With more than 1,600 brand and market websites across 185 countries, Nestlé operates one of the world’s largest and most complex digital ecosystems. Ensuring accessibility at this scale is both a regulatory priority and essential to delivering inclusive digital experiences.
The challenge: Driving consistency at global scale
Nestlé aimed to strengthen visibility, consistency, and control over accessibility across its global ecosystem while continuing to empower local teams to integrate accessibility into their workflows. Accessibility maturity varied across regions and brands, creating an opportunity for a more centralized view of performance.
Key needs included:
- A centralized view of accessibility performance across markets
- Consistent practices across teams and brands
- Scaling accessibility without slowing delivery speed
Evolving regulations, including the European Accessibility Act (EAA), further increased urgency. Nestlé needed stronger visibility into risk, clearer prioritization of improvements, and a scalable path to compliance without disrupting operations.
The solution: Technology, training, and expert guidance
Nestlé partnered with Deque to scale accessibility through a combined approach of technology, enablement, and strategic support.
Visibility and standardization
- Axe Monitor enabled centralized scanning, tracking, and reporting across hundreds of websites
- Axe DevTools Extension supported earlier detection and remediation in design and development
Enablement at scale
- Deque University provided role-based training across global teams
- Accessibility was embedded into day-to-day workflows across functions
Strategic support
- Deque guided onboarding, governance, and a structured maturity roadmap
- Accessibility was integrated into operating models for long-term adoption
This helped shift accessibility earlier in the lifecycle, reducing downstream issues and strengthening internal capability.
The impact: Measurable progress at scale, delivered at speed
Within just over 12 months, Nestlé’s European markets achieved significant gains in accessibility maturity.
- Accessibility scores increased by nearly 180%
- Automated accessibility issues dropped by 87%
- Multiple priority brands achieved and sustained 80%+ scores, with some reaching 90%+
Earlier testing reduced rework and improved remediation efficiency. Automation was complemented by manual and hybrid testing on key user journeys, strengthening conformance on flagship experiences.
The transformation: From fragmented efforts to a scalable program
By combining centralized governance with local empowerment, Nestlé established a scalable accessibility model supporting regulatory readiness, upskilling, and improved digital experiences across markets.
Accessibility is now embedded into how teams design, build, and maintain digital experiences—supported by shared standards, metrics, and enablement.
Looking ahead, Nestlé continues expanding its accessibility program beyond Europe, applying the same model across additional regions, brands, and platforms.
