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The 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals represent the United Nations’ attempt to define sustainability as a universal, interconnected framework. The SDGs address global challenges including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice — a definition of sustainability rooted in collective responsibility and systemic change. In the context of food systems, the UN prioritises goals such as Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) and Climate Action (SDG 13). Arc2020

The private sector interprets sustainability differently. Nestlé, one of the world’s largest food corporations, frames sustainability primarily through its “Creating Shared Value” approach, emphasising regenerative agriculture, supply chain resilience and business growth. By 2030, Nestlé aims to source 50% of volumes of key ingredients from farmers adopting regenerative agriculture practices, covering dairy, coffee, cocoa, soy and palm oil. In 2024, 32% of Nescafé coffee was already sourced from farmers implementing regenerative practices, surpassing the 2025 target of 20% fifteen months ahead of schedule. nihUSDA

However, important tensions exist between these discourses. Nestlé’s sustainability communication focuses heavily on environmental commitments and farmer partnerships, while giving less attention to the contradictions within its own product portfolio. The company remains one of the world’s largest producers of ultra-processed and heavily packaged consumer products — creating visible tensions between SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption) on one hand, and commercial growth objectives on the other. While Nestlé has achieved reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, the greater part of its emissions lies in Scope 3 — the supply chain — where progress remains more difficult to verify. Statista

This illustrates a broader tension within the SDG framework itself: economic growth (SDG 8) does not always align easily with environmental sustainability (SDGs 13, 15) or public health (SDG 3). Discourse analysis helps reveal how corporations selectively foreground certain goals — such as regenerative agriculture — while backgrounding others, such as the health impacts of processed food or the environmental costs of global packaging waste.

References

Nestlé (n.d.) Contributing to global sustainability goals. Available at: https://www.nestle.com/sustainability/regenerative-food-systems/global-goals (Accessed: 15 May 2026).

Nestlé (n.d.) Our sustainability approach. Available at: https://www.nestle.com/sustainability/regenerative-food-systems (Accessed: 15 May 2026).

The Sustainable Innovation (2024) Nestlé’s sustainability strategy. Available at: https://thesustainableinnovation.com/nestle-sustainability/ (Accessed: 15 May 2026).

Hajer, M. and Versteeg, W. (2005) ‘A decade of discourse analysis of environmental politics: Achievements, challenges, perspectives’, Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 7(3), pp. 175–184.