Danone announces landmark certification of its specialized nutrition production site in Brazil on three key environmental pillars: Carbon Neutrality, Water Reduction and Zero-Waste to Landfill

Danone Brazil Pocos de Caldas plant - factory

São Paulo, Brazil (July 6, 2021) 


  • This is the first Danone production site certified by the Carbon Trust on the three environmental goals of carbon neutrality, water reduction and zero-waste to landfill.
  • This achievement is another step forward in Danone’s sustainability agenda which includes efforts to reach zero net carbon emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.

Located in Poços de Caldas in Brazil, Danone’s specialized nutrition plant producing milk formula and medical nutrition products is the company’s first production site in the world to meet Danone’s sustainability goals across three environmental areas of carbon, water and waste. The site has been certified by the Carbon Trust, an independent global climate change and sustainability consultancy, as carbon neutral, zero-waste to landfill and reducing water consumption, as part of Danone’s broader ambition to achieve water circularity.

 

Edson Higo, CEO of Danone Brazil said: “Danone has had sustainability at its core since day one, as reflected in our investment into local communities, the commitment of our employees, and our collaboration with partners. We are proud that this work has been certified by the Carbon Trust with this triple certification in Poços de Caldas and look forward to the next steps on our journey to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050.” 

In collaboration with both employees and external partners, Danone Poços de Caldas, Brazil firmly moved towards Danone’s environmental commitments by:

  • Curbing carbon emissions: the energy efficient facility operates fully on renewable electricity, part of which is generated by the 1,500 solar panels covering parking lots and walkways at the plant. The remaining direct carbon emissions of the plant as well as those resulting from employee commutes have been fully offset by supporting conservation projects developed by BioFilica, a Brazilian company focused on forest management and conservation.
  • Reducing water consumption and ensuring water self-sufficiency: Danone aims at preserving water resources where it operates and ensuring water circularity in and around its production sites. The Poços de Caldas site has installed a state-of-the-art rainwater collection and treatment system harvesting around 4 million litres rainwater per year, to ensure the site is self-sufficient with regards to its water needs, thus protecting local water resources.
  • Achieving zero-waste to landfill: to achieve zero-waste to landfill, the production site has minimized its waste generation and then separated it into defined streams to maximize recycling and ensure that 100% of all waste generated is recovered.

 

Edson Higo, CEO of Danone Brazil said: “Danone has had sustainability at its core since day one, as reflected in our investment into local communities, the commitment of our employees, and our collaboration with partners. We are proud that this work has been certified by the Carbon Trust with this triple certification in Poços de Caldas and look forward to the next steps on our journey to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050.” 

 

Committed to reaching zero net carbon emissions across its entire value chain by 2050, Danone is working actively to ensure all its production sites worldwide follow the same path and ultimately reduce their environmental impact to protect the health of our planet. For more information on Poços de Caldas’ triple environmental certification, please click here.


About Danone

Danone is a leading multi-local food and beverage company building on health-focused and fastgrowing categories in 3 businesses: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters and Specialized Nutrition. With its ‘One Planet. One Health’ frame of action, which considers the health of people and the planet as intimately interconnected, Danone aims to inspire healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices. To accelerate this food revolution and create superior, sustainable, profitable value for all its stakeholders, Danone has defined nine 2030 Goals, and paved the way as the first listed company to adopt the “Entreprise à Mission” status in France. With a purpose to bring health through food to as many people as possible, and corresponding social, societal and environmental objectives set out in its articles of association, Danone commits to operating in an efficient, responsible and inclusive manner, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. By 2025, Danone aims to become one of the first multinational companies to obtain B Corp™ certification. With more than 100,000 employees, and products sold in over 120 markets, Danone generated €23.6 billion in sales in 2020. Danone’s portfolio includes leading international brands (Actimel, Activia, Alpro, Aptamil, Danette, Danio, Danonino, evian, Nutricia, Nutrilon, Volvic, among others) as well as strong local and regional brands (including AQUA, Blédina, Bonafont, Cow & Gate, Horizon Organic, Mizone, Oikos, Prostokvashino, Silk). Listed on Euronext Paris and present on the OTCQX market via an ADR (American Depositary Receipt) program, Danone is a component stock of leading sustainability indexes including the ones managed by Vigeo Eiris and Sustainalytics, as well as the Ethibel Sustainability Index, the MSCI ESG Index

Danone in Brazil

Danone Brazil employs 4,500 people and supplies leading brands like Activia, Danoninho, Danone, Bonafont, Souvenaid, Milnutri, FortiFit and Nutridrink. In 2021, the subsidiary Danone Brazil became the first large food industry to obtain the Company B certification in the country. For information about Danone Brazil please visit: corporate.danone.com.br. 

 

About the Carbon Trust

Established in 2001, the Carbon Trust works with businesses, governments and institutions around the world, helping them contribute to, and benefit from, a more sustainable future through carbon reduction, resource efficiency strategies, and commercializing low carbon businesses, systems and technologies.

The Carbon Trust:

  • works with corporates and governments, helping them to align their strategies with climate science and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement; 
  • provides expert advice and assurance, giving investors and financial institutions the confidence that green finance will have genuinely green outcomes; and 
  • supports the development low carbon technologies and solutions, building the foundations for the energy system of the future.

 

About BioFilica Founded in 2008, Biofílica is a Brazilian company focused on the native forest conservation through the commercialization of environmental services. They contribute to the creation and development of a solid and reliable market for forest carbon offsets and has become a national benchmark in the legal reserve compensation market, with solutions in all modalities, states and biomes.

 



Press contact

Phone number: [tel:+33 1 40 70 11 89]

E.mail: danone@dgm-conseil.fr