Nestlé has unveiled two large-scale environmental restoration initiatives in Brazil in collaboration with reforestation start-up re.green and Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut. The projects aim to plant 11 million trees across 8,000 hectares in key sourcing regions for cocoa and coffee, as part of the food giant’s broader sustainability goals.
The move underscores a growing trend of corporate investment in Brazil’s reforestation sector, as companies seek to mitigate climate impacts while strengthening their agricultural supply chains. Nestlé, which has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, described the projects as critical to its environmental and sourcing strategies.
The first project, a 30-year partnership with re.green, will see 3.3 million native trees planted in the northeastern state of Bahia, part of Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest. The effort is expected to generate 880,000 carbon credits.
Separately, Nestlé and Barry Callebaut will restore 6,000 hectares in Bahia and Pará, with much of the land being converted into agroforestry systems centred on cocoa cultivation.
“These projects will support our decarbonisation targets, but our sustainability strategy goes beyond carbon removal,” said Barbara Sapunar, Nestlé Brasil’s Director of Business Transformation and ESG. “We aim to regenerate areas in regions where we source ingredients. Environmental restoration increases the resilience of supply chains.”
Thiago Picolo, CEO of re.green, added: “These initiatives show how companies can move beyond carbon offsetting and directly invest in restoring landscapes critical to their operations.”
Brazil remains the world’s top coffee producer and exporter, and ranks fifth in global chocolate consumption. Nestlé said it will fully fund the re.green initiative and cover 60% of costs in the Barry Callebaut partnership. Both projects form part of the company’s wider ambition to plant 200 million trees globally by 2030 in ingredient-sourcing regions such as those producing cocoa, coffee, and milk.
Re.green is backed by Brazilian billionaire João Moreira Salles and asset manager Gávea Investimentos, founded by former central bank governor Arminio Fraga. Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa products.
