rigour and focus on impact granted by one of the EDGE accredited independent third-party certification bodies – SGS, Intertek or FloCert, it remains valid for a period of two years. EDGE’s current customer base consists of over 200 large organizations in 50 countries across five continents, representing 30 different industries.
