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Danone and Leprino strengthen partnership to reduce GHG and dairy methane emissions, using BioFiltro technology

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Danone and Leprino have extended their existing business relationship for the supply of dairy ingredients by signing a multi-year agreement focused on sustainability. This agreement aims to reduce on-farm emissions by approximately 50% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. The first significant project involves installing BioFiltro’s innovative wastewater treatment technology on a dairy farm in California.

A value chain collaboration

Decarbonizing dairy is a challenge that no single company can address alone. For several years, Danone has been working with its suppliers to integrate sustainability into its contracts, actively engaging in collaborative projects to accelerate emission reduction in dairy farming.

Through this partnership with Leprino, we aim to reduce emissions on dairy farms in the USA, with a focus on manure management practices. The objective is to select levers that not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also deliver significant co-benefits to the resilience of farms, notably impacting water, soil health, and nutrient management planning of farmers.

An innovative wastewater treatment solution with multiple co-benefits for farmers

BioFiltro wastewater treatment technology is a nature-based solution that uses worms and microbial bacteria to process the liquid from cow’s manure, preventing the formation of methane emissions from manure storage by up to 90%1, while drastically reducing nitrogen in the water applied to fields2.

By upcycling wastewater into irrigation water, it provides farmers with flexible access to clean irrigation water that they can store and use when needed, a critical practice in areas like California where water can be a scarce resource.  

By generating worm castings, which is a nutritious and valuable soil amendment, this technology can also contribute to improving crop yield and soil health.

Through this first installation, we expect an annual reduction of 40,000 tons of GHG emissions starting in 2026 and the upcycling of nearly 0.7 billion liters of wastewater per year.

This initiative marks new progress in Danone’s global roadmap to build more resilient dairy farming models. It supports farmers in their transition to regenerative agricultural practices while investing in innovative solutions adapted to each farm’s profile.

For more nformation

  1. Leprino: Leprino Foods Company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a global leader in the production of premium-quality cheese and dairy ingredients. Leprino is the largest producer of mozzarella cheese in the world and a leading manufacturer of lactose, whey protein, micellar casein and sweet whey.
  2. BioFiltro: BioFiltro is a climate tech company. Its patented Biodynamic Aerobic (BIDA®) vermifiltration system processes wastewater through a filter of biomass, earthworms, microbes, and drainage cells. By removing volatile solids, the BioFiltro BIDA System prevents methane emissions in livestock manure lagoons from forming, transforming waste into valuable soil products enriched with worm castings and hundreds of microorganisms that build healthier soil.
  3. Danone Methane Pledge : Our Dairy Methane Action Plan

1 Dore, S., Deverel, S. J., & Christen, N. (2022). A vermifiltration system for low methane emissions and high nutrient removal at a California dairy. Bioresource Technology Reports, 18, 101044. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BITEB.2022.101044  and Miito, Gilbert J., et al. Efficacy of a vermifilter at mitigating greenhouse gases and ammonia emissions from dairy wastewater. Vol. 51. No. 4. 2022. Mitchell, Jeffrey P., Purnendu, N. Singh, et al. (2022). No tillage and high-residue practices reduce soil water evaporation. Calif. Ag. April – June 2012. Pp. 55-61.

2 Lai, E., Hess, M., & Mitloehner, F. M. (2018). Profiling of the microbiome associated with nitrogen removal during vermifiltration of wastewater from a commercial dairy. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9(AUG). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01964 and Miito, G. J., Ndegwa, P., Alege, F. P., Coulibaly, S. S., Davis, R., & Harrison, J. (2021). A vermifilter system for reducing nutrients and organic-strength of dairy wastewater. Environmental Technology and Innovation, 23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2021.101648.