Toward B Corp certification
In this increasingly complex world, big brands and companies are fundamentally challenged as to whose interests they really serve. At Danone, we are convinced that addressing this issue in straight and simple terms is the best way for our brands and our company to reinforce trust with employees, consumers, partners, retailers, civil society and governments. That is why we joined the B CorpTM movement.
Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. They meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
Our ambition to obtain this certification is an expression of our long-time commitment to sustainable business and to Danone’s dual project of economic success and social progress.
Nine Danone subsidiaries were certified as a B Corp. While attaining B Corp status has so far been the domain of small and medium privately held companies, Danone has been partnering with B Lab—the non-profit organization accrediting B Corp certification—since 2015 to help define a B Corporation model suitable for publicly listed multinationals.
It is a significant step toward making sustainable business mainstream—and which we believe to be the future.
A rigorous B Corp Certification reflective of core commitments
B Corp Certification is a mark of trust: a promise that a company is doing business in a way that meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability and is certified by B Lab, a third-party non-profit.
To obtain B Corp certification, a company must complete a B Impact Assessment and earn an audited minimum score of 80 out of 200 possible points and recertify - with the aim to continuously improve - every two years.
Since 2015, Danone has partnered with B Lab to help define a meaningful and manageable path to certification for multinationals and publicly traded companies, as well as accelerate growth of the B Corp movement into the mainstream.
9 certified subsidiaries
A total of eleven Danone entities have now earned B Corp Certification, including dairy subsidiaries in France (Les Prés Rient Bio), in Spain and in the UK, plant-Based brand Alpro, organic baby food brand Happy Family in the U.S., Aguas Danone de Argentina, AQUA in Indonesia, Danone North America, Danone Canada, Danone Manifesto Ventures, and Grameen Danone Foods Ltd.
As a result, approximately 30% of Danone’s global business is now covered by B Corp™ certification, marking significant progress towards Danone’s ambition to become one of the first certified multinationals.
What is B Corp?
B Corp is a sustainable business certification launched in the U.S. in 2006 that has been gaining momentum around the world. In line with Danone’s vision, the B Corp movement works to drive a cultural shift to redefine business success. Today, there are more than 2,300 B Corps in 50 countries.
B Lab, a non-profit organization, accredits B Corp certification to for-profit companies that demonstrate high standards of social and environmental performance. Danone’s ambition is to be among the first food multinational companies to obtain a global certification. We are partnering with B Lab to build the roadmap toward this goal.
